2008 Woodie Awards
Strength, preparation needed in face of economic crisis
Issue date: 10/10/08 Section: Opinion
Originally published: 10/9/08 at 5:43 PM EST
Last update: 10/10/08 at 7:24 AM EST
Let's be up front: we're no experts on the economy. Few are. But like most Americans, we at Cardinal Points have watched the events of the last few weeks unfold with a certain amount of trepidation.
We've watched the debates, read the news, heard all about Wall Street and Main Street, Fannie and Freddie, but we have to admit - we're not sure what it all means.
We want to tell you to be prepared - but we're not sure for what. We want to tell you everything will be OK - but we don't know if it will.
Here's what we know: our generation has never experienced a crisis quite like this.
And let's face it: we're at a disadvantage. As a nation, we've been spoiled with wealth and prosperity for decades. As college students, we're especially privileged - few of us have faced the struggles our grandparents and great-grandparents overcame.
As journalism students, the editors of Cardinal Points are acutely aware of the shrinking job market. As some of us look forward to graduation, we're realizing that jobs in journalism are scarce. Now more than ever, we're realizing that the real world is cold and competitive, and we've got to be ready.
We're not alone.
College students across America must be asking the same questions - How can I compete for a job when companies are eliminating positions left and right? Are my student loans safe? What's next?
For now, it's a game of wait-and-see.
In a pivotal moment such as this, there is one thing we can't stress enough - this is not the time or the place for apathy.
If you've never had an interest in politics before, now is the time. If you've never believed your vote counted before, it does now. How the presidential candidates plan to strengthen our fledgling economy has all but replaced the war on terror as the most important issue American voters will tackle.
If you've never understood the stock market, its intangible flow of funds, or how it affects you (to tell the truth, it's got us stumped), now would be the time to evaluate your feelings on laissez-faire capitalism.
We can't tell you whether you should save your money or spend it. We don't know the shape of the credit market. We're not sure if this is the beginning of another Great Depression, or a recession we'll bounce back from. This is the best, and only advice we can give: You've got to care. If we're apathetic, if we're inattentive, if we aren't resilient, then there is one thing we can be sure of - all is lost.
We've watched the debates, read the news, heard all about Wall Street and Main Street, Fannie and Freddie, but we have to admit - we're not sure what it all means.
We want to tell you to be prepared - but we're not sure for what. We want to tell you everything will be OK - but we don't know if it will.
Here's what we know: our generation has never experienced a crisis quite like this.
And let's face it: we're at a disadvantage. As a nation, we've been spoiled with wealth and prosperity for decades. As college students, we're especially privileged - few of us have faced the struggles our grandparents and great-grandparents overcame.
As journalism students, the editors of Cardinal Points are acutely aware of the shrinking job market. As some of us look forward to graduation, we're realizing that jobs in journalism are scarce. Now more than ever, we're realizing that the real world is cold and competitive, and we've got to be ready.
We're not alone.
College students across America must be asking the same questions - How can I compete for a job when companies are eliminating positions left and right? Are my student loans safe? What's next?
For now, it's a game of wait-and-see.
In a pivotal moment such as this, there is one thing we can't stress enough - this is not the time or the place for apathy.
If you've never had an interest in politics before, now is the time. If you've never believed your vote counted before, it does now. How the presidential candidates plan to strengthen our fledgling economy has all but replaced the war on terror as the most important issue American voters will tackle.
If you've never understood the stock market, its intangible flow of funds, or how it affects you (to tell the truth, it's got us stumped), now would be the time to evaluate your feelings on laissez-faire capitalism.
We can't tell you whether you should save your money or spend it. We don't know the shape of the credit market. We're not sure if this is the beginning of another Great Depression, or a recession we'll bounce back from. This is the best, and only advice we can give: You've got to care. If we're apathetic, if we're inattentive, if we aren't resilient, then there is one thing we can be sure of - all is lost.
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