Mobile Web. J2ME is a walking ghost at this point due to the fact that fragmentation has made it a nightmare to even target anymore.

Why go through the hassle of having multiple builds to target dozens of devices (fun fact: the shittiest feature phone per carrier is usually the top priority phone that Java ME devs must target), and having to water down said app for the lowest common denominator phone? Mobile Web keeps most of the business logic on the backend with scripts taking care of that stuff, all they have to do is make it look nice on the feature phone's browser.

That and the fact that the carrier's testing requirements are notorious for being harder than Chinese Algebra, since I started my career working on J2ME apps, where at times, we would target up to 60 phone per carrier for each app, so there was a lot of corner cutting and scaling down to the point where we were trying to polish a turd.

With Android and iOS, the scope of fragmentation is very narrow since the OS is very consistent across the board, in other words, no half-assed implementations. The point is moot for iOS since it's rock solid.

Bottom line, J2ME won't be number two for that long, lots of folks' contracts will be up this year and with smartphones being offered for next to nothing, they'll start bleeding profusely by year's end.

Let's just say that my Bachelor's Senior Project produced my code samples, which in turn got me my start in the mobile software development industry a month after graduation five years ago. Even then I was still able to produce code that enhanced my skills outside of work (yay for iPhone to Android ports). So far, now that we're trying hire more iPhone and Android devs at work, I'm always asking for and reviewing prospective candidates code samples before we can even consider them for interviews.

For me, when I graduated college two and a half years ago, I went into the job market with not experience, but with code samples. If you're starting out at entry-level and wanna have a damn good chance of getting the job, you gotta have an app of some sorts that you can demonstrate to potential employers so they get a better idea of your programming style and whether you were able to apply the concepts that you learned to that said app.

The way I managed to get my code samples was through my Senior Project, in which I wrote two J2ME demo games for two different handsets (both MIDP1 and 2). One month after graduation, I interviewed for a mobile game developer and had my samples on hand to give to the employer. As a result, I was hired by them shortly thereafter and managed to hold on to that job up until early last year when I was let go. Even after that, I still had connections to the mobile industry and I was taken care of with more work up until last summer, but at least I came away with experience and contacts, something valuable in this economy. Without those code samples, God knows where I could of ended up, probably doing code for some dodgy come and go Hedge Fund, but the fact remains the same: just like artists have samples of their work, so should software engineers. said app.

Also, OP should broaden his search and not just focus on IT given the state of this dismal economy. In other words, build up your digital portfolio to showcase to employers when interviewing for whatever entry-level software engineer position matches your skills. The important thing right now is to get your foot on the door and pop your cherry with some professional experience. Best of luck to you in this fierce job market.