You’ve got to love this story from a small business website (actually, it appears that this story is from The Wall Street Journal). Whenever someone suggests that the American Dream may not be in reach for younger generations, I find that stories like the one linked above re-emphasize how some people won’t take “no” for an answer as they make their own way in this life.

Faced with an unemployment rate of 16 percent for 20- to 24-year-olds, a growing number of recent college and grad-school graduates are launching their own companies, according to anecdotal evidence from colleges, universities and entrepreneurship programs around the U.S.

I love it. When certain people can’t find jobs in this job market, they don’t go and run to the government for help nor do they cry poverty and complain about not being able to make ends meet before it is too late. Instead, they open up their own companies and give entrepreneurship a try. Outstanding!

This push toward entrepreneurship among young people is likely to continue as employers plan to hire 7 percent fewer graduates from the class of 2010 than they hired from the class of 2009, which saw a nearly 22 percent drop in hiring from the class before, according to a recent report from National Association of Colleges and Employers.

The job market really is a mess out there. Thankfully, I’m in a job that I believe is pretty secure and I’m holding a position that I believe is essential to my company’s short and long term success. I’m also thankful that I worked diligently in the last few years to receive a great education and to establish additional streams of revenue outside of the paycheck that I receive from my day job. Sure, it means that I work late some nights when the college semester is in session and it means that other times when I’d rather be relaxing (i.e. when I’d rather be lazy), that I have to grade papers or sign in to an online teaching environment, but that’s okay with me.

Much like the people that the article above talks about, I’ve taken a no bullshit stance towards making sure that my future is secure. I hope that 2010 proves to be as good for me as 2009 was in terms of working my plan for financial freedom and professional success! You’ve got to go out there and make things happen!