We spend a lot of time focusing on career management in the face of lay-offs, a down economy, managing smaller staffs to do the same work, etc., etc. The working professional faces quite a mess of challenges in today’s business world. But what if you were just entering the workplace? And that workplace offered very few jobs and an overabundance of more qualified candidates than yourself. What would you be willing to do to continue on the path you imagined for yourself?

This is the plight of today’s college graduate and many college students who want summer work (or permanent work) that will set them on course for their future career. Low to no wages and few opportunities have become the norm, where previously companies offered stipends. The Wall Street Journal recently called it the curse of the class of ’09. While Gen Y might not have a mortgage to pay off or mouths to feed besides their own, their predicament merits attention as well.

This weekend the New York Times detailed the dilemma of several interns who came to NY to find work and experience despite the depressed job market and found that working for free and sleeping on floors is the only way to stay on the path they carved out for themselves.

The article follows several college students working full time unpaid, many sleeping on friends’ floors, others renting college dorm rooms and taking jobs found on Craigslist as extras in movies and video, many of which they admit turn out to be scams.

It’s certainly not the glamorous NYC life many young students and professionals expect to find. But it speaks to the determination of the generation, one that is often criticized for lacking in this area. But is this just what it takes when you’re young and trying to make it? Or is it a new product of the recession?

What odd jobs and circumstances did you find yourself in when you were starting out? Please share any stories about your salad days.