Q: As a journalism student, I enjoy reading all of the great job tips you have for young journalists on your Web site. 

Here is my question:  I am a college senior who will be entering the job market soon.  I have one part-time unpaid internship at large state-wide daily under my belt, and I hope to land a full-time paid internship at another large paper the summer after I graduate.

I've been told by many people that I have great clips, but I'm worried about finding my first job after school because circumstances prevent me from re-locating for a job.  I am married and my husband still has one year of college left before we can re-locate. I have to stay in the Oklahoma City area, and I'm afraid I just won't be able to find a job here.

There is the paper I had my first internship at, an alternative weekly, and then a few not-so-good small town papers.  I've looked, and none of these papers seem to be hiring right now.  What should I do if can't find a job in this area?

Thanks for your help,

Oklahoman

A: Even with some limited personal options, you have choices.

It seems you have considered but discarded the option of moving away from your husband while he finishes school. That's OK. I think I would make the same choice.

So, you have to find the best journalism job you can in that area.

Begin by fully exploring the opportunities in the area. Use the Editor & Publisher Yearbook to look up every daily and decent weekly within a reasonable drive. What is reasonable? Be generous with that definition. One concession may be to get an apartment that is at one end of a long commute for him and a long commute in the opposite direction for you.

While other seniors are strafing the country with applications, yours will be targeted on papers within driving distance. That means you will be in more frequent touch with the editors there, you will be reading those papers, visiting those newsrooms and you will be showing them that you are very serious about any opportunities in their newsrooms above all others.

Good luck.