Many UCLA graduates are finding themselves unemployed this summer, and not exactly minding it.
Other activities abound for a handful of recent graduates, from traveling to training to event planning, that allow them to accomplish other plans before looking for a job.
“When someone asks you what you’re doing after college, and I’m not sure what I’m doing, it’s nice to be able to say I’m going to Australia,” said David Grometer, a recent graduate.
Grometer will be traveling to Queensland on the eastern coast of Australia with his two roommates for the month of July. They will drive through various beach towns and national parks, where they hope to sail, scuba dive, surf, skydive, camp and hike.
“We’re trying to incorporate all the beach towns and city life with backpacking and being outdoors,” Grometer said. “Other than staying in hostels and a few hotels, we’ll be camping a lot.”
Grometer and his friends decided to go to Australia in January after choosing against Thailand’s political coup and China’s balmy summer weather. The natural setting, activities and lack of a language barrier also enticed the friends to explore Australia, he said.
“We were excited this actually came through,” Grometer said.
Though he will return to a summer of job searching in the L.A. and San Jose areas, Grometer said he is looking forward to his month in Australia as a good time to relax and commemorate his college years with his roommates, who he met during his freshman year in the dorms.
“We all have stuff we’re anticipating, but this’ll be a nice little break,” he said. “It’s a great culmination of four years, and it’ll be fun to reflect on old times and make plans to stay in touch after college.”
Fellow graduate Bobby Talley is also traveling this summer ““ to Europe, where he hopes to pole vault in lower-level professional circuits with two other former Bruin pole vaulters, Chris Bencomo and Dustin DeLeo.
“The reason we are going to Europe first is because it is an adventure,” he said. “None of us have ever been there, let alone pole vaulted there. And since Europe is more into track and field than the States, there are more opportunities for us to compete and have good international competition.”
Talley said he and his friends will be competing in Sweden, the Netherlands and Belgium, where they will coach themselves.
“It will be a humbling experience,” said Talley, who plans to continue pole vaulting after ending his NCAA career this year. “I really have no plans. I just want to keep doing it as long as I love it and keep improving.”
Talley said he’s grateful to avoid job hunting and the current American economy this summer. Although he will miss his family and girlfriend, he said he hopes he will gain some perspective from his months in Europe.
“It will be an incredible time to think about life,” he said.
Meanwhile, graduate Bryan McClanahan is charging full speed ahead to fulfill a lifelong dream this summer: producing a music festival.
“I felt it was important to jump into my passion and not waste a single day to get going on my dream,” McClanahan said.
The event will be San Diego’s first electronic music festival and will be held in a 60,000-square-foot parking lot that spans an entire block in the Gaslamp District. Each of the event’s four stages will host international disc jockeys, such as Wolfgang Gardner, one of McClanahan’s favorite artists.
McClanahan’s degree in Design | Media Arts focuses on electronic circuits, which allows him to create multimedia installations and Musical Instrument Digital Interface controllers. His skill is complemented by the background experience he gained while running an entertainment company with friends called Maktive, founded in 2002.
“From the four years I’ve been in college, I’ve made a lot of great friends, some wealthy and many knowledgeable,” McClanahan said. “During spring break, it occurred to me that with these contacts and my own success with event productions, the time felt right to put together a music festival of my very own.”
McClanahan’s team has worked hard to prepare for the event, raising money and garnering investors, a site and DJs. He said the task is challenging and large-scale.
“However, we have never had as much fun working as hard as we have,” McClanahan said. “We are fueled by pushing past these challenges and accomplishing things we only dreamed were possible.”
The event will take place on Sept. 5, and McClanahan said it should attract a crowd of appreciative electro-music listeners from all over Southern California.
“We are very fortunate that these people are typically very friendly, accepting and eager to share their experiences and knowledge with others,” he said. “When the event is over, I hope to have put 2,500 smiles on people’s faces.”
McClanahan will be working all summer to put the music festival together, something that may become an annual event and consistent work for him.
“It’s something I hope to do for the rest of my life, making them larger and more exciting each year,” he said.
Whether graduates are pursuing a lifelong dream, taking a talent to the next level or living in a new place, they’re gaining quality experience without the stereotypical post-college job or internship. A summer without a paycheck just may be as beneficial an option for college students as heading right into the corporate world after graduation.