The school calendar these days is filled with graduation ceremonies. Of particular importance is graduation from college. After 4 to 5 years of college, thousands of students in the region will graduate this month.

The big questions are: Will they find employment? Or will they join the ranks of the unemployed?

With an unemployment rate ranging from 9 to 11 percent, we can expect at least a tenth of these graduates to be unemployed.

What determines whether or not the graduate will be employed? In addition to the scarcity of job openings for graduates of certain courses, there are many other factors.

To me the skills of the graduate will count a lot. It is the preparation of the new graduate that really matters. Just how well the graduate performed in class in those 4 to 5 years will determine his/her future in the labor market.

It is important that the graduate has good grades in college. This means that students who just coast along and don't try hard enough has a slim chance of being employed.

There is no shortage of jobs for those who have basic skills needed by a prospective employer plus the right behavioral factors such as attitude towards work and co-workers.

Motivation is just as crucial as capability.

Graduation time is therefore a time to look back and ask the question. Did I exert my best effort while in college?