Young Professionals Create Jobs with Social Media, Web

In the face of a dreary job market, young professionals and recent graduates are finding ways to use their technology skills to become self-sufficient.

With the advent of social media and web 2.0, new doors have opened for the young and tech-savvy. Companies are now scrambling to hop on the social media wagon, finally realizing it's the best way to reach that coveted young audience. And who better to manage these campaigns then the generation who made it so popular?

Companies are looking for people who speak web 2.0 as a first language, not a second. Recent college grads have realized this, and are jumping at the change to become "social media managers," "web community liaisons" and "web marketers."

The increasing popularity of the Internet and social media have expanded the options for so many young job seekers. Marketing majors can use their skill sets to specialize in online marketing, utilizing Facebook, Twitter, banner ads and more to attract clientele.

Graphic designers can market themselves toward web-friendly projects, creating banners, headers, web background, company logos and Twitter backgrounds.

Journalism majors, who no doubt face poor job prospects with the decline of print journalism, can log on to one of the countless sites that offer freelance writing and editing jobs by telecommute. Demand Studios pays journalism majors by the project - for an edited story, a written how-to, an instruction video and more. Writers and editors can also find work by telecommute at Suite101, Associated Content, Examiner, eLance and more.

Blogging is another option for the web savvy creative type. With sites like WordPress and Blogger, set up is easy, and you can feature related advertisements by using Google Adsense. With a little focus on SEO (search engine optimization), you could have your own business in no time. Once you've set up your own, you can charge other to help get their blog dreams up and running.

So many companies, large and small alike, are run by baby boomers - typically not a group known for their stellar technology skills. Young professionals are realizing the high demand for their skills and are taking advantage of it.

The moral of the story: Can't find a job? Make one.