From Commencement to Graduation

At the request of one of my dear friends, this blog post will be directed at college commencement speeches. As we come to a close on our college years, our palms sweat, hearts race and panic sets in as the threat of "the real world" closes in on us. Part of the reason why this is such a shock to us is that no one warns us in the beginning that there is little you can do without a masters degree, and that entry level jobs are few and far between.  If you want to get a job straight out of college, you have to keep an eye on a career goal at an early stage. You have to prepare to have experience when applying or to continue your education. But they don't tell you this during the commencement speech freshman year. Instead, they applaud you for your wise choice in choosing such a fine place of education and glorify the bold, life-altering journey you're about the embark upon. And while this is very uplifting, it might have been more helpful to warn us about this end-of-the-journey panic. This warning might not be the best idea at the very beginning of freshman year, but maybe towards the end of the year or beginning of sophomore year. Commencement helps the skiddish freshmen get that last push out of the nest. Had they been told on their first day in a strange place that they need to be prepared if they ever want a job, they'd probably go running in the opposite direction. But come sophomore year, college students settle into a more comfortable routine and feel they've got a handle on college life. At that point, a get-your-act-together speech might have been helpful. You can't predict a bad job market or where your future will take you, but you can keep an eye on a goal and work towards it the best you can. One way or another, we will find jobs, we will have roofs over our heads, and we will be settled again. Consider this a second freshman year. We're being pushed out of the nest again... with a slightly less uplifting commencement speech.