Last week at The New York Forum* I learned from Chrystia Freeland of Thomson Reuters that if college grads don't get a full-time job immediately after graduation it will shape the rest of their careers. Well fellow graduates, congratulations; it seems the pressure is on. With unemployment at over 9% (not including those with internships or part-time positions who are seeking full-time employment) it's us wide-eyed and bushy-tailed youngins that are getting flung off the corporate ladder.
When I look at my fellow graduates, it seems the bulk of my peers starting full-time corporate jobs this summer went home in May with a business school degree in hand.
The world changed drastically during my sophomore year in college. Having just declared my double major in Political Science and Drama (in the midst of a hope-filled presidential campaign, mind you) the front page of the New York Times was suddenly littered with evidence of a much less hopeful economic future. With the housing bubble burst, the market plummeting, and unemployment high, I wonder why no one sat me down to urge me to take up a more pragmatic course of study.
But, you know what? I don’t regret devoting my senior year to quite possibly the most esoteric academic subject known to man (yes that would be good ol’ Will Shakes). And, although the Avenue Q song “What do you do with a B.A. in English?” feels eerily familiar, I am decidedly optimistic that Ms. Freeland is incorrect. Perhaps my not so pre-professional academic route has put me at a disadvantage in this toxic job market. But if I had to do it all over again, I still would not trade in those four years of eclectic liberal arts courses to focus on the more lucrative paths of accounting or finance. I know that the skills I learned in college—namely intellectual autonomy, critical analysis and writing—have helped me discover who I am and will help me navigate these still uncertain waters. 
Julia B. Mellon is an intern at CJP Communications
* Disclosure: CJP Communications provided communications support and counsel to The New York Forum.
