The most common question plaguing young people these days is not How will I achieve my goals? as most are confused about what it is they want to do, the more nagging question becomes What should my goals be? to which, for many, no solution is visibly on the horizon. The problem seems to be a lack of clear and established career paths that many previous generations enjoyed, substituted by a simple desire to make money if for no other reason than simple survival or acquiring the all-to-sought-after good life.

I got a chance to speak to many of the students at my University campus, and many seem to have the same anxieties concerning their future and lot of them feel their simply are not enough careers out there for them. Genuine concerns of course considering the amount of effort and time required just to attain a simple J.O.B. (Just Over Broke) while they continue their schooling, its only reasonable to wonder if any real work is even possibleits important to mention here that Future Shop has a 6-month waiting period for future employees and simple teller work at any Canadian banking establishment means submitting an application online and twiddling thumbs for either a call anywhere from 6 to 8 months later for a phone interview, at which point if this all-to-crucial step is passed an actual interview is scheduled to which hundreds of jobless peers may attend, that is of course one receives a call-back at all. Not a very encouraging foray into the working world.

The result? Early disillusionment with ones chances out there leading to a lack of motivation and focus as a brutal and harsh reality becomes startlingly clear, there are not many jobs out there, and a question like a red flag is raised what am I going to have to do to find work when Im done school?. Its logical to assume that if menial work and labor requires this much effort that looking for actual work in a chosen field is not going to be any easier, especially in the face of that stigmatic and dreaded word; experience. It is what employees want, and in many cases the only thing they are looking for and to a potential job applicant fresh out of school, green, wet-behind the ears, confident if in nothing else than for confidences sake, experience is the cold bucket of water that will startle them into reality. One student asks What kind of experience am I going to find if no ones going to give me a job? It looks like all my buddies who decided to go straight into the working world after high school have a better shot than I do, because they started [working] earlier. Employees tell me its great that I have my degree but they would rather go with someone whos done the job and needs little or no training.

This disillusionment leads to reduced productivity, a lack of focus on studies when already the distractions abound, a loss of faith in the economy which turns into a not so healthy cynicism and in some cases breeds depression. Stories of the student who graduated with a rather excellent grade point average working at a Bell World outlet or driving cab are more than common, in fact their used as a not too subtle warning as they are whispered in conspiratorially hushed tones followed by cynically knowing looks. Generally, the consensus seems to be that the Bachelors degree has lost its worth turning the 4 years of under-graduate work, time, money, stress and struggle into a sort of stop-gap, a means to an end; the end of course being some sort of graduate program. Long gone are the days when a student could receive a bachelors from an accredited University in English, Philosophy, Psychology, History (or any other popular program major), graduate with honors than go on into their chosen profession a proud owner of a perfectly expensive diploma. The B.A. finds itself replaced, in its stead stands the phenomenon of an almost urgent demand for a Masters Degree, Ph.D., LLB, MD, MBA etc. In other words, most students believe that their Bachelors degree has been rendered worthless by the current economic zeitgeist and to find some sort of success they must attend graduate school. And if you feel that 4 years of school is more than enough and wish to begin your life upon graduation from the under-graduate level? Tough luck.

This may not necessarily be the all encompassing truth of the situation but it is certainly the way the future generation feels. Proof of this is the recent influx of certificate programs flooding the market with a plethora of 1 or 2 year accreditation curriculums with everything from CFA, CA, SEC to real-estate or paralegal certificates and sales work-shops. The Certified Financial Analyst program is reporting record highs in enrollment and most of these budding financial wizards are University grads although no degree is required per se however in all fairness is of course recommended. Surely, these programs have always been there but their recent popularity is such that picking up any newspaper will reveal just how many are available and at the staggeringly high tuition rates one is supposed to pay to receive this education in proficiency (the ultra-popular certificate of paralegal work requires an average of 8 to 12 thousand dollars a year) you have to wonder if University is even worth it anymore. Since most students graduating an under-graduate program are enrolling in these programs anyways, the savvy market-situation swinger may deign to skip University all-together and go straight into certificate program.

Yet Universities across the country continue to thrive and enrollment numbers, not unlike tuition prices, continue to soar to staggering new highs. A recent issue of Macleans Magazine's University issue offers insight into these increasing enrollment patterns. This of course begs the question, are students enrolling in University anyways, despite the fact that they are aware of these market demands, because they feel by having both they are granted an edge on their competition? Is their perception of the future so glib that they are investing thousands of dollars and man-hours in an attempt to secure some sort of security about their future? Yes. An IT graduate, recently-turned into a CFA hopeful put it best, At this point Ive spent so much [on education] that I have a second mortgage looming over my head anyways, I might as well keep spending to give myself a chance to find something I can at the least trust will help me pay it back. Education has become so expensive that the reality of purchasing a home, especially in the current sellers market we find ourselves in, as a rapidly evaporating ideal and anyone daring to take the plunge into purchasing a home will find that on top of the mortgage one expects to pay for it they also acquired whats known as the second-mortgage a.k.a. education loans.

There is, of course, a way out for any young person who wishes to escape this abundance of mayhem standing sentry on the path towards their future. To do this we must look to Oscar Wilde who said Simplicity is the last refuge of the complicated. In other words when the situation seems to be so convoluted that finding the criteria to make a decision is a luxury you cant afford, the simple plan is best. First look into yourself and search for something you would love to do, or at the very least can see yourself doing, not to forget excelling at. For some this may be easier said than done, at which point it is a recommendation for those individuals who feel at an utter loss as to what they want to do with their life, to try everything. Get a job as a salesman at any retailer in a mall or plaza, be it anything from clothes to lawn mowers, see if it is for you and if it does not work, try finding an office job such as a receptionist at a local company, and if that also is not you try purchasing a first-aid certificate and volunteering at a patient-care facility or perhaps look for work at a gym, restaurant or service industry. Try everything, knock on doors, get in and look for yourself, seek and ye shall find is no baseless clich. Throw a fashion show, shoot a movie, write a novel and try to sell it, try it all and engage the world rather than just stare at it and despite the lack of guarantees in life its a sure bet that you will find something that you enjoy. When you figure out what you want to do, pursue it with everything youve got and do it with a smile, because it is what you want for your future and it is what makes you happy. Put fear on the shelf and live your life, otherwise youre caught in the anxiety trap that never ends. Break the cycle now and you may realize that despite the lack of paths out there, the road-blocks, the obstacles, and adversity- at the end of the day when you truly believe in what you are doing, nothing can detain or restrain you. Eleanor Roosevelt said No one can make you feel inferior without your consent. Make the choice.