I never said that effort doesn't pay off. I didn't tell OP not to set goals and then strive to meet them. I told him not to just expect things will go his way because he has a college degree. There are life and career challenges your typical recent to recent-ish graduate in his 20s faces, and having self-awareness about one's circumstances is a good first step to either doing something about it or at least coping with it.
These times encompass the most hostile job climate for a college degree holder. Degrees have been so watered down that many employers now treat them like a second form of ID, to be acknowledged, then quickly set aside. Over half of all college grads are going to start with
a job that requires no degree. I have been strongly urging my senior students to enroll in a trade school, or at least, the local community college at 6,000 dollars a year if they want to see what 1st year college is like without breaking the bank. Trade schools are great springboards to apprenticeships which give immediate job experience that's far more valuable than most college degrees, which you can always get later if you want to. Job experience plus a degree will get you very far.
