In one painfully familiar scene, the hapless college student is trapped at a party with all his parents鈥� friends and relatives. He is bombarded with questions about his future and prospects, including a surreal conversation with a distant uncle on the merits of working in 鈥減lastics鈥�.
Hoffman becomes so overwhelmed that he eventually dons a deep-sea diving suit 鈥� a graduation present from his father 鈥� and takes refuge at the bottom of the swimming pool.
This might seem pretty appealing if you are feeling lost about what do next 鈥� be it getting a job or going into further study. But there is a better way, and it starts with separating the myths from reality. On page 2, we dash some of the misconceptions about graduating, and find that the big, bad world is not really as big and bad as it seems.
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There is cause for optimism if you鈥檙e a graduate. According to the Association of Graduate Recruiters, graduate vacancies are set to increase by 15 per cent in 2006 compared with last year. To find out about the best places to work, and how much pay to expect, check out page 5. Afterwards, learn how to win that dream job by using insider knowledge in our interview masterclass on page 6.
Still short of inspiration? From page 8 onwards we speak to a scientist who makes beer for a living and a man who dodges avalanches鈥nd discover how to make sewage farms smell nicer.
So don鈥檛 panic, read on鈥�