I can still remember the excitement I felt when I got the offer for my first “real” job. It was like I had won the lottery! Suddenly instead of being a 15-hour-a-week student worker making $10/hour, I was going to have full-time work with a full-time salary plus benefits. I was going to be rich — at least compared to what I had experienced for the last two years as I was getting my masters — and I couldn’t wait to get started.
My Guidance for 2020 College Grads
I graduated from college during the great recession. Many of my classmates struggled to find jobs in fields anywhere close to their college degree. It was easy to feel like we might be stuck at the bottom of the totem pole forever. But ten years later, I can honestly say that’s not true. My peers and I did volunteer years, went to graduate school, worked our way up the ladder through low paying jobs, changed career paths, and so much more. While it certainly wasn’t easy, we made it — and, despite the hurdles they’re facing with this pandemic — so will today’s grads.