Degrees of Separation

So I graduated with Jimmy Fallon.

Got your attention? (Everyone’s, except for the people who are reading this who go alma matter, at least.) Well, let me clarify. I actually graduated the semester, a semester early for me, before him–  B.A. in English with a writing minor and Magna Cum Laude, might I add. I attended the ceremony with everyone in my year. He started sometime in the 90’s, but dropped out his last semester to pursue his acting/comedy career. It wasn’t until now that the registrar counted his career as 15 internship credits.

He was an okay speaker. He was as funny as he usually was. He apologized for the movie Taxi. (I think people actually liked Fever Pitch.) He generally was encouraging in these hard economic times. I actually liked John Zogby’s speech better. To summarize, it was: You guys should be really proud of things you have done already and your attitudes. I know, because my job is to do the polling to find all this out. I can’t wait to see what you guys do next! But mostly, everyone was there for Dr. Fallon.

As much as I am happy I graduated and got to walk with my classmates and talk to my professors– something doesn’t feel right. It’s not that both speakers got honorary doctorates,  they hand those out like candy for speakers at every school. It’s not that the school canceled December graduations just so they could say they had the biggest graduation ever! The President practically shoved sweatshirts in each speakers hands in hopes they would wear it for publicity.

Why does our school need publicity? Probably because we have an arts center, that while a good idea, still needs to be paid off. Might as well have drank a Coke/Pepsi on stage and comment on how refreshing it was. Unfortunately, that’s par for the course in higher education.

So, no, that’s not it.

Here, watch the clip from Late Night with Jimmy Fallon until I think about it some more. 

Oh, now I remember.

See those people ‘interviewed’ for the clip. Outside the girl with the jungle juice comment, they’re acting something both are actually good at.

No, seriously:

As much fun they’ll have being on TV, they with a lot of my graduating class will have a horrible time finding jobs. ’Gillgan’ wants to be an elementary school teacher, but right now it’s hard to even find a job teaching. If anything he might be subsitute teaching for a while. I hope not, in fact I hope he bucks common knowledge. He can always try acting, because heaven knows he’s funnier than Fallon is.

Or let’s look at Ashley, the girl being asked “Where do you see yourself in … years?” She’s amazing in front and behind the camera. She’s graduating with the same degree as Fallon. I’m crossing my fingers for her also.

It’s extending beyond this year’s graduates too. Let’s look at one of last year’s. On the right are some of my friends’ blogs. Return to New Yorkis my friend Kyle’s blog about him trying to get back to NYC. He grew up in the Capital Region, went to St. Rose where he was on the school newspaper, in the Communications Honor Society, working at the local NBC affiliate on the weekdays and Applebee’s on the weekends. Graduating a semester early, he also landed an internship at MSNBC which led to jobs at NBC. 

Well– that is until recently. Now he’s back in Albany, planning his next escape. You need to approach a certain escape velocity to get out of the capital’s gravitational pull. He’s too determined not to make it out again, and thank god he’s going for a Masters degree right now. (Update: Back in NYC, but still working for work.)

Me? I’m working two retail jobs, and have been on a few interviews. I may be writing a small play with a friend. I do think I’ll get into graduate school by next year, and I’m crossing my fingers on getting into New School this time around.

A lot of us are wondering if we shouldn’t have dropped out and become famous too, especially when our bachelors degrees don’t seem to mean too much, at least by way of jobs. Maybe we should have done the work part first, or maybe even the fame part, and then get bachelor’s and the honorary doctorates.

I keep reminding myself of John Zogby’s comments about how much we’ve done so far as a collective generation:

You are as likely to call yourself a ‘citizen of the planet earth’ as you are to say you are an American citizen. You are the most culturally diverse, in the friends you have among your fellow students and where you and work. I am so proud of what you have already done—and I can’t wait to see how much more you will do.

Ignoring the fact my generation’s tendency to put drunk pictures of themselves on the internet which isn’t as private as many might think, a good portion of us go organized and helping bring the youth vote out to the highest percentage it’s been in years.

Clearly, we’re not all worthless. It’s not like we all want ponies either. We want decent jobs, we actually want to work. We’ll do 3 internships. We’ll work the retail jobs on the side. We’ll live in cheap apartments. We’ll get bruises on out knees for you. We’ll get your coffee! Is it the connections I need to make? Good, I’m on LinkedIn! Is it the pay? Honestly, I just need enough for food and a monthly LIRR ticket.

A lot of us are wondering what we need to do. We’ve been doing the things that we’ve been told will really help. But right now it looks like we need to become famous to get anywhere. Which isn’t to say that I’m bitter towards Jimmy Fallon (at least no more than anyone else is), he did have to work hard to get where he is.  It just seems frustrating that we were the backdrop at our own graduation, a few punchlines for the show. Especially when Jimmy Fallon still has his job on the show to go back to and the rest of us… well many of us have to figure that out right now.

So as much as I am happy that Jimmy Fallon brought some publicity to our school, I’m really happy that Zogby remembered what it was all about: all of the graduates. I hope his predictions are true.

And if you’re wondering, when I do become rich and famous– and I will– Saint Rose is getting a theatre. Like an actual sized theatre.