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TexasBased Author You Probably Never Heard of Offers Advice to the...

Author Joel Frey empathizes with the Class of 2008. The economy is uncertain. Job prospects look bleak. The gas guzzling vehicles they inherited from their parents with more than 100,000 miles will soon need to be replaced.

Circumstances were not that different twelve years ago when Frey graduated from Middle Tennessee State University (http://www.mtsu.edu)with a degree in journalism. In 2005, he began writing about his post-graduate experiences and last year published Two Sides of a Cypress Wall: The True Story of a Reluctant College Graduate.

Frey's top three tips for the Class of 2008:

1) Get a job even if the pay is hourly and the benefits are nil.

"This shows potential employers that you have initiative," Frey said. "For example, after I graduated, I worked in a call center in the evening and was a bellman in the morning. It wasn't fun, but when I was interviewing for my first 'real' job, my future boss was impressed that I hadn't been sitting around the house all day eating cereal and watching cartoons."

2) Move back home to save money, not to mooch off of your parents.

"I had the pleasure of living with my parents for eighteen months after I graduated," Frey said. "While I didn't have a girlfriend during this time, I did save $3,000 and paid off my credit cards."

3) Give yourself carrots.

"I think it is important that graduates depressed about their future plan moments to look forward to," Frey said. "This could range from scheduling a weekend getaway with your friends to setting aside a few hours to watch a marathon of your favorite brain cell-draining reality TV series."

About Joel Frey and Two Sides of a Cypress Wall

Joel Frey grew up in suburbs of New Orleans (http://www.neworleansonline.com)and Memphis (http://www.memphistravel.com) and now lives in El Paso (http://www.elpasocvb.com). Two Sides of a Cypress Wall: The True Story of a Reluctant College Graduate, a bittersweet story of coping with the discovery that life in your early twenties is more than just finding a real job, is his first published book. To order an autographed copy or for more information, log onto www.joelfrey.com.

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