Who says there are no jobs?

Despite the gloom and doom you hear about the economy, there are jobs to be had for this year's crop of college graduates.

This past week there was a Career Fair at Gaillard Auditorium in Charleston for students and alumni of the College of Charleston and The Citadel. Manning more than 70 booths and armed with brochures and smiling faces were representatives from businesses and government agencies anxious to recruit.

Odette Foore was representing SPAWAR (Space and Naval Warfare Systems Command), a sprawling, high-tech operation in Goose Creek.

"Opportunities at SPAWAR are in electrical engineering, computer engineering, computer science, mechanical engineering and industrial engineering," Foore said. "And we're also recruiting for our business department, our contracts department. So we're hiring."

That's good news at a time when good news is hard to come by.

Plant pathologists

Among those seeking talent was Judy Thies, who was answering questions about the U.S. Vegetable Laboratory just south of Charleston.

"We're looking for plant pathologists, plant breeders and geneticists," Thies said. "We also have greenhouse work and field work available, and we do a lot of work on developing pest-resistant vegetable crops."

A representative from Nucor Steel in Berkeley County said his company melts scrap and turns it into steel sheets and beams. They're offering entry-level positions to learn the different areas of the production mill environment. And they're hiring.

Tom Allen is an officer with the Charlotte-Mecklenberg Police Department, the largest force between Washington and Atlanta, and he was looking for new recruits.

"We spread our net as wide as we can to get a more diverse group of people," Allen said. "We're looking for hard-working, dedicated people who want to make a difference and not just sit behind a desk all day."

Guns and badges

Michelle Berry was recruiting for FBI special agents and professional support staff.

"To work for the FBI, you have to decide if you want to have a gun, a badge and handcuffs or you want an administration or investigative job," she said. "We're looking for degrees in computer science, information technology, biology, chemistry, physics, foreign languages, accounting and finance and all engineering disciplines."

Others looking for prospects included the IRS, Peace Corps, Maersk Lines, Rite Aid, Walgreens, Edward Jones, Carolina Capital Management, the CIA and, of course, the armed forces and other government agencies.

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"We're hiring," said Kevin Grooms, a recruiter for the Federal Air Marshals program. "Travel is obviously required, about three nights a week away from home, overseas and domestically. Go see the world on us."

Then there was Waffle House, represented by Robin Glass, who was looking for unit managers to run their 1,600 restaurants after three months' training at Waffle House University.

I also approached the recruiters for the U.S. Secret Service, but they wouldn't talk to me because, you know, it's a secret.