Graduation

Mike Switzer interviews Carman Young, a certified financial planner with Abacus Planning Group in Columbia, SC.

Mike Switzer interviews Carman Young, a certified financial planner with Abacus Planning Group in Columbia, SC.

As we head into summer, commencement speakers across the country are sharing words of wisdom with high school and college students. The messages are universal: work hard, be kind, and don’t be afraid of failure.

McCormick High School students will not return for the final days of classes after the campus caught fire following a lightning strike Saturday night.

Data from the Federal Reserve Bank of New York shows the worst unemployment rates for recent college graduates in years. Experts say this is out of the ordinary.

Each year, a flood of graduates enter the job market between June and November. Those who aren’t prepared often struggle to land that crucial first job.

While students look forward to new opportunities after years of hard work, this year’s graduates face a tougher job market. Many employers report that new graduates lack experience in professional settings and are unfamiliar with basic workplace expectations.

As rites of passage go, few are as momentous as college graduation. The commencement ceremony marks the end of one journey and the beginning of another.