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It is crucial that you decide what you want to do and where you want to live. You must tailor and target your resumes specifically to those open positions that intetest you, and you must reside within a reasonable commuting distance from that job.

For example, no employer will take seriously an entry level job applicant for a position in New York when you reside in Utah. There is plenty of local talent to draw from and the employer doesn't have to deal with relocation costs or the long distance person backing out.

Secondly, you must expand your network of professional contacts by becoming involved with a professional society related to your desired field of work, and then take it upon yourself to update your resume and call total strangers to request informational meetings in which you interview them about the field and their careers. They will connect you with other people in the same field of work. This is how you build a network. Always give them your resume and ask for job search feedback. Eventually one of these contacts will result in a job, based on their passing around your good name to their colleagues.

Remember that when you see a job listing, it is the employers' last resort. He has already exhausted his professional contacts and personal connections to find an appropriate applicant. Get into that network.

And if you are 1.5 years out of school and are not living in an area with a strong demand for your field or the appropriate contacts to get ahead, you need to pack up and move. You have credit cards to live off of until you can get a job, and when you go to that bigger place you can reigster with an agency for temp work until you get your real job.

I recommend reading Suze Orman's new book-- Young Broke and Fabulous. It is about managing your finances and going for the career you want. Ron Fry's 101 Best Interview Questions is another good one.

Avoid monster.com and other large job banks. Focus on the professional network and professional association job banks to get your contacts.

You work at Target, barely making ends meet and you are unhappy. What do you have to lose by moving? You can always move back.

Good luck from someone who has been in your shoes!