I truly have the unprecedented ability to finish school when the economy is tanking.

For example, I finished college in 2003. By today's standards, the job market wasn't so bad. But it wasn't the best time to leave the cozy, protective, seemingly careless bubble that was my five years in college.

Somehow, someway, I got a job offer in Santa Barbara, only to turn it down to move to Vail, Colorado. Best decision I ever made, though finding a job in sunny, gorgeous Santa Barbara is generally difficult for UCSB grads resisting skipping town.

The jobless rate in 2003 peaked at 9.2%.

Then, I finished graduate school in 2009.

Today's jobless rate in California is 12.2%, setting a new modern record.

2.2 million Californians are out of work.

A recent study reported that 2 out of 5 working age Californians are unemployed.

For the record, we're ahead of Michigan (15.2%), Nevada (13.2) and Rhode Island (12.8%) and tied with Oregon.

Now, nearly three times as many people are looking for jobs in Silicon Valley than in 2003.

I think this is an interesting statistic because it speaks to lingering questions that remain unanswered after releasing numerous job applications into the black abyss that is the Internet during the past month or so.

The job market is saturated with incredibly talented, skilled, and eager potential employees.

It's a staffer's dream, and a job seeker's nightmare.

Let's hope we've seen the worst of it.