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Graduation: The real commencement begins now

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There may be no event more exciting, yet terrifying, than college or high school graduation. After spending countless hours staying awake in lecture halls, surrounded by peers with shared ambitions of one day being successful in all aspects of life, graduation day should be the epitome of joy.

The days of imbibing unhealthy amounts of NoDoz and Red Bull before a final exam are done. Everything will be worth the struggles and sacrifice after receiving that piece of paper, right?

That’s the question that a lot of college and high school graduates have right now. The job market, no matter the job, is still tough and not everybody is cut out for college. It is a hard task to get a foot in the door when it comes to looking for a job.

Underemployment is when college or university graduates or high school graduates are hired to positions that are below their skill or educational level and for jobs that do not require a four-year degree. But that same type of job may be just what a high school graduate is looking for.

With the rising cost of a college tuition a grim reality, the task of going to college seems too heavy of a price to pay for a lot of people. Assuming mounds of debt from school loans and then not being able to pay those loans back after graduation raises the risk as being higher than the reward.

Earning a college degree is not a sure-fire path to success. But, by the same token, a degree should assist in filling some of the potholes along the path of life.

Hard work, dedication and education seem to have been replaced by luck. It’s who you know, not what you know in the job market. Still, earning a high school or college degree is still something special.

We congratulate our area’s recent graduates, for it is not an easy task these days to earn a degree or diploma. For those who have graduated, pat yourselves on the back and hope that when the “real world” reality hits, it hopefully won’t hit too hard.

Bernie Dotson

Sun Correspondent