Keeping Competitive

Over the past few months, as I inch ever closer toward graduation, I have been noticing that among my peers who have gone off to bigger and better things--those bigger and better things did not necessarily come along with a single internship under their belts.

Before landing big business internships right out of the classroom, these people had completed at least two internships as well as quite a bit of volunteer work and extracurricular activities. I am starting to think that above average is no longer acceptable; that to make it in the present job market will require extraordinary measures and/or excellent contacts.

When my parents graduated from high school, they both received white collar jobs right out of the gate, no degree required. When my old babysitters graduated from college, their bachelor's degrees automatically won them $50,000+ a year. Now as my generation approaches graduation, B.A.'s are a dime a dozen and minimum wage, secretarial positions are being fought for, tooth and nail.

There was a time when I was proud of my resume, but month by month as I look to update it, my life's work isn't looking so good on paper.

As soon as I catch up and add charity/freelance work and two internships--someone comes along and ups the ante and sets the standard for employment at 6 internships, being a contributor to the New Yorker and job shadowing Margaret Thatcher.

Perhaps the key to getting ahead of the game is to not play by the rules.

If the real world is like a never ending game of corporate chutes and ladders, there are those who will waste their time playing it safe and climbing every short ladder, in succession, that comes along; these people will be doomed to always be one climb away from the leader, only choosing to climb because that's what the first guy did.

And then there are those who will go balls to the wall (and risk a few rides down chutes) in order to reach the express ladder, straight to the top.

When you can no longer work within the system, perhaps it's time to take a risk. Instead of trying to rise the ranks in a Fortune 500 company, get in at a budding business and help build it from the ground up. In the end, maybe all of that hard work will pay off.

No guts, not glory.