photo: Avolore/ BY

The question on future college graduates' minds these days is, “What are we gonna do when we graduate?” This is a conversation that my friends, my classmates, and I have all the time. To be totally honest, none of us have a clue. Come graduation day, all the members of the Class of 2010 (myself included) will have to make up their minds pretty darn quick.

Not to be alarmist, but the stakes definitely are higher than we might have bargained for.

Health insurance through college will stop soon after graduation. Most college loans  give graduates only a six-month grace period before the first repayment begins. And that's regardless of whether or not you're gainfully employed. 

The prospects for jobs don't look that good either.

The government claims that the recession is rolling to an end, but recent news reports state that in California, the job loss rate is currently 12.2%. Nationwide, it's at 9.8%, the highest unemployment rate in 26 years. The U.S. economy is projected to rebound in 2014, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. For those of us steadily edging towards the work force, I’ve got news for the economists and the federal government: We don't have all day!

People in their early 20s already have to contend with being dropped from their parents' health and dental insurance. And few jobs pay well enough to maintain living expenses. These continued cuts and budgets are shooting the “next generation” in the foot. At this rate, the next generation won't be able to support its own weight, let alone that of young and old.

As I sit back and think about all of the money that Congress allowed AIG to have as bailout money,I see no improvements anywhere. And with recent talk of the government making sure that banks don't reward their employees for taking huge financial risks, I can't say I have very much confidence in the financial system.

As a matter of fact, why doesn’t the federal government bail out the educational sector at a rate equal to what the banks receive?

It seems to me that this is the best time to stay in school.

Honestly, I have a number of plans for my education: I plan to apply to law school, but if it doesn't work out, I could attempt a Master’s degree. If grad school doesn't work out at all, then I could start working towards a second Bachelor's in a field I've always been passionate about: music. 

Older friends and relatives have long told me to take advantage of all the education I can get while I'm still. young and and to go as far as I possibly can. They always say: “Once you leave school, it’s impossible to get back.” 

If this is the only opportunity that I may ever have to fulfill my educational goals, then I’ll be in school for a long time.

Not as a buffer from the madness outside the classroom, but because I want to be there.