What They Don't Teach You in School...

          You spend 4 (or more) years in college preparing for the "real world." You attend countless hours of classes, take tests, and are required to turn in meaningless homework assignments. You sweat the small stuff, and later realize you could have gone to that party and missed that 8 am quiz and it wouldn't have even mattered! Teachers, advisors, parents and even your peers tell you that grades are important.  
          BUT what they don't tell you is how to actually prepare for the real world. I mean, getting a 4.0 GPA one semester after the other is quite a feat (I wouldn't quite know the feeling), but it is not going to guarantee you a job post-graduation. If college truly prepared us for the frustrating adventure many of us call the "Job Search" our professors would just constantly remind us how important is to:
                                          NETWORK & Be patient
          I have found that these two things are crucial parts of the job search. There are some people who do luck out and get chosen out of thousands to come in to interview for a job posting they found online. But that, my friends, is rare. Networking and making connections is the key. More importantly, use your parents to your advantage. Do you know why our parents have friends? So that we can meet them, get to know them, and use them as a connection in our job seeking endeavors. Duh. Our parents and their friends have been in the working world since before we were born. They know a lot of people. And those people know a lot of people. And so on. So while you may rather go to a holiday party with your friends instead of your parents, think again. Those parties are sure to connect you with some really great people.
          And as with anything in life, be patient. You may become frustrated that you are getting interviews for jobs that you don't really want. Look on the bright side: use that interview to practice your interviewing skills so when the "big one" comes along--you're more confident than ever! And if the calls aren't even coming in, you make the calls. Be persistent! Call the folks that you sent your resume to, call your Uncle and tell him to put in a good word at the company you just applied at, and keep calling and e-mailing until you hear back from someone. I used to think by doing this that I was really just being annoying. Wrong. You're actually showing how much you really want it.
          So to all of the current and future job seekers, take my advice. I've been there and I know what it's like. The right thing will come along at just the right time. Take your experiences and share it with others. I know that it would have helped if I had fully understood what I was getting into!