This is a re-post of a guest blog post I had on CulpWrit.

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We all know the statistics. According to the National Association of Colleges and Employers, 19.7 percent of those who earned a diploma this year found a job, compared with 51 percent in 2007.

We all know the facts. Many of us have family and friends who have lost their jobs. As the real world approaches, we young graduates are competing against individuals twice our age with years of experience. However, there is hope for new PR graduates.

I’ve got a job. I graduated from DePaul University in June of 2009 with a B.A. in Public Relations and got a full-time job right out of school as the New Media Coordinator for DePaul University Admission. What does this mean for you? There ARE jobs out there.

But what really makes me different from the other 80 percent of gradates this year? Do I have a secret formula that will make all of your recession woes go away?

Almost 15 years ago, my dad was fired…on his birthday. He had his own personal economic crisis. Instead of talking about how bad his state of the union was and how our family was going to enter a recession, he went out and started his own company. Now 15 years and several challenges later, his technology company is going strong even during these tough times.

I learned through my dad’s experiences as an entrepreneur. He never made excuses. He never accepted failure as an option. He just got it done.

There are several areas that are booming: healthcare, higher education, and new media. The skills of a public relations practitioner are being sought after there. Maybe you were dead-set on working for a big PR firm. However, maybe now is the time to explore your other options where your talents are still useful.

“Get it done.”

It’s what my dad has always told me and it’s what I continue to tell myself. You’ve seen the tip lists, the newspaper articles and you know what to do. Quit waiting for the opportunities to come to you and just go out there and find them yourself.

I can’t tell you how many of my friends didn’t even try to get a job after graduating. They heard “recession” and ran home scared. While times are tough, there are opportunities out there. Make networking, researching and stalking employers your job for as long as it takes. Just “get it done.”

“Tell our enemies that they may take our lives, but they’ll never take… OUR FREEDOM!”

Well, that not entirely accurate. Our enemies can take our freedom. Not only on the real battle grounds that William Wallace fought on but also on the new battle ground…the Internet.

As Twitter, Facebook and many other social media giants found out yesterday, enemies of the freedom of speech are threatened by the pervasive nature of the Worldwide Web. A DDoS cyber attack was launched yesterday and successfully disrupted most of Twitter, Facebook, LiveJournal, YouTube and several other sites. Authorities believe the attack was actually aimed at one man who apparently was speaking out against the Russians in regards to the Russia/Georgia conflict.

In discussing the cyber attack with my roommate, it occurred to me that he wasn’t at all aware of the attack itself let alone the significance of it. To many people, the world of social media still consists of little more than YouTube’s “Dramatic Chipmunk” and Twitter’s self-appointed ruler Ashton Kutcher.

I understand that I inherently find this new media world to be more interesting because of the nature of my background and my current position as New Media Coordinator for DePaul University. However, I think that the general public needs to begin to have a better working knowledge of Web 2.0 and it’s significance as a communication tool.

Obviously, these silly tweets and posts are beginning to garner enough attention that they warrant vigilante violence. Instead of waiting for Brian Williams tell us what happened in the world today during the 5 o’clock news, we now find ourselves being notified the second news happens by a guy who just happened to be handy with an iPhone.

Did the cyber attack maybe make some obsessive Facebookers a little more productive yesterday? Probably. But it also was a wake-up call for many about how fragile our new era of communication can be.

I’m curious to see where this whole blogging thing takes me. As I rant, rave and ruminate , I hope you’ll forgo viewing this blog as a narcissistic endeavor and simply enjoy some of my “insights.” I use that word loosely. I plan on having no plan in hopes that something brilliant will come out of it.