Graduation; It happens to the best of us, like crabs or the clap. We don our cap and gowns glowing and enter the big bad world brown eyed and bushy tailed. Professors and Deans shower a lucky few of the innocent, naïve students with distinguished honors, magna or summa cum laude like dirty old men before they return to putting their respective classes back to sleep. And finally after a veritable orgy of celebrations, the real world collects its alimony with the bitch slap of reality.
The rude awakening comes like the morning after your last college party; you’re hung-over, naked and completely disoriented. Wtf? Where’d all the young people go? Hey wait- you mean I can’t find a job with this degree? I can’t find a girl? Not even a moderately priced apartment? Hell, I can’t even find my keys! Was I rufied last night?
No friend, truthfully you’ve been rufied for the past four years, maybe longer. We thought we’d walk across that platform, out the door and into a mid five fig job. And if all else failed, we could always work in the public sector!
But wait! Where’d the jobs go? Have you seen Waldo? Oh-to China? India? Or Mexico?
Suddenly the self-righteous, altruistic Teach for America, Peace Corp do good-ers look a lot more like the self-interested business majors that came before-who now incidentally can’t find work.
At this point, the following thought might even cross your mind; “I should have stayed in college another year.” (Yes parents, imagine that!)
Moving home, we all sacrifice a little of our dignity and independence. So I’ve started this blog as a forum for us to share our disorienting experiences in the hope that we can regain some sense of self.
Yes people, the economy sucks. It’s not getting better anytime soon. And here in Detroit, things may never get better. But at least we have each other, right? Hello? People?
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