As the academic year comes to an end you may be thinking about how unfair it is to be entering the workforce in an economic downturn.  This is a good time to talk to your roommate, the history major. You can take comfort in the lessons of previous generations who met serious challenges to their career aspirations.

On May 10, 2002 the journalist and author David Halberstam delivered the annual commencement address to the graduating class at the University of Southern California. This was the class who had experienced 9/11 in the fall of their senior year. The economy had shed a significant number of jobs. The stock market had lost value and world events had challenged national beliefs.

“And many of you, quite rightly I suspect, wonder – what does all this mean for me, where is my place in all of this? Has my own life – my career curve – been if not damaged at least greatly altered by events outside my control?

And the answer is that you will have as good and rich a life as you want and as you are willing to reach for. If anything, you may now have a chance for a richer life – one more connected to others around you – than if you had graduated in the high point of the booming curve of the ’90’s, where the concerns tended to be more material, and to be blunt, more selfish.”

He pointed out that those who survived the Great Depression, World War II and the Korean War came out of their experiences “finding sources of strength within themselves that they might otherwise never have discovered, and were thereby subsequently able to use their lives in many wondrous ways that otherwise might have come to a great surprise to them.”

Perhaps this would be a good time to think of the challenges we face as a chance to surprise ourselves and discover new ways to enjoy the richness of our lives.

If you are a senior you have a date circled on your calendar that marks the official end of your college years. It may be a day that you have anticipated since freshman orientation. Maybe you have been in denial and it was only when your mom called this morning that you realized it is only a matter of days before you bid farewell to alma mater.

It is inevitable. The day will come and you will be sitting in the bright sunshine listening to a commencement address. If you have been a regular reader of this blog, you know that the mantra is ‘learn from the stories of others’. On graduation day, pay attention and learn from the story of your commencement speaker.

In the next couple of weeks I will share some of my favorites from David Halberstam to Steve Jobs to the address Anna Quindlan never delivered to the graduating class of Villanova University.

The first I recommend was delivered to the Harvard Class of 2008. JK Rowling’s address was called ‘The Fringe Benefits of Failure, and the Importance of Imagination’. Here is a sample.

“The knowledge that you have emerged wiser and stronger from setbacks means that you are, ever after, secure in your ability to survive. You will never truly know yourself, or the strength of your relationships, until both have been tested by adversity. Such knowledge is a true gift….It is painfully won, and it has been worth more to me than any qualification I ever earned.”

It has been a year of challenge and setbacks. The economy threw us all a curve. The job search is more challenging that it was for the Class of 2008. But you have used your imagination to create new paths to your dreams. For this, you should be proud.

Have you ever contested a grade or felt you received a lower grade than you deserved? Or did you realize the grade was an accurate evaluation of your efforts?

Mary had been arguing with her professor about her grade for fifteen minutes. Each time the instructor attempted to provide an explanation, Mary cut him off at mid-sentence. If Mary had just kept quiet for thirty seconds she might have learned why she received the grade. And she might have come away with some pointers to help her develop the skills to be a better student.

In a few short weeks the semester will be over. You will receive grades for your courses and may receive a formal evaluation from your internship employer. Both are examples of feedback and are key to your development.

The grading process for a class is usually spelled out clearly in a course syllabus. You have to attend class, write papers and sit for exams. If you understand the requirements and complete the assignments you will earn high marks for your work.

When you start a new job you’ll be given a set of goals and objectives. Your supervisor will assess your progress on a regular basis. This can be formal, at scheduled intervals or informal and immediate. Often the feedback is given to help you improve your performance, to help you get better at what you do.

No one enjoys hearing a negative even if it is only a small part of the message. However, we need to listen to the feedback to grow professionally. When you start a job you are fulfilling a contract to contribute to the success of an organization and in return acquire skills that you can use to progress in your career.

Ask for feedback. The former Mayor of New York, Edward Koch used to ask people on the street, “How am I doing?” This is the question you should ask. And listen to the answer.

What is your dream, really? What are you waiting for? It doesn’t matter what age you are, young or old. Put yourself out there. And if you fail, dust yourself off and try again.

No, blogette here has not gone round the bend. I would not provide advice unless I was practicing what I preach. Here I am an expert in my field, and I am trying out something brand new this week.

‘Why?’ You may ask. Because we need to grow, stretch, succeed and fail. If we don’t try new things we will never know our potential. Do I have doubts? Of course I have doubts. No one likes to fail. On the upside I could be a great success.

I had a million good reasons not to be here. But here I am.

Why did you choose your major? Was it a professor who engaged you in a particular subject or a bet on the guarantee of a future career? Did an alumnus you met at a campus event motivate you or were you responding to a strong parental suggestion that you choose something that was more ‘career related’?

As you look toward your future, what are the factors influencing you to choose one career path over another? In the past, you could look to the choices of those who preceded you into the workplace for guidance. For some time there had been stability in the process of entry-level job search. If you achieved a GPA over 3.5 combined with a relevant major you were set.

Now, there are few certainties and internship experience far outweighs major and GPA in the selection process. Several career fields have closed their doors to new hires. How do you guess at an uncertain future?

Don’t guess. Do your research. Where are the emerging opportunities in this new economic model? The Sunday New York Times article, ‘Crème de la Career’ suggests that talent is shifting away from financial services and consulting and into positions in government.  Time to apply your common sense. If our society has determined that greed is not part of the value system, it is natural to consider the alternative, altruism.

Having the experience of a university that places high value on community service, you are on your way to your new career. If you think about it, most students are looking for a chance to contribute to society; to do important work and be recognized. That is not to devalue compensation. We all need a salary and benefits. This new model proposes a resetting of priorities. And with these new priorities, new places to work.

Does your career path exist with these new priorities or is it time for you to invent something new? This is a great experiment, rather than guess about the future, create it.

What do you mean you have not started networking?  Student organizations, sororities and fraternities, sports teams and honor societies all fall into the category of places where you make connections. If you are on Facebook, you are part of the largest social networking site. In fact, your use of social networks has familiarized you the skills you need to translate into face to face connections.

Our definition of networking is often tied to finding a job. In the past few months there have been many articles written, referring to this economy as the catalyst for ‘the golden age of networking’. Not only are the unemployed seeking links to potential opportunities, but those who still have their jobs are seeking out ways to keep their networks current. In addition, many employers encourage formal networking within an organization. In other words, networking is a life skill. It is continuous and requires time and energy to manage.

In today’s New York Times, the article ‘On the Job, but on the Lookout for Work’ describes a number of professionals and the strategies they are using to keep connected. One of those is Katherine Wu. “A self-described ‘networking evangelist’, her profile is posted on LinkedIn and she gets five to seven call a month from people looking for jobs. She answers every one. It makes good sense, she explained. Someday it could be her placing the call.”

Being proactive in establishing your connections and offering to help others puts you in the mix of professionals in your field. Over time this will pay dividends as you transition from one position to the next. It will also help you to have a group of people you can look to for advice in the everyday management of your career.

Start today with your friends, talk to them about your plans and ask for help. Then ask them how you might support them in their career.

What have you learned this semester that will help you with your career decision? Was there a class or a professor that inspired a new career direction? Did you work with a community organization? Perhaps you had an internship or a part time job. With each experience you add to your portfolio of skills. You also learn more about yourself and your strengths and weaknesses. And, you learn more about what you still don’t know.

Here are a couple of things to help you catalog your experience and plan for your next step.

Start with an inventory of the skills and talents you have acquired over the past three months. What do you consider your strengths?  Did you improve your research and writing skills as part of a class? Are you a better leader after holding an office in your fraternity? Did your internship project improve your teamwork competency? Are you more confident as a public speaker after delivering a presentation to the board of a community organization?

Next, consider your weaknesses. In the classroom or at your internship what feedback have you received that will help you improve your grades or job performance? Do you need to pay more attention to detail? Are you waiting to be told what to do, rather than be proactive and offer to help? Maybe your communication skills need some refining or it may be that you just need more experience.

Ask your friends to look at your list of strengths and weaknesses and add their input. The folks close to you are a good reality test of your list.

Finally, come up with a list of skills that you still want to develop. Where is the best place to gain more experience? Do you need additional courses, another internship or an advanced degree?  Build from your strong points and seek out opportunities to challenge your flaws.

Over the past week I have heard stories of a number of seniors who have yet to make post graduation plans. It may be the media stories of an abysmal job market have caused you to cocoon or it may be normal end of semester denial. If you have not started your job search, there are two things to know: it is never too late and employers are hiring.

The final weeks of the semester will pass quickly as you deliver final projects and presentations, write papers and study for exams. Even in a challenging job market, it is hard to focus on post semester plans when the academic demands take priority.

Many of us are quite proud of our success at procrastination. Although we would not include it as a skill on our resume, we have a complete menu of excuses to choose from to avoid taking action. Here is the compromise; open your calendar and commit to a date when you will start your job search.

Increasing numbers of students are balancing part time work and internships with their academic program. When you are stuck in traffic on your way back to campus after your internship and it looks like you may not make your 3:30 class, it is hard to think beyond today. However, on the day you are moving out of your residence hall or apartment it will hit you that you need to do something. It is not too late to start. In fact, you timing might be perfect for many employers.

Employers in accounting, engineering and financial services are the most visible on-campus recruiters. They represent Fortune 500 companies with sizeable hiring needs each year. But most organizations never step on campus due to resource constraints or the reality that they need someone to fill a position tomorrow.

When that moment of realization comes that it is time to start your job search, start with a list of the resources available to help. Begin with the career center. Open the calendar one more time and schedule an appointment with a career advisor.