In four years, I have learned so much, and yet so little. Grown so tall while still feeling so very small. I have loved and despised, cried and laughed, and met people who I will miss dearly as well as feel glad to be rid of. In four wonderful and taxing years, I have discovered myself, and developed into the friend and professional I always esteemed to be, but didn’t know how.

In this short time of my budding 22 years of existence, CSU East Bay in Hayward, the humble picturesque school atop the hill, with its promises and possibilities, provided me with my very own window to the world, a window I embraced wholeheartedly, and now find myself leaving behind.

Nearly four years ago, which now feels like an eternity, I stepped onto this campus looking for everything and anything intellectually stimulating in Hayward, and hoping to make my next four to five years the most compelling. As I sit to write this article on my last official day as an undergraduate student, which feels more like an obituary than a personal editorial, I remind myself of the journey that is college and how it transformed my life.

Walking through the hallways and courtyards of my soon to be alma mater, I see the young men and women just starting their journeys, in the middle or also coming to a close. In the last few weeks as final exams were approaching, their frantic struts and caffeinated sullen eyes reminded me of our desire as an academic population to use this time to garner the greatest academic scores possible. I’m reminded of how hard college students, whether at CSUEB or UC Berkeley, work to get the best grade possible.

Yet, through my journey, I discovered how challenging my prospects will be of landing a job immediately out of college, or walking away with enough money in my wallet to comfortably survive without living at home.

My generation is faced with graduating into one of the worst job markets in our nations history. As of October 2012, the unemployment rate in California is 10.2 percent, as compared to 7.9 percent in the nation. Unemployment has been above eight percent for more than three years, and 12.7 million workers remain unemployed today. The weak labor market has been, and continues to be, particularly tough on young workers: At 16.4 percent, the March unemployment rate for workers under age 25 was twice as high as the national average. Although the labor market is now headed in the right direction, the prospects for young high school and college graduates remain grim.

If the job market doesn’t scare college graduates, the loan amounts surely will. As of Oct. 12, the average student loan debt was $27,000 nationwide. In California, 51 percent of students will graduate with student loan debt this June, which surprisingly is one of the lowest in the nation. In North Dakota, 83 percent of the Class of 2011 graduated with student loan debt – the largest percentage in the nation. Graduates in New Hampshire had the most debt – an average of $32,440. Scary stuff, right? These numbers are definitely frightening and almost discouraging for many incoming students and those still on their journeys.

For a long time, college was more or less a synonym for success. We had only to go. We had only to graduate. And if we did, according to parents and high-school guidance counselors and everything we heard and everything we read, we could pretty much count on a career, just about depend on a decent income and more or less expect security. A diploma wasn’t a piece of paper. It was an amulet.

Pessimism seems to preside over a majority of college students today, where a lack of faith in what education can provide seems to mirror a lack of faith in the uncertainty of our futures.

However, the way I see it, pessimism never results in anything fruitful and if I am already dealt the misfortune of entering college during one of the most trying times for education, I’d much rather look on the brighter side of things.

Looking at our futures with an ominous outlook simply negates the true importance and need for being educated.

As I look back, especially at the last two years as a member and editor in chief of The Pioneer, the numbers, believe it or not, don’t phase me. Sure, it will be tough, and yes my parents and I have a lot of budgeting to do, but the lessons I learned are priceless.

I learned that the feeling of community in Hayward is inspiring, as the people I have met continue to remind me of how great the human spirit is. I learned to be a leader among my peers, real life skills I will surely utilize in my professional endeavors. I learned that university bureaucracy can impede student success as well as enhance, and some teachers and faculty members can change your life as well as waste it.

Where else would I have discovered my ability to lead and make mistakes than at college? Where else would I have had the opportunity to become the leader of a newspaper, saw my vision comes to life and make a difference in my community? Though my specific experiences are only mine, the lessons I learned can be experienced by anyone. Anyone who is willing to work hard, get involved and pursue a goal can experience all the life skills I am so thankful for.

As trying as the times are, college is still a valuable and necessary opportunity. Take advantage of an opportunity to absorb knowledge and scholarship at an institution meant to transform you at your very core, mature you cognitively and give you an edge over all the people who did nothing more than waste their time and money for five years.

I strongly urge students to take advantage of the wealth of professors and people who want nothing more than to see them succeed, and to take every aspect of their education seriously. View it as a time that, if used properly, can shape the rest of your life.