The road to paradise is not always rosy for university graduates

By Ardain IsmaCSMS Magazine Staff WriterDespite all the rosy figures being grandiosely announced by the Labor Department, there is an irrefutable truth that government officials will be quick to overlook: Countless of professionals JOIN the unemployment line each day. It is a frustrating situation for many of our highly qualified professionals freshly graduated from college.            My cousin, who is a psychologist, graduated from Barry University, a prestigious institution in Miami, Florida five years ago. Before graduation, he worked as a counselor at a school in South Florida for over five years. Since graduation, he had been relentless in sending his resume to wherever the job is posted. He spent a full year looking for a position suitable for what he went to school for, until one morning when I called him. “Is the ordeal over,” I asked him.            “No,” he replied with a feeling of total consternation.            “This is crazy,” I told him. “Did you take a second look at your resume?” I continued.            “What do you mean? My resume is fine. It is just I’m convinced if you don’t know someone at the right place, you won’t get the job of your dream,” he replied, trying to control his emotion.            In fact, my cousin was right. After spending years of studying to achieve the title of your dream, securing a job in your field of study would certainly give you the feeling of the ultimate sensation. At last, you’ve got the job of your dream! Is it that simple? Certainly NOT for a lot of folks.           The logical conclusion to the story of a highly committed and brilliant student who has just graduated from college is the acquiring of a job in his/her field of study. But when he tries countless of times and his die-hard sacrifice still bears no fruit, a feeling of despair begins to weigh in. He keeps looking back, remembering the dazzling graduation day, the thousand of well-wishes from University officials, the many hugs and kisses from heavenly proud relatives and friends and the fancy party at home for the new graduate.           All negative thoughts begin to swamp his mind, body and soul. And when Sallie Mae, his student loan company starts sending those billing statements, he becomes convinced that somehow life has cheated on him. His self-esteem takes a nosedive, and he resigns  himself to settling for one or two courses to teach at a university near him.            Don’t let it happen to you. You would be making a dreadful mistake if you were to let the vicissitudes of life break you down. As highly educated person you have become, you must learn to use your newfound knowledge to your advantage. If no one wants to give you a job, you should use your newly acquired skills to become a self-employed entrepreneur.            This would require some guts, but this also would fall in line with all intellectual wittedness. Every business venture is synonymous to risk-taking, so is most of what we undertake in life. You’ll be surprised to find out how important of a person you have always been. “Nul ne se connailt tant qu’il n’est pas souffert ,” my father used to say. (No one knows his real strength unless he puts it to the test.)            Having said that, it does not mean becoming a venture capitalist is the only viable way forward, and many people simply do not have the means to go it alone. But you can still find the job of your dream if you are persistent enough. Search your resume for missing sound-bites that keep your credentials from standing out—way above the crowd. Be flexible and be ready to relocate if need be. Go to job fairs and seminars of your field of study. Do networking. Accept every business-related social engagement you receive.            It is also VERY important to clean up your electronic profile, which means “before turning in your job application, go to sites with pages you control and remove any potentially damaging photos and comments.” It is very likely that a prospective employer is also checking you out through Google or My Space.com. And it can be potentially damaging “if he finds those drinking contest photos of your vacation in Cabo (Career Magazine 2007.”            Martin Yate, author of The Ultimate Job Search Guide: Knock ’em Dead, said the last time he checked, 23 percent of people reported using Google to check someone out before a meeting. ”That number can only go up,” said Yate. Those revealing photos and caustic comments meant for friends can come back to haunt someone on the job search, said John Challenger, CEO of the Chicago-based outplacement firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas.            Sadly, we are living in a society where everything evolves around money. The quest to have it all leaves us no room to think about the moral values we’ve learned during our younger years. Selfish executives would rather hire their kin instead of hiring someone who is duly qualified. The money has to stay within. Wouldn’t it be nice to go to school and, upon graduation, to find the job of your dream without having to sell your soul?            As for my cousin, he was able to open up his own clinic, and after he became a well-known and successful psychologist, he was finally offered the position he sought for at one of the university hospitals in town. He declined, for he no longer needed it. Note: Dr. Ardain Isma is also a novelist and chief editor of CSMS Magazine. He teaches Cross-Cultural Studies at Nova southeastern University. You can read a synopsis of his latest novel “Alicia.” Click here:  http://www.themulticulturalgroup.com/books.htmlAlso see Contemporary Novel: https://csmsmagazine.org/news.php?pg=20050626I9And see Best tips for emerging writersand also Helping our children understand the magic of academic writing