Hope Is Always Alive!

Where will the next generation of corporate leaders come from? What are they doing today? What information do they have? What don’t they know? What will their future look like?

They are on the frontline or at the front door of your organization today. They are trying to figure a lot of things out about themselves and the organization they work for. The information available to them is simply amazing. They can YouTube, twitter, stream, text, get LinkedIn, chat on FaceBook, and blog, just to name a few. Even though some of them are working, many of them are not. They believed in a system that said “if you get a college degree you will have a good job” and someday make lots of money. So, what happened to the most recent graduating classes? After more than a year several of them are out of work and still looking for a job. Many who thought the fast food chain or entry level retail spots were temporary, just something that afforded them a flexible schedule which allowed them plenty of time to study and socialize now find themselves working fast food or retail full time with a college degree. And the next wave of graduates will join them in just one month. It’s not the way it was suppose to happen.

CHIN UP: First let me encourage you to hold onto your hope! We are a nation of great people and like many situations we will work our way out of this one as well. So, what can you do for yourself today if you are not fully employed? First of all, don’t waste time. Second continue the learning process outside of school by putting your knowledge and skills to work, volunteer. In the long run this will give you an advantage over other applicants who are facing a similar situation when the opportunity presents itself. Someone once said luck occurs when preparation meets opportunity. Hence, you have to be ready to leverage the moment.

Now, let’s say everyone is doing something, working for compensation or volunteering. The next thing you have to do is accept the fact that you have to create the future you want. And you do that by constructing in your mind the positive impact you can make on the world around you. Look for something no one else is doing an unfulfilled need. What problems haven’t been addressed? This is a great time to discover how best to leverage your new skills, in untraditional ways. Remember, you are unique. Find ways to add value. Do things that help others succeed! Don’t look to do the same thing everyone else is doing. Most of them are just maintaining the status quo. You don’t build a better future by running in place.

You have a degree; but have you discovered your strengths, do you know what makes you smile, what brings you the most satisfaction at work? If not, you have a lot of discovering to do, experiment. Try different job assignments until you find one or two that you either a) really feel good about or b) really excel at. Then when the economy picks up and new opportunities become available you can highlight all of your wonderful accomplishments. Show them you are a self starter who knows how to go above and beyond.

Sidebar: If you can afford to stay in school then commit two more years to getting a second degree, but in a completely different field. Why? One thing I’m beginning to notice is that people start off on one track, which hopefully they enjoy, however they develop new knowledge about themselves in the work environment and want to take on new challenges doing something that is nrelated to the first degree. The problem then becomes trying to make the leap from current duties to pursue new opportunities. Because so many people in professional positions today have a degree, organizations don’t know how to help you make the transition. They first check to see if you have all of the right boxes filled. I personally think, where this happens, it’s unfortunate. There is so much more to a person than just the degree she/he has earned. But, to you I say, be prepared.