Graduates will have to be tough, inventive in this job market

As graduation season comes to a close, thousands of Western Nevada College and area high school graduates are facing an uncertain future.

Speaker after speaker in Northern Nevada told graduates to "hang in there and keep trying." Taking the advice to another level, we could say persevere and learn how to be a survivor in this day and age.

Unfortunately, this has been one of the worst - if not the worst - recessions since the Great Depression. But many options still await.

States are raising college tuition, but for those students who want to pursue a degree, attending a community college remains a bargain for the first two years. Since community colleges are affordable, students can remain at home and muster up enough money to cover tuition and fees without taking out loans. While many students look at community colleges as one step to a four-year degree, others will benefit from the vocational classes WNC and Truckee Meadows Community College in Reno offer.

For those recently graduated WNC students, they are halfway to their four-year degrees, but obtaining money may not be as easy as it once was. This recession will not last forever, but educated people still will be needed in

many fields.

Some graduates may want to take a break and enter the job market, but finding employment may be difficult considering the plethora of more experienced, out-of-work people also competing for those jobs.

And then there's the military for those students who want to serve their country and learn a job skill. Although serving in any branch of the armed forces can be dangerous, students will quickly learn a trade and how to work with others. Leadership traits developed in the military will carry over to other pursuits in life.

No matter what area WNC and high school graduates decide, we wish each and every one of them the best of luck in whatever they pursue.

• This editorial originated in the Lahontan Valley News.