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DEL.ICIO.USAdvice for graduates
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Many area high schools are holding graduations this week and the ceremonies will continue into next week.
These graduates have reached one of life’s most important milestones. Many are nervous and excited about what will happen next.
What advice would you give this year’s graduates? Yes, there will be a ton of commencement speeches but how many of us remember what was said when we graduated.
With what you know about life today, is there anything you wish someone told you when you graduated high school?
Comments
By WFC
May 23, 2008 9:04 AM | Link to this
Be flexible! Very few decisions are carved in stone. Did you ever wonder what percentage of 30-year-olds are doing what they thought they’d be doing at 18? I’d guess about 25% at most.
By Steeledawg
May 23, 2008 9:28 AM | Link to this
My advise for the grads going to college, get out of bed and go to class. It’s what you are paying for.
Live in a dorm at least for your freshman year. You will live and interact with people outside of your comfort zone, and you just might learn something about yourself and others.
Get involved, join a few clubs, and take advantage of guest lecturers, etc. but don’t overcommit yourself. Leave yourself some time to party and have a good time, because once you start the Mon.-Fri. 9-5 grind free time is not as plentiful as it once was.
By HS Teacher
May 23, 2008 10:57 AM | Link to this
I agree - be flexible. Don’t put yourself into such a niche that you cannot make other choices - unless you are 100% positive that choice is for you forever.
Life changes so very fast and you must be prepared.
Finally, try to keep up with the new stuff. Technology, medicine, etc. changes quickly and it is to your advantage to keep up. DON’T RELY ON OTHERS!!! BE SELF RELIANT!!!!
By Jeff
May 23, 2008 11:12 AM | Link to this
I’m going to agree with the flexibility - though at 18 I was already planning to be a programmer… the abortive teaching career was an idea that was both before and after 18.
As far as what I would tell someone graduating HS tomorrow (such as my youngest bro!):
As has been said, flexibility is key. Do things, even if you only do them for a short period of time, so that you can later tell an employer “Yes, I’ve had some experience in that.” Also do things so that you have interesting stories to tell your friends, spouse, and children down the road. Do some things that you wouldn’t WANT your friends, spouse, and children to know about down the road - but keep NO mementos from these! Strive to both achieve great heights and experience lows so devastating that you never see yourself getting out of them. Make sure you eventually come out of the lows. Make friends from as many different areas as possible, with as wide a range of interests as possible. Even if you only keep in touch with them sporadically after college, it will still be an eye opening experience, and you never know when and where you will be travelling to in the future. You might very well wind up in their town!
Most importantly: Never give up, no matter what. If the odds are a million to one that you’ll be able to survive whatever situation you find yourself in, determine to be the one.
By new mom
May 23, 2008 11:32 AM | Link to this
My advice for graduates entering college would be this: Take college very seriously. Even though it may seem like everyone you know is going to college, you are still very fortunate and blessed to have the opportunity.
Look at your time in college as your turn to invest in your own future. Study all you can, learn all you can, and don’t be afraid to grow up.
I disagree with a previous poster on the partying issue. If you put your head down and study hard in college, you will have a better chance at a great job after college, and will be able to afford a bit more of the fun stuff when you are on your own (and, by that time, will be more mature and make better decisions). But if you party a lot in college, then maybe the 9-5 life will be worse, because you might be stuck in a job you really hate that pays peanuts.
I was talking recently to an almost 20 yr old friend who was looking for a job. I told her ‘don’t worry, you will find the perfect job.’ I followed with ‘perfect, meaning they will pay you money’. Jobs during (and often right after) college usually are crappy. Those jobs will help you appreciate it when you’ve made it.
Be open minded and listen to others respectfully, but don’t forget your own morals and what you belive in. Be strong and confident in who you are.
Finally, (the best advice I ever received) start investing in yourself and your financial future. Don’t go into debt, if you have, pay it off, and start contributing to a 401k as soon as you are eligible. It’s not too early to think about retirement, in fact, the earlier you start, the more secure your future will be.
By Maria
May 23, 2008 11:49 AM | Link to this
If you really want to major in English, or Sociology, or History, or something that everybody tells you is a Bad Idea, follow your heart and take those liberal arts classes anyway. Trust me, if you’re meant to be an English major, you’re not going to be happy or successful in those Accounting classes. The liberal arts teach a person how to write and how to think, and you’ll almost certainly learn some excellent interpersonal and public speaking skills along the way. While those don’t translate directly into “job offer,” they’ll eventually give you a leg up on all those people who can’t compose a report or a presentation. My degrees were in English and Psych. I’m now six years out of college and have a job that uses my skills from both degrees. I don’t live in a mansion, but I’m not in the poorhouse, either. I never had to wait tables, sling coffee, or work in a bookstore after college (not that I would have minded, though!).
Also: travel! Try your hardest to get into a study abroad program at least once. There are lots of scholarships available for these programs. If you can’t do that, make a point to do a work abroad or volunteer abroad program at some point in the next few years. The experience of living and working in another country can’t be matched. Doing a rushed, one-week, jet-laggy tour through Europe or East Asia or wherever just isn’t the same.
Reads books, and not just the ones assigned to you in class. Doing this will make you a much more interesting person.
Keep in touch with your high school friends. It’s really easy these days with Facebook and all that. But call them every once in a while, too.
And call your parents! Send them a card or letter on occasion. They will miss you.
By Old School
May 23, 2008 11:58 AM | Link to this
Too often, students get labeled early on in school and carry that label (deserved or not) through to high school graduation. To all students I say “Go be the person you know you ARE and not what you were labeled. Be kind to everyone…even those who make it hard to be kind. Be honest with yourself and everyone with whom you come in contact. Your integrity is a wonderful asset but only if you keep it intact.”
My wish for every graduate is this: “Build for a happy life. If that means sharing it with someone, take your time and seek someone with the same values and goals. Prepare to support yourself because life is too uncertain to count on anyone else. That usually means getting a good education/training. Believe in something and be kind.”
By Hmm
May 23, 2008 12:38 PM | Link to this
Be willing to make mistakes and learn. Don’t believe everything you hear, read, or see. Be open to new, unknown, and strange ideas. Enjoy your younger years, don’t take everything so seriously, and know that whatever you do (good or bad) - life will go on. Mistakes can be corrected and/or diminished by the steps you take afterward. And, there will be LOTS of errors in judgment, attitude, and ethics. Street smarts go a long way, so don’t isolate yourself from the rest of the world while in college. And, finally, don’t let anyone tell you who you are.
By TheBlogger
May 23, 2008 1:11 PM | Link to this
Have sex. Enjoy lots of it - as long as you are safe.
When you get old, your body changes (and not for the better) :-(
By jim d
May 23, 2008 1:50 PM | Link to this
Glad I haven’t gotten THAT OLD!! :-)
By Teacher, Too
May 23, 2008 1:56 PM | Link to this
What you post on My Space or on any other website is available for everyone to see, including potential employers.
By flipper
May 23, 2008 2:11 PM | Link to this
My advice would be to get the heck our of this sorry state as quickly as possible.
By Jason
May 23, 2008 2:20 PM | Link to this
This might not be politically correct advice, but I wish someone would’ve offered it to me several years back, instead of the customary glib cliches:
Contrary to popular wisdom, you do need to decide on a career almost immediately (no later than the end of your freshman year) nowadays, as you’ll have to work multiple internships in the same industry to compete for a decent entry-level position when you graduate.
The humanities are for kids with trust funds. No one gives a sh** about Nabokov outside the Ivory Tower, including employers, so you’ll be hardpressed to find a job—ever—that justifies your $175K degree. If you can’t live without art history, minor in it while majoring in economics or electrical engineering.
Planning on becoming an attorney (which you shouldn’t be since the market’s already oversaturated)? Transfer to an easier, less expensive college and devote your extra time and money to preparing for the LSAT, by far the most heavily weighted criterion for law school admission.
Heed these suggestions, high school graduates, lest you end up with a thankless, low-paying job, passing the time by posting bitter comments on blogs and teetering on the brink of alcoholism.
Godspeed!
By John
May 23, 2008 3:39 PM | Link to this
Major in whatever you want to and also take some HVAC, electrician, welding or similar courses in skilled trades that can’t be outsourced.
By Lee
May 23, 2008 4:39 PM | Link to this
Oh goody, I get to give some more advice to someone who wont listen to it….. :) Here goes:
Learn about compound interest. It can work for you or against you.
Start saving early. (Advice I’m sure most of us wish we would have heeded.)
Watch your debt load. Carry only one major credit card and try to pay it off every month.
If your employer offers a savings plan, take advantage of it - especially, ESPECIALLY if they offer some type of matching funds.
As others have noted, flexibility is the key in today’s work market. Don’t get pidgeonholed. You want to be able to have a lot of options.
When in college, look into an internship or co-opting with various companies. It’s probably the best way I know how to get your foot in the door upon graduation. Of those former interns who come back later and apply for a job, I probably hire 90% of them.
Work is more bearable when you are doing something you enjoy. Don’t let someone talk you into a career path just because “that’s where the money is.”
Trust your instincts. A good rule of thumb is to believe about half of what you see and about one-tenth of what you hear.
If you are female, remember this: guys mature normally until about age 12. They then go into something akin to reverse dog years where they mature one year for every seven years of age. That’s why you see middle aged men buying red corvettes and chasing after 25 year old secretaries.
If you are male, resign yourself to a lifetime of putting the toilet seat back down. Better men than you have fought that battle and lost. Besides, Hell hath no fury like a woman who “splashed down” at 3am because you left the seat up. (Just gonna have to trust me on that one…)
There you go. Ten simple rules that will make your life a lot easier.
By WFC
May 24, 2008 8:31 AM | Link to this
I forgot my NUMBER ONE bit of advice! IF you choose to have children, make sure that they are your NUMBER ONE priority and that they know it. Otherwise, do us all a favor and use birth control.
By catlady
May 24, 2008 2:12 PM | Link to this
“Being ‘flexible’ does not mean how many positions/people in bed you can do. Keep your pants zipped and legs together until you can support yourself and at least one other.” That is my earthy advice that covers most situations.
The other? “Rejoice evermore. Pray without ceasing. In every thing give thanks for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.” 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18. Also covers all situations.
By jim d
May 27, 2008 7:03 AM | Link to this
Remember that any advice is only worth what you pay for it!
By Buford
May 28, 2008 11:20 AM | Link to this
Good advice, Catlady.