Advice for Grads

For HS Grads: DON'T DO IT! Stay young! You do NOT want to get out here in this real world. You need to spend this summer following in the footsteps of Ponce De Leon.

For College Grads: Yeah, what III said is true. You need to learn the game of the professional work environment. College teaches you great things, but that's one thing it doesn't really prepare you for.

Several years ago I wrote a lengthy letter to my cousin's daughter when she was graduating from high school. My cousin died at age 46 of ovarian cancer so I wanted to give her daughter some of the advice that I thought her mother might have if she could have lived long enough.

Some of what I told her includes:

You will make mistakes in life but none are so terrible that you can't get past them in time.

Don't let anyone tell you what you can't do but do all that you can

HS Grads: Don't let anyone tell you that college is overrated. You might as well go now, before you have to get a real job. Once you start living, it's so hard to go back to school.

College Grads: If you want to go to grad school, do it now. Marriage can wait, or at least find a partner that's willing to support your dreams.

High School: Remember how your parents always say, "These are the best years of your life?" They are correct. Everything is downhill from now on.

College Grads: The real world is scary. Consider grad school. Or a phD. Or becoming a TA. Stay in college as long as you can.

Stay in school.

For both sets of grads--as y'all focus in on your education and/or career plans, remember that some of the most important lessons (experiences) you will get are the ones where you say, "I'll never do that again."