Rhonda Abrams writes for Gannett that as a college graduate your next expected step is to look for a job.
If you’ve just graduated, I’m sure your parents are urging you to get a job. After all, they don’t really want you moving back into your old room, playing video games, and walking around the house in your underwear.
But as you set out to look for a job, you’re going to be given discouraging information and advice. You’re going to be told you’re graduating at a time of one of the worst hiring environments, that your earnings will be hurt for the rest of your lives, that you have to lower your expectations.
That can lead you to be discouraged.
But it also means it’s a fantastic time to follow your dreams. Because – in case you missed it in college economics class – there’s something called “opportunity cost.” Opportunity cost, in brief, is what you give up for pursuing one opportunity rather than another. So if you graduated in 1999, with plenty of high-paying, interesting entry-level jobs, if you took time off to pursue your dreams or do volunteer work, you paid a high opportunity cost.
Now, the opportunity cost is minimal. If you can’t find a good job, what are you giving up? Working at McDonald’s and then hanging around with your buddies?
Instead, get out there and explore yourself and the world. Do something important even if it doesn’t pay well – or doesn’t pay anything. I’m assuming you don’t have a heck of a lot of responsibilities and you can somehow manage any debt you racked up in college.
Follow your passion – be a musician, chef, writer. Or find yourself by working on something bigger than yourself. The world needs you. Work on projects to save the environment or animals or other human beings.
Or take that great idea you have and start a business. You have the energy, enthusiasm and drive that can lead you to create great things.
Whatever you do, take it seriously.
Photo by harrykeely.