Both my husband and I hold degrees from PSU. There are a lot of PSU grads, and we network for jobs. Husband got his job because of a PSU grad that worked for that company, and he has since helped a few others get in the door. I can say all the people he has helped had the grades and work ethic his company needed, he turned down a few because he didn't want to hurt his reputation by recommending someone that he knew wasn't exaclty qualified.
Once a Nittany Lion, always a Nittany Lion!!
Alumni networks--an intangible benefit of a 4-year university--are a great way to find jobs to pay off those student loans.