[YuriNiyazov]

By "NY" I assume you mean "NYC"?

Have you considered applying for jobs in the boonies of NYC? NJ, Long Island, Upstate? If you are the sort of young person living in NYC I am imagining you to be, the prospect of commuting to the burbs is horror-inducing to you. It is to most of your peers, with whom you are competing; you will have a leg up if you are willing to commute to Poughkeepsie for a year.

[giaour]

This is definitely an avenue worth exploring. My degree is in French literature, so the only employer I could find in the NYC willing to take a chance on me was in Hoboken. After putting in some time there, I was able to find a job in the city.

[InitialLastName]

As someone in that area, I can +1 this for sure. Every young person wants to work in FiDi or Midtown, but I see tons of junior job listings even in the close-in bits of NJ and Long Island that don't get touched because, "who wants to go to Jersey?".

[eagletusk]

Exactly, do the grunt work. Get a job in the Midwest if you need to, grind it out and get to be mid-level, then be the jobs will be calling you.