Let's put our well-earned diplomas to good use

For years, the infamous brain drain worldwide has made the United States the recipient of many of the world’s brightest minds. Now that we have some incentive, let’s return the favor.

The economic recession left too much fresh potential to fade last year and will surely demonstrate equal prowess in May.

So as we scramble this semester to find an answer to the looming question, “What are you doing after you graduate?” — some more frantically than others — let’s open our search to plans that put our well-earned diplomas to use instead of letting our overly eager selves go stale — even if they’re seemingly terrifying plans.

For those who have had a fixed idea of a post-graduation job since the first teary day of kindergarten: Trash your expectations.

For those considering drifting on to grad school only because “Why not? There aren’t any jobs”: Why not consider holding off the tuition expense to do something unexpected?

For those surrendering to jobs that spark no passion in you: Take a risk.

And for those of you who genuinely want to stay close and tough it out in a job you’re probably overqualified for: More power to you. After all, that job will help put our economy back into gear.

But for the rest of us, we can take this time to contribute our skills to society in any way we want. And because the economy crumbled most of our hopes of making bank (or even piggy bank) right after graduation, the trade-off is far less. We can help domestically, or we can help the millions across the globe who have been left in the wake of the brain drain for years while we have received many of their potential leaders.

If we consider ourselves citizens of the world and not only of the community in which we live, if we stop pitying ourselves as victims of a crash in the system and instead embrace a valid excuse to do something unexpected, we can agree: Instead of crashing on Mom’s couch and grudgingly letting our ambition dwindle, we should take a risk to do something great. It won’t save the world. But it would better at least a handful of lives — including your own, I’d bet — and put your potential into motion.

If every unemployed college graduate in the country — about two million, according to the National Association of Colleges and Employers — chose one community in need, be it domestic or international, and put his or her education to use there — to engineer sanitary toilets, teach computer skills or help non-governmental organizations operate more efficiently, for example — the world could come together a bit.

And although this idea may sound like an economist’s worst nightmare when it comes to fixing our own economy, our nation would still be in better overall condition than most of the world’s. It might even vacate jobs for the roughly 10 percent of the country that is jobless.

Not sold on selflessness (if such a thing exists)? I have a feeling that taking a risk to try something meaningful is a far more marketable experience than learning to change the channels with your pinky toe because your fingers are full of orange Cheeto ashes.

Rarely is there a team of minds as strong and well-educated with an excuse as compelling as ours to do something extraordinary. Let’s make moves. <

Greene is a journalism major from Cary.  Contact her at clgreene@email.unc.edu.