The future is in front of you. Well, duh! If you think that statement is a no-brainer, here’s another one. Your diploma, whether you got it for free or spent tens of thousands of dollars, will only get you so far. You’ll have to be fearless and inexhaustible to make a splash. Want to be a big fish in a little pond? Good luck. That pond is fully stocked with mediocrity and hypocrisy. Want to be a little fish in a big pond? Good luck. That pond is full of piranha and garbage and toxins.
So, what’s a shiny new graduate to do? Better not expect trigger warnings. It’s a swim at your own risk world out there. If you plan to strap on some Kevlar and dive in, be prepared to sink. Sure, battling it out against seasoned professionals who are simply trying to keep their heads above water won’t be that hard. Some of them already have one foot out the door. It’s the ones who are still paying off their student loans who are your real competition. Of course, there are also some who have their kid’s college to worry about, and they are the fiercest, so it might not be so easy after all. Experienced workers have seen the future. They know they can’t get ahead of it.
What you need is useful information. Well, here it is…
Generations who came before you made enormous progress toward solving the problems of disease and poverty and the “isms” that plague humanity. Some of them died trying. Corruption, greed, and ignorance still contribute to chronic crisis for too many. Slavery still exists, sometimes in plain sight. Substance abuse, child abuse, and spousal abuse permeate all socioeconomic and cultural classifications in all nations. Homelessness and food scarcity, behavioral and mental disorders, and, yes, drug dependency affect an ever increasing number of the world’s population. The world is old. Its inhabitants are aging. No matter how much you spend to delay the inevitable, no anti-aging gimmick will change that fact.
It’s all up to you now to fix this screwed up world. Good luck with that!
Honie Briggs 
See out a year looking for a job and then stop and redefine what it is /you/ want. Maybe corporate isn’t such a good fit. You’re a talented, determined, no-bullshit type of lady, there must be someone you can help. Or perhaps you can build your own organisation? I know it sounds crazy, but there’s a lady here who started collecting food for the needy from supermarkets – old lines, over stocked items, that sort of thing. Now she feeds thousands of people and runs, if not a large organisation, then a very efficient medium sized one. You can do it. -hugs-
Good advice and encouragement. Thank you very much!
-hugs-
“Overqualified is code for old.”—Sorry things are still so frustrating for you in the job search department. I don’t blame you for spouting some negativity about it. Still keeping my fingers crossed for you.
There is plenty for which I am grateful. Nothing prevented me from getting out of bed this morning. Nothing stopped me from having coffee in my garden or taking time to write this post or checking out a few of my favorite blogs. Nothing disturbed my solitude during lunch. I guess it seems that I’m grateful for nothing, but I am. HA!
We know you are!
Someone has been dunking their bitter crackers in your happiness stew. I hate it when that happens.
Hey, it can’t be all grilled cheeses with the crusts cut off, can it? It’s a sick joke we play on ourselves to lay the unfulfilled promises of previous generations at the feet of unsuspecting, dare I say unprepared, youth. We must work together. Easier said than done.
Boy, aren’t you just a ray of sunshine. Talk about a positive, uplifting message. Now, I’m fully inspired and ready to give up on day one.
They could always go into humor writing. There’s a huge demand, but no one wants to pay for the stuff. The good news is you don’t need a degree and the less common sense you have the better.
I hereby nominate you for Valedictorian. 🙂
Thanks, Colonel. Just keepin’ it real. Coming off the high of yet another interview for a job which it turned out I was completely overqualified, said the interviewer right to my face before asking if I had any questions.
“Yeah, why did you even select me for an interview?”
“Oh,” she confesses, “our screening software selects the resumes. We just show up when it schedules meetings.”
Humor writing is a tricky business. Seems there’s research opportunity everywhere.
PS- Overqualified is code for old.
You don’t look old to me.
Our system selects candidates at random (like a lottery) whether they are qualified or not. Then we have to interview them all and fill out a little “grading sheet.” It sucks for both parties.
You’re a smart gal with a witty sense of humor. The right job will come along and when it does you’ll be glad you didn’t settle for something less.
What a crazy system. How do you manage to attract and retain the best candidates? Odd. You’re very kind to say such nice things about me, Russell. Not settling for less is how I got in this mess to start with, no turning back now. HA!
They have one system for hourly labor workers (which is the majority of my team) and another for management & clerical. Totally different set of rules for both. A double standard, don’t you know. 🙂
We also have a very low unemployment rate in Northwest Arkansas, which means that most of the good workers already have a job and what’s left really doesn’t want to bother with showing up five days a week.
If you do find a diamond in the goat’s butt, you won’t keep them long. They’ll soon be transferring to another department for higher pay or running up the road to work at Walmart Corporate.