The College Graduate Blues

Don't get me wrong. No one said it would be easy. No one said that graduating from college and entering "the real world" would be on your list of top five favorite memories. And most definitely no one said that all of those doors opening up for you will have "Help Wanted" signs posted on them. In fact, the problem is that barely anyone had anything at all to say about the aftermath of college.

"The real world" is a phrase I have always hated. Besides the fact that it's a reality series that is long overdue for cancellation, it implies that any world you decide to reside in isn't "real" or worth any sort of time. Parents all too quickly throw this phrase out to the wide-eyed dreamer of a college student or graduate who is still in the anything-is-possible college mode. It is meant to snap you back into reality; a reality that is harsh and unforgiving.

This harsh and unforgiving reality is what many college graduates find themselves plopped down in the middle of. While attending college for four years, (and for those super seniors, five or six) you find yourself in an alternate reality. A world full of flexible schedules, part time jobs, apartments to call your own, with a few roommates scattered about of course, and that all important word; freedom.

College life, for those who live on campus and commuters as well, is a kind of trial at independence. It's a practice real world; with a community, responsibilities, and for residents; your very own toilet to clean. But, this practice world doesn't have the same finality to it, as the big bad real world that everyone talks about does. In college, you're still a student suggesting that there is still more to learn, that you haven't gotten it all figured out yet and it's okay. But once you graduate, it's not so okay anymore.

The burden placed upon the college graduate is one that is not often talked about. It is the general expectation that the graduate is supposed to have it all figured out and to know what the next step is. College graduates emerge from their college or university, their tassel carefully shifted, blink a few times at that bright sun shining in the sky and take a deep breath. Their cheerleaders are behind them, cheering them on; "You graduated with Honors! Your GPA was outstanding! You can do it!" It doesn't take very long before those cheers turn into questions; "How's the job hunt going? Have you gone on any interviews? You mean you still haven't found a job?"

There are a lot of us hanging out in graduation limbo. It's a melancholy sort of place, there seems to be a lot of old text books sitting around that Barnes & Noble wouldn't buy back. Perhaps this tough transition from school into the working world could be made smoother by better advisement and career centers in colleges and universities. Maybe a bit more attention to this particular part of the population in the media and society in general would help the graduation blues. Whatever the case, it seems that more and more college graduates are having a tough time finding jobs. Blame it on the nation's economy, blame it on the lack of information in the college job centers, blame it on society at large. But wherever the blame may land, the problem isn't being fixed.

So here's to you Mrs. Robinson and the college graduate out there, who opened up this article with a glimmer of hope that maybe, just maybe there would be some enlightening advice or an answer to your problems. Rest assured... you are not alone.