Commencement Address

May is graduation season, and the Internet is full of transcripts of commencement addresses, both those actually spoken at live ceremonies and others just written for virtual audiences. I’m about to deliver my own version of the latter. To all the soon-to-be and newly conferred graduates, I have some simple advice:

1. Don’t be afraid to start a career below your imagined pay grade. Whatever you think you should be earning or doing based strictly on your great degree, think again. Even though hiring is starting to pick back up a little, the job market is still pretty rough. The Wall Street Journal’s “Hire Education” blog is full of bright students/recent graduates just like you who’ve been looking for work for months. Read their thoughts and learn from them.
2. Continuing education can be your friend. Any relevant career-focused education you can supplement your degree “base” with might help you, especially in a time of job market competition saturated with traditional degree-holders. Fast, flexible online and classroom programs are available in a number of career-focused fields on the World Wide Web and at numerous physical campuses.
3. Go where the jobs are. Whether it means getting your education in fields with the highest career growth prospects or physically moving to places with an adequate supply of good jobs, position yourself properly. In the digital age, it’s much easier to stay in contact with friends and family back home—Skype, text messaging, smartphones—should you move out-of-state … or country. Reporters know to “go where the action is” … you should be open to doing the same if possible.
4. Be agile. Maybe you’ve heard of a time where a person who graduated from college got a job right away and was set for life with at least a decent wage. That was called “the 1950s,” and it’s over. Nowadays, people not only typically change jobs numerous times by the time they’re in their 30s, but careers. The world won’t come to you all wrapped up in a bow, and your job won’t be fixed like Stonehenge. Adaptability is one of the most valuable job skills of the new century.