Graduating right now is a little scary, I’ll admit.

Students who entered college during recent years may have expected to find their cushy dream job pretty easily.

This idea is definitely disappearing.

However, jobs are not gone.

Career success remains a completely viable possibility, albeit more competitive now.

Thus, I think the whining needs to cease, both because I’m sick of hearing people dither about their lack of opportunities, and because time could be much better spent.

Right now, the information age is probably the most open time ever to discovering a great job and building a successful career.

Not because there are more prospects (right now, there are less), but because you can find so many prospects you might never have considered.

As Michelle D. Brown, the career counselor for public service and environmental careers, said, “You can do anything for a year. With the current economic climate, students need to be a bit open-minded.”

Try doing some of these instead of biting your nails about graduation:

Begin Early

Yes, second-semester seniors, this one doesn’t apply to you.

However, underclassmen really need to know being in college is not an excuse to not be paying attention to your future career.

Explore what kind of jobs fit your major, explore what further schooling you need, search for scholarships (the less loans, the better, right?), and basically invest yourself in your own future.
Use Resources

Appalachian State University students are part of a very supportive school structure, and I don’t think we always recognize and take advantage of it.

We have an extensive job bank and career Web site called Career Gear, open to all students.

We have the Career Development Center and Peer Career, both of which offer consultations with experts who can point you in the right direction and want you to succeed!

Don’t Hide in Graduate School

Brown said lots of students are exploring the options of graduate school right now.

While many careers require graduate education and further schooling, don’t automatically seek out graduate schools when you really ought to be searching for jobs.

If you have the skills to apply for and get graduate school positions, you could be using those skills toward job inquiries especially if graduate school isn’t necessary.

You Know this Stuff Already

If you ever needed to listen to all the predictable stuff - good grades, networking with professionals in your field, internships, relevant extracurriculars - it’s now.

There have always been people who don’t perform to their highest potential and still get jobs, but these days, to get your dream job you will probably have to really work hard. Luckily enough, all this stuff should be relevant to something that’s important to you.

Consider the Other Options

Because, then again, you don’t have to get a job right now. Government programs like Peace Corps overseas and Americorps in the United States, or non-profit organizations in many different areas can be viable options to participate in until your favorite paying position opens up.

This is the time of life when you have the opportunity to travel, serve and have adventures; if your career prospects are pretty bleak right now, take advantage of other options that exist.

Laura Tabor, a sophomore journalism and Spanish major from Cary, is an opinion writer.

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