Career pirate

Let’s think back to the beginning of the semester.

Play back the memories you had either as an incoming freshman or outgoing senior. A very different mindset now exists for both of these classes of people. Game on! If you are a senior and graduating, this is the most exciting time of your life. You could care less about the problems around you and only that winning a diploma is finally in sight.

Can you believe your college career is almost over? Read between the lines—that means you now have to enter the real world. This quandary of job searching for many is a strenuous task, only exacerbated by the dreaded unpaid internship. Comment on the lack of pay to a potential employer and you might as well fill out your welfare paperwork now.

Found a job that actually pays a decent living wage? It would be nearly a miracle, as many entering the workforce are taking reduced salaries or wages simply to have a job. Below average wages and starting pay are just the beginning of the problems we’ll face entering the workforce as newly-grads.

Say you do find a job. Not a great job, and not necessarily the job that you want, but a bona-fide J-O-B nonetheless. What are you going to do if it pays peanuts to your experience and education? Turn it down? You’ve got to pay back those student loans as soon as six months after you graduate, and generating a viable income and paying back the money you owe is going to take up as much as 25 percent of your starting income.

Found employment is about as valuable as found treasure. Just be aware that in order to get a job, it is typically easier to have a job when you’re looking. That burger-flipping technician’s job might not be as appealing as the senior analyst’s, but you’ll never gain experience if you don’t put yourself out there.

You’ve got a long road ahead of you, graduates, and the road to success isn’t easy.

Found treasure, found jobs and found permanent and satisfying employment options are all going to be akin to sailing the seas as a pirate and looting the market for all of its booty.

It won’t be easy being a career pirate, but at least you’ll have the satisfaction of being able to wear a tricorn hat and pull it off.