Groundswell of Social Technology, But a Drain in Opportunity?

In the book Groundswell, by Charlene Li and Josh Bernoff, they discuss how new social media technologies are impacting the way we do business around the world. While reading this, I came across a passage in which they mention an individual who represents a finance company, and wants to get into the social media market because he knows of another large company that has done so. He didn't understand why he should be looking into social media, but he felt like he should, mostly due to this other company that he knows. This got me thinking. 

"Groundswell" Book Cover

As a millennial, the thought of not being on social media and the internet seems absurd. I couldn't believe that there are still companies out there that lack an even mediocre social media presence. Now my "I'm graduating soon, gotta fin
d a job" senses began tingling. Since I would like to go into marketing, I felt this would be a great opportunity to apply for jobs! Now keep in mind, this book was originally published in 2008. It is now 2014 and a lot has changed. My initial reaction to this realization was, "of course, never in the right place or at the right time." Almost every large company that you can think of has a significant social media presence now. Then I began thinking about which types of companies might not have a prominent social media presence in 2014. What kind of business would be caught with their social media pants around their ankles in this day and age? Well, Small ones, and perhaps some medium size ones. Businesses that have relatively few employees, and can't really spare the cash to hire a full time social media guru are really the only ones who don't have a comprehensive social media plan in place. Sure, they may have a Facebook page, or a Twitter account, but they don't really understand how to be successful in using social media to expand their audiences and take full advantage of the potential benefits social media can provide. They may not know how to effectively use analytic tools to maximize their social media performance. There is definitely a demand there for someone who knows this stuff, perhaps a fresh college grad? The problem is they likely do not have the money to pay a livable salary. At least not for simply managing their social media accounts.

So now I'm wondering; where does a young person, fresh out of grad school find a job in marketing? Do
they apply to a marketing firm, and work their way up from the bottom? That's probably the most realistic option. Do they apply to do marketing for a specific company they know and like? One that can afford to hire them? Maybe. Again this means starting at the bottom and working your way up. Do we do part time work, or accept a very low salary to build experience for a small company? This is a possibility, although I don't think living in a box under a bridge is what most of us had in mind after graduation. It seems to me, that the real opportunity to get in on the ground floor of this "Groundswell" has already passed, which means that advancement in the social media marketing niche is either already, or is quickly becoming, like any other job sector in regards to prospects and advancement. Feel free to either confirm or alleviate my concern!