The countdown has begun. This week marks the start of the final five weeks of the quarter. It also marks the deadline for many graduate students to present their committees with first (or sometimes final) drafts of their culminating papers or projects. Something remarkable happens when that document changes hands. We, the sleepless and likely unwashed graduate students delivering our magnum opus, are suddenly cured of our project-based myopia. In a resounding crash, finally able to take in our circumstances, the real world thunders down around our shoulders. We blink; when did the birds start chirping and when did the sky become blue? We revel for exactly 15 seconds in how good it is to be alive and not behind a desk. Then, as the aperture of our tiny computer-screen-drained eyes expands to absorb the spring, our knees buckle, and we are struck down with the vertigo that comes with the realization that we are standing at the top of an economically crumbling ivory tower, and it is a long way down to reality. It is then that we remember every Career Center e-mail we spent the last two to five years deleting. We recall every summer fellowship opportunity we did not quite have time to apply for. We sheepishly resolve that after this higher-level graduation, we will be more reticent about the possibility of moving back into —or continuing to live in — our parents’ home than we were after undergraduate life ended.

Now is the summer of our discontent, and we have begun to panic. As we grow shaky gazing into our Magic 8 balls to determine the future, we gather in packs and organize happy hours to discuss the life ahead of us. The refrain is often the same, “I suppose I’ll temp while I apply to Ph.D. programs.” Everyone nods until someone mentions the harsh truth. Temp where? We will be competing with all of the highly qualified people who have been laid off during the past few months. Apply where? Most schools this year accepted very few — if any — doctoral candidates because of funding constraints. Those that did accept had little in the way of financial support to offer. Five more years of teaching assistantships, or worse, the lack thereof, makes for a bleak forecast.

This week, I had a shocking wake-up in my graduate program’s career office. I met with a career counselor for feedback on an application I had prepared and inquired about how many of my program’s graduates found work within six months.

“Six months is the tricky part. Most of our students find jobs within a year, but some are still looking. Often, it’s about the effort you put in. When we ask students how many jobs they’ve applied for in the past few months, some show us a list of 30 positions. That is the number they should be applying to every one to two months, not over half a year,” the counselor stated matter-of-factly. As I heard this, I swear the window iced over like some horrible vision of the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come. My program is full of mid-career professionals and motivated people who are driven to succeed, and even we needed to step up our game. Groan. Where were the open arms I was hoping for? Was it possible that companies might not be falling over themselves to hire me once I had my master’s degree in hand?

To help those who are about to hit the waterfall, or who are lucky enough to have a year left, I have some advice from observing those who will be successfully engaged in the working world come July. First, use the Career Center to polish your résumé until it shines, and learn the mechanics of cover letters and interview strategies. These skills — though ungraded — will benefit you for the rest of your life. Second, figure out what you want: Some career offices have values workshops that work to help you figure this out. If you prefer to ponder this on your own, I recommend the classic What Color is your Parachute by Richard Nelson Bolles. Third, network with your favorite professors — those who’ve really inspired you — and ask about what their friends in the field, who did not go on to academia, are doing. You may discover there is a perfect type of job out in the world that you never knew existed.

There is no shame in riding your mom’s couch if you use the time to your advantage. If you can’t find a job, consider creating one. Volunteer in leadership roles in your neighborhood or community, or start your own program for volunteers. People will know who you are, your work ethic and your strengths. They may have suggestions for job opportunities or have ideas about how to turn your endeavor into something that pays enough to sustain you. In the same way, you could start a business for yourself and some equally lost friends. If you fail, you are no worse off than taking an extra year of graduate school loans. Nobody will think less of you because times are tough.

If you succeed, you’ll have an interesting job on your own terms that you can share with people you care about. You might even find you have a knack for entrepreneurship and sell your business to start a new one.

Of course, another option is to cut and run. See the world or just see the United States before it becomes flat. Remember, however, that as a graduate student you owe more to your adventures than simply visiting Irish pubs in every continent and learning “Waltzing Matilda” from your mates at the youth hostel. Apply something you’ve learned toward helping, or at least not hurting, the places you visit. Hunt in the Grand Canyon or in the Himalayas for inspiration and adventure, and come home when you have a plan. Because the clock is running out for the times in your life when it is fun to be poor and living out of a suitcase, you might as well enjoy them while you can. When you return, or when you come upon or create a place that can be called home, sit down and start applying for jobs — one a day every day for however long it takes.

Reach columnist Elizabeth Brady at features@dailyuw.com.