Road to Anywhere

Like many people my age, I am in the unnerving position of having no idea what my next step in life will be. In exactly 24 days, I will be vacating my house, moving all of my possessions into a storage unit and taking up temporary residence at my parents' house. I cannot emphasize the 'temporary' descriptor enough. I love my folks dearly, but I have lived autonomously for too long to become a permanent resident there ever again. So you can imagine my discomfort with the ambiguity of the label 'temporary resident.' How short of a time is temporary? One month? Two? Only time will tell, and that uncertainty makes me weak in the stomach.

The cause of my soon-to-be purposeless life is the completion of my graduate coursework. Over the past year, I have been working towards a Master of Mass Communication degree at the University of South Carolina. On August 8, I will have completed all of my coursework, after which I have to fulfill an in-field practicum placement. So why move? Why not do my practicum here? As much as I enjoy living in Columbia, SC I have been here for six years, and it is time for a change. I believe that starting a career in a new city will further my professional and personal development. So I'm looking for internships elsewhere. When you compare me to others in my program, I am certainly behind...which is no one's fault but my own. Several people who are also planning to do their practicums this fall have already arranged their placements. That's not say I haven't been looking. I already have my application at my number one choice, and there are many other internships for which I am in the midst of application writing. The problem I have run into is that all of my choices won't be making their decisions until the middle of August. So while I don't know where I will be living in two months, I do plan on it not being my parents' house. As I said, that will be temporary. I hope. I pray.

I may be the odd man out when compared to my cohort, but I am certainly not an anomaly in today's economic climate. According to the CBS Evening News, the unemployment rate for recent college graduates is 4.3 percent (http://tiny.cc/mgnr1 ). So while my friends and I may be faring better than other age brackets, the job market does not look all that inviting. So what can we do? How can we beat the odds and land a job (or in my case, just a little ole internship)?

I suppose it varies for different industries, but I think one constant rule for everyone to follow is to be fearless. Don't be afraid to go after something just because the market is a little dismal. Make calls, send out your résumé, knock on doors...do something. I am attempting to market myself and deliver my personal brand through as many avenues as possible (hence this blog you're reading with oh-so-rapt attention). I am networking myself through Facebook, Twitter, Linked In and my own personal Web site (feel free to browse at www.samuelstokes.com, but don't be too critical because I'm not quite done with it yet). Will all this help? I certainly hope so.
So when you're done reading this blog, pass it along to your advertising, public relations or marketing friends. Was that a shameless plug or just some playful sarcasm? Let's go with whichever answer you like better. Honestly, I'm not concerned with what gets me a job (or even an interview) as long as I get one.