I loathe pomp and circumstance. After high school, I earned two more degrees. But the only time I walked at commencement was for grad school – and I almost chewed off my own arm in the process. So, having never attended a proper college graduation ceremony, I’m pompously declaring myself the perfect honorary commencement speaker for colleges and universities throughout the country.
Should your school not have a big-named, honorary-degree recipient or a blowhard politician to spew rhetoric, invite me to your podium!
Here goes:
Congratulations, Class of 2017! … blah, blah, blah (look around waving during applause), blah, blah… all that you have done… blah, blah, blah… as you go out into the world… (I’ll keep that part short).
But I have a word of warning. The world is going to disappoint you. Your first job probably won’t excite you. The housing market in many areas is out of reach to you. Your dream job may not want you; or if you land it, you may end up with boss from hell. Your first “grown up” roommate may not find you and your mess amusing. Your boss may not think your work is perfect.
But you’ve got this. We’re counting on you.
Your formal education may be over for now, but you’re only on the cusp of learning life by experience. For the next 10 years, you’ll exist in a living test lab, filled with experiments that don’t come with textbook instructions. You’ll simultaneously experience some of the most exciting times and the most frustrating “learning experiences” of your life. You may learn that your professors were bored and gave good grades without really reading your paper – but that your boss or your customers are far less understanding. Your landlord and student loan companies want their money – on time. And your parents have (hopefully) stopped funding your cell phones and data plans.
But you’ve got this. We need you to figure it out.
If you’re smart and you don’t do stupid shit like texting, drinking and smoking weed before driving; leaving bills or rent unpaid; or hooking up with the wrong friend’s bae, then you’ll not only survive, but you’ll set yourself up to thrive. And if you’ve got good parents, they’ll be there with an ear and emotional support, but they won’t bail you out of the messes.
That’s because you’ve got this. You know you need to do it for yourself.
2017 seems daunting to many of you. I mean (gasp!), you’ve come this far without the benefit of covfefe! You’re entering the U.S. job market with a President that tweets and an NSA that leaks. You no longer trust the news media, but you’re still tethered to social media. You live in a world with more information dumping than any individual can possibly consume. But you’ve also got greater social awareness and conscience than your predecessors.
Many of your parents graduated during one of the greatest recessions of modern time. And as a result, instead of their dream careers, they had to do hard, thankless work just to pay the bills. It wasn’t sexy. They drank watered-down coffee in the morning and cheap beer on the weekends. Unlike 2017, reality was anything but glamorous. Ask them to tell you what it really was like. It will help you appreciate how fortunate you are to be graduating into a healthy economy.
Don’t get me wrong; I’m not envious or frustrated that you’re graduating into a good economy. Just the opposite! I want you to take advantage of it. But taking advantage of something you’ve always had is not easy. It means continuing to work hard – and then stepping it up several notches, especially when things are going well.
So as you graduate and enter the workforce, facing all the disappointment that this world will undoubtedly serve up, remember how much opportunity this life also serves up for you. As you begin “adulting” (and for many of you, facing your first real disappointments), remember that the world today is better because of our past disappointments. How you adapt, and the great things your own angst and boredom will compel you to do, remain solely within your control. Work through it. Persist. It is your hard work that will produce that easy life for that next generation.
Don’t take your fortune for granted. Hold yourself to your highest possible standard of excellence in everything you do and say. Don’t shortchange yourself. Share your gifts. Only turn in your best work. Admit your shortcomings and ask constructively for help. Don’t whine in public. Show self-respect and willingness to help other people. Stretch your limits and discover new talents. Don’t do the stupid shit. Keep evolving. Make yourself into a gift.
You’ve got this. This world needs your gifts.