Emily Banks is a former co-publisher and editor-in-chief of The Minnesota Daily. Since graduating with a degree in journalism in May 2008, sheâÄôs worked as a night reporter at the Leader-Telegram in Eau Claire, Wisc., and she currently interns at Georgia Public Broadcasting.

ItâÄôs hard to have much hope these days. Every day we hear another company will lay off another several hundred or thousand employees. TheyâÄôll join the masses of jobless around the world. And perhaps you will too if youâÄôre a student scheduled to graduate this spring. I say, be grateful if you have even a few months or years before being thrust into what some people call âÄúthe real world,âÄù where lifeâÄôs just not as fun as those âÄúcarefree college days.âÄù IâÄôm determined to write an upbeat column, despite the constriction in my chest every time I think about my own career future. And IâÄôll hope for the best âÄî that youâÄôre not a journalism student expecting to find a job in print medium, because thatâÄôs about as bleak as it gets. The day has already come when newspapers begin to fold and magazines print solely online. Not to mention the multitude of layoffs that have already occurred and the extra, extremely experienced journalists shoved back into that jobless category. TheyâÄôre now your competition. But, I digress and reveal my biases. If I could use my almost one year out of college as any example, I might offer a few tips. Be persistent and apply for everything. From now until the time you get an offer. The more you apply for, your chances only improve. And, if youâÄôre lucky, you can be picky if you get multiple offers. When you least expect it, youâÄôll get a bite. Be flexible. You might be asked to have skills youâÄôve never learned. Or new skills might make you that much more appealing to an employer. Seek them out and learn them. Find a mentor or manual and take it upon yourself. In times like this, you have to be resourceful. That, along with a positive attitude and ability to learn quickly might just be enough to get a job or internship. As a newspaper person in television, IâÄôm proof of that.