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First of all, last month’s graduation reminded me that I couldn't ask for a better work environment or a more rewarding job. Seriously, it was a great moment to shake your hands and give you hugs as you came off the podium with your "diplomas" in hand. Congrats!

Now comes the scary part: what do you do next? I have been there myself of course. It took three years of iffy part-time employment before I finally landed this job. Once the classes end you get anxious to start making that green. You want 40 hours a week, health benefits, and a 401k. It would also be nice to be using your newly acquired skills in an industry you enjoy. But you may have noticed that no one is knocking down your door and clamoring for your communication knowledge just yet.

Some of you have prepared for this eventuality and took the time during school to really investigate possible careers. A few of you even started building the network and the skill set that would make your dreams possible. Bravo.

But a sizable chunk of our graduates (and I would say all graduates) just barely squeaked through college. I have a sign in my office that says, “Feel free to do the absolute minimum. See how far that takes you.” If the absolute minimum was what you gave you might be feeling that the time you spent in college was a waste.

If you feel that way then I am sorry…perhaps we could have been more inspiring. We should have done a better job preparing you for the realities of a job market that is downright hostile right now. We should have done more to connect you with your industry. This department is relatively new and we have a lot of room for improvement. If you feel you didn’t get what you paid for I apologize.

But then I think about those students that really tried during their time here, even if they weren’t “Straight A” students. They got involved at the UVU Review or PRSSA. They sacrificed time and money to take an unpaid internship with a high-profile company. They volunteered to be part of the Bateman Case Study team or they held a position in the Wolverine PR Club. They took classes in Digital Media or Graphic Design, not for the credit, but because they knew they needed technical skills in order to compete in the modern workforce.

The students who did these things are better prepared for what is next. They have contacts in the industry. They have people who are looking out for them. They have professors that will write them beautiful letters of recommendation at a moment’s notice. The job market will be tough for them too, but I have a feeling that their next step will be a step up.

What is your next step?

After absolutely dreading every day of K-12 I fell in love with college, and in particular I fell in love UVU. Now I will get a chance to help other students make their way through this maze, and I am really relishing the opportunity. As a vertern student I was always being asked for advice anyways, now I will get paid for it. Higher education can be a lot of fun, but it is also a series of hoops to jump through. In many ways a college diploma is a way of telling your future employer, "I was able to put up this amount of bullshit". I hope I can help some people along their way.

I will miss all my friends at the School of the Arts. We had a hell of a first year, and I think we really made our mark. Thanks for all the laughs.

Now I am trying to soak up all the training I can so I can be ready for the fall onslaught. I am also looking into starting an on-line masters program in academic advising offered through Kansas State in January.

The wife and I were running some errands tonight after work (Errin was driving on account of my lack of a valid driver's license, and insurance) when all of the sudden our car started chugging and then promptly died at the intersection of 800 South and State Street in Orem. To give you some vehicular context we have been without our faithful Subaru for the past month. Errin's brother-in-law Matt helped us out yesterday by replacing our starter. So the Subie was fully-operational for almost 24 hours.

So when the car died I pushed it into the Maverick station. As I was doing so a friendly dude with a cigarette and a giant cup of soda helped me get the car off of State Street. How nice, right? With good deed done this guy could have moved on, secure in the fact that he was not an a-hole. Instead he offered to take a look under the hood. "I am a mechanic, but don't worry...I won't charge you anything," he said.

The dude's name was Colby (like the cheese) and he determined very quickly that the alternator was indeed the problem (something Matt had figured might have been the case). Without batting an eye Colby said that there was a Checker Auto across the street and he would be happy to replace it for 20 bucks. Within 25 minutes he had taken out the alternator, replaced with the new one, charged my battery, and checked to make sure the alternator was working (he also got Checker to use his old employer's account to get a dealer price, saving me 30 bucks). The Subie works like a charm. I gladly handed Colby all the money in my wallet ($35) and Errin and I couldn't be more thrilled.

So often the cynical bastard in me gives up the human species, and most of the time I have plenty of evidence at my disposal for such a narrow worldview. But every now and then an ordinary dude with a cigarette and a big ass soda proves me wrong. Thanks Colby.

The experience also drove home (literally) something that the wife and I have been talking about for a while, and that is the need for actual skills. When Western Civilization finally goes tits up, which could be any day now, my graphic design skills or my pithy blog comments will only get me so far. it will be dudes like Colby and Matt (people who can grow, build, or fix something) that will be OK, and useless piles like myself will be living off the year supply I keep girded around my loins.

To actual labor, and skills.