* This is a guest post written by soon-to-be college graduate, Alexandra Previdi

Since the recession began in late 2007, our economy has been plagued with high unemployment rates including estimates as high as 6 million reflecting the total job losses since then.    This is substantially greater than previous estimates revealing that not only will finding work in an uncertain job market continue to present itself as an uphill battle, but also challenges reports of a slowly recovering economy that has undoubtedly seen better days.   Reports such as this, including the massive job cuts, which have resulted in millions of men and women out of work, are especially discouraging to the ears of young college graduates.

The stress of a recent college graduate is similar to those of their peers in the graduating years before them, since many of which are still without jobs due to our current job market conditions.   If finding a job today isn’t stressful enough, new graduates have much more difficult obstacles to overcome.  They are increasing the size of the labor force while bearing the stress of heightened competition among their classmates.

What some new graduates have decided to do is to continue schooling by pursing graduate degrees, or even studying other majors to kill time and find work in areas of greater demand.   However, the glass is not to be seen as half empty and it is important for young college graduates to realize their potential prior to selling themselves short for a minimum wage job.   I have seen young students with Bio-Chemical Engineering degrees working the tile department at Home Depot.   Whereas some graduates resort to such jobs that weaken their goals and aspirations, there are a handful of others that feel there are alternative actions to be taken.   To settle, you are essentially the sole force pushing yourself farther away from achieving your goal.   It becomes less of the economy’s fault, and more-so your own.   It is no surprise then how something could seem so unattainable as you’re caught daydreaming from the tile department in Home Depot.

The bottom line being that each person’s individual passion must always be in the forefront of every decision.   The second it is put up on a shelf to rot away is when you are willingly taking yourself out of the competition, making the job hunt much easier for someone else.   It then becomes a question of dedication, willingness to fail, and the drive to succeed.   As cliché as it may be, all young graduates to be, including unemployed graduates still searching for work, are all competing for the same positions.   Whether it becomes a matter of survival of the fittest, or simply following your passion above all else, it must be understood that nothing is going to be handed to you on a silver platter…especially not in today’s economy.