by Leigh Goessl

Created on: August 17, 2010   Last Updated: September 12, 2010

Getting started on a career can be a rocky road initially. Even with a solid education, many of today's employers are looking for experience, even for those entry level jobs.

It is not uncommon for an employer to go with the applicant who has some hands on experience opposed to a newbie looking to get jump-started in their chosen careers since in many instances there are currently more applicants than jobs available.

Often people look to various cities to see where the hiring is happening. Reportedly in 2010 the trend is to look towards southeastern sections of the U.S. for entry level jobs. Criteria considered was "job openings, pay and affordability" (Businessweek.com).

While overall unemployment has been up and will likely stay high a bit longer, some cities are seeing a bit of a boom in job opportunities. While the July 2010 stats state government job numbers have fallen, it is important to note that earlier figures included census workers which there is no longer a need.

Here are some top picks for entry level jobs compiled from various polls:

BusinessWeek reports a surge of job openings in the private sector created 31,000 new positions this year in Houston, TX.  Another source states "Growth in energy and health-related jobs have fueled the hiring boom there [Houston]" (jobs.aol.com). As the largest city in Texas, it seems the job availability for those starting out is perhaps proportionate to its size.

Typically the Washington DC region is the last to be hit by recession and the first to recover. With the expansion of the government, many private and public opportunities have arisen. While sources do not specifically outline Northern VA, this is a suburb of DC also has ton of opportunities mostly related to filling government need; many science and technology companies have established a presence in Northern Virginia.

In addition to the many government and contracting positions available to support various federal departments and agencies, available jobs include the many military installations in the region which needs support, making many job possibilities located in the DC area. All the large companies in the area also support small businesses in the region as well, so as an aside, hopeful entrepreneurs may also find a niche in this area.

As another top city listed for recent graduates, Austin, TX is appealing to those entering the workforce due to a combination of factors, not excluding the "college town atmosphere and overall hipness" which

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