\0x1DThis past weekend marked what has come to be one of my favorite holidays: Labor Day.
\0x1DThough the day will forever be confused with Memorial Day, the two holidays are in fact di\0x80fferent.
Labor Day weekend is a sign that times are changing. It is a sign that fall will soon replace summer. It signi\0x91fies the end of seersucker and white clothing. Most importantly, it signals the miraculous return of football to the rabid fans that have craved it for seven months.
The Monday off from school and work is not too bad either.
Needless to say, spirits are high the \0x91first weekend in September.
With all of the football and festivities going on, the true meaning of Labor Day can get lost in the shuffle.
Labor Day can trace its roots back to the 1880s, but it didn't become a federal holiday until 1894 when President Grover Cleveland signed it into law.
\0x1DThe reason for the holiday was simple: to celebrate the impact workers bring to this country, both economically and socially.
But there is a problem with celebrating workers' impact on this country's current state: Worker impact is diminishing.
\0x1DThe recession has hurt the success and careers of working-age people nationwide.
The unemployment rate in the U.S. is currently at 8.3 percent, with no clear path of going down.
Recent college graduates have been especially hurt by the economic downturn. According to a study conducted by the Associated Press in April, 53.6 percent of college graduates under the age of 25 are unemployed or underemployed.
According to that same study, graduates with degrees in nursing, teaching, accounting and computer sciences are most likely to find jobs in their \0x91fields upon graduating.
A bachelor's degree in humanities or art may expand your mind and leave you academically enriched, but it may only get you a job behind the counter of a fast-food restaurant.
\0x1DThis scares the hell out of me. Before college I worked numerous odd jobs, from pool maintenance to landscaping to warehouse shelfbuilding (probably the most entertaining one), and even at a local deli.
Though there is nothing wrong with these jobs, I knew they were not what I wanted to do for the rest of my life. \0x1DThis was the reason I decided to attend Auburn. I wanted a job after college that would be ful\0x91filling and that would pay well.
But with the job market like it is now, it is not crazy to think my degree in journalism will lead me to a job as a sales clerk at the neighborhood Office Depot or T.J. Maxx.
Labor Day is supposed to remind us of the impact workers carry, but it is hard to make a big impact living in the basement of the house you grew up in, sending out multiple resumes a day.
Vice presidential candidate Paul Ryan may have said it best during the Republican National Convention this year. "College graduates should not have to live out their 20s in their childhood bedrooms."
However, as scary as the job market is, it is also one of the most exciting times to be graduating college.
The world we live in is changing every day, and innovators and new thinkers are at a premium.
\0x1DThe economy will not be down forever. With hard work, perseverance a little luck our generation will be just \0x91fine.
Now enjoy your Labor Day leftovers and try to sober up before you go back to work.
Do you like this story? The Plainsman doesn't accept money from tuition or student fees, and we don't charge a subscription fee. But you can donate to support The Plainsman.
