The best motto for a long march is, "Don't grumble. Plug on!" -Frederick Treves

Nothing in the world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not;

nothing is more common than unsuccessful people with talent.

Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not;

the world is filled with educated derelicts.

-Calvin Coolidge

So, according to all the statistics and studies, I am in the worst possible job-seeking demographic: 25 years old with a college degree. Furthermore, of the hundreds of thousands of jobs recently added, what the government failed to tell the masses is the vast majority of those positions were part-time. They can say what they want in Washington; here on Main Street, USA, we see it for what it is. Towns are slowly dying. The few positions that are available are part-time in dead-end careers with no health insurance. Businesses have told me they are not hiring anyone new, and have even cut back full-time employees to part-time hours, because they know Obamacare is coming. They will have a hard time affording the employees they do have, let alone anyone new.

 Let me tell you, folks, it is rough. And it looks like it will only get worse.
I know a lot of people disagree with me on this subject. The following is merely my opinion based on my observations and personal experience.

Here's my two cents:

College is no longer a sound financial decision for most people. Unless you can attend on a full-ride scholarship or are majoring in something that has a high probability of job marketability and a livable wage, don't do it. 

Instead, learn a trade. Go to a vocational-technical school. Get creative (freelance, work multiple part-time jobs, market a skill or product on your own). Be an apprentice (plumbing, electricity, carpentry, masonry, shipbuilding, etc...). I know, I know. Plumbing?

Consider this:

A trade that provides a steady job with a livable wage or a college education that leaves you tens of thousands of dollars in debt and does not provide marketable skills for this economy or even the faintest guarantee of a job upon graduation. Besides, the job you do manage to get with a college degree will, on average, pay 30% less than in 2000.

Welcome to the 21st century recession reality. 

I took the college route. The economy tanked at the end of my sophomore year. Thankfully, debt-wise, I'm in good shape. Employment-wise, not so much.

With that being said, what is a person to do?

Plain and simple. Keep on keeping on.

I mean, really, what other option do I have?

I have been filling out applications, sending resumes, and going to job interviews for almost a year. I will continue to do so. I've been rejected more times than I can count. I've been offered jobs only to be told they pay $8 an hour and offer no benefits. I've been told I am overqualified.

It gets old after a while. Discouragement is a daily battle. But, I'm not the only one. There are millions of people around this country who are struggling to get by. 

I'm an opti-realist. Is that even a word? I don't know. Anyway, in my mind, it describes the philosophy of confronting facts yet maintaining a cheerful outlook that seeks to recognize the joy in life. 

 "In the midst of winter, I found there was, within me, an invincible summer. And that makes me happy. For it says that no matter how hard the world pushes against me, within me, there's something stronger - something better, pushing right back." 
-Albert Camus

Facts are not always pleasant, but they need to be faced. The fact is, the economy is terrible right now, and will likely continue to be that way. 

Take a look at history. The Great Depression lasted many years and it took a world war to bring us fully out of it. People lost their homes and lived on the streets and in their cars. People starved to death. People who had once been employed were left standing in bread lines or selling apples for a penny a piece. It was tough, and it lasted a long time. What we are experiencing economically is nothing new. Just ask your grandparents or great-grandparents.

Satan wants to discourage me and cause despair because he knows when hope is lost, all is lost.

He is in a battle against God. Newsflash: God has already won the war, and He is fighting for me.

"Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you." -James 4:7

Giving up is not an option. 

I will press on. 

I won't back down.

I will fall seven times, and stand up eight. I might be knocked out flat on the ground for a while, but I will rise again.

-Proverbs 24:16

This shall be my parting word: Know what you want to do--then do it.

Make straight for your goal and go undefeated in spirit to the end.

-Ernestine Schumann-Heink