By Staci DaSilva
sdasilva@kcautv.com
twitter.com/stacidasilva
It's the ultimate transitional phase, leaving the safe haven of college for the unpredictable realm of the real world.
Morningside College Senior Katie Sokolowski said, "There are some days when you want to just run home to Mom and Dad and be like 'I don't want to grow up yet!'
Nationally, about 1 out of 2 college grads is unemployed, or working a job he, or she is overqualified for. That case is true for Morningside College seniors Katie Sokolowski and Laura Tolkamp.
Katie, an english major, is still waiting for her big break. And college loans make the wait much more stressful.
Sokolowski said, "Especially when you know that you only have so much of a grace period until you start having to pay those back and up until then you need to be finding a job and something to provide for yourself. It's nerve-wracking. Very overwhelming."
But there is hope. Her classmate, Laura is a business major with a job offer from the Office Of the Comptroller of the Currency in Des Moines.
Laura Tolkamp said, "I'm excited about it. It's exciting to actually have a job waiting for me before I've even graduated. I'm really thankful to have this opportunity."
The girls' career counselor says the 50% statistic doesn't apply to Morningside.
Morningside Career Counselor Stacie Hays said, "That number doesn't jive with us whatsoever. Sometimes, it's a feeling of perception. Sometimes a student might feel like they're underemployed. I try to talk to them about, a lot of times you're not able to just walk right into the dream job you want to walk into. So you have to look at employment as a series of steps."
A Morningside College report says 99% of 2011 grads are either part-time or full-time employed or continuing their education. And 86% of those employed full-time are working in their desired fields.
The counselors tips: Apply to as many jobs as possible. Don't wait for your dream job to come to you. If you're not getting any offers, change up your resume or your presentation.
And of course, network, network, network.
And one local college student is proving it's never too early to start your future.
He's only a junior at Briar Cliff University but marketing major Richard Miller already has a full-time job lined up after he graduates in May of 2013.
The Miami, Florida native will be a logistics assistant at the Sgt. Bluff based "Heritage Pork International."
Miller has been very proactive in his own success every since starting at Briar Cliff and says, initiative is the key to success.
Miller said, "It came down to the people that you know and understanding what you're capable of. By knowing those two qualities about yourself, you'll definitely be successful."
Miller isn't any stranger to success.
Last year, he branded his very own line of organic oil, Pureside Organics, that is currently sitting on the shelves at HyVee.
