What’s the best piece of advice you could give to a graduating senior?

Be honest.
Treat people with respect.



{pull your pants up and don't let your underwear show}

Stick to your values the rest of life will fall into place.


Also, never eat Indian food before a big board style interview. (I learned this the hard way )

Me----"Um..Excuse me, my wife is paging me. It's an emergency, I have to go"
Them-------

Get a job doing something you like to do. No, it probably won't be fun like vacation/partying fun, that's why they call it "work", but do something you enjoy, relatively speaking.

Then, go out of your way to do the job a little better than you need to to get by. You don't have to do too much to stand out above the rest of the crowd. Eventually it will get you noticed, and you can move up.

In your personal life, never "settle" when it comes to a mate. Find THE ONE, no matter how long it takes. If you have to ask yourself if this one is really THE one, the answer is no. And once you find that special one, realize that like everything else, you have to put some effort into the relationship to keep it going. It amazes me how people who will wash and wax their car and change the oil in it religiously, etc. will just assume that their relationship needs no more maintenance than for them to just "show up". Your choice of a mate will have a much more profound effect on your happiness tha how long your car lasts, so act accordingly.

Be honest.
Treat people with respect.
Be on time.
Dress appropriately.
Don’t just do the minimum amount of work to get by; that little extra work/time put in will be noticed.
Think before you speak.

More (Some I borrowed from All I Really Need To Know
I Learned In Kindergarten). The basic rules still apply.

Share everything.

Play fair.

Don't hit people.

Put things back where you found them.

Clean up your own mess.

Don't take things that aren't yours.

Say you're sorry when you hurt somebody.

Flush (Please - for some reason people have a real problem with this where I work. Its very annoying).

Live a balanced life. Work some and play some every day.

Don't take advantage of privileges (sick leave, vacation, etc.) You'll just ruin it for everyone else.

WWBMICD

Learn a TRADE!! Get that degree later.You'll probably earn more money with a trade than a degree.
RESPECT. For everyone and everything.
Manners.
There's a time for every season under heaven: work now/party later! Don't get the two mixed up.
And must I say this???- Personal Hygiene!!

Now for your personal life:Make sure the person you want to spend the rest of your life with is someone you would want to "hang out" with.Cuz,beleive me when you get old thats what you'll be doing alot of....
Remember to treat them(your mate) with the same respect that you would give to a stranger or the boss or your parents.
Also they deserve the same manners as everyone else.Especially "Thank-You".

Keep your pants on

I took a shower once with my pants on...it sucked

Best advice I've seen so far.

I think bein' a hitman would rock.

or maybe "don't get caught with your pants down"

Drugs are not the path to success.

Do only what you desire.

Realize that you are not the center of the universe.

Do not change yourself in order to conform to society's perceived "perfect life."

Most of all, learn from your mistakes.

Don't lose site of your goals

Enjoy your work, but make sure you have fun at home

Don't solicite advise from strangers on a message board

PFFFFTTTT!! Buhahahahhaahahaha

Best advice yet! Nice one Samy0

Last comic standing

Eat greasey fatty foods
drink beer
sleep with all your friends wives / girlfriends
belch / fart in crowded rooms
sponge money off of anyone you can
pick your nose in public
No hold it thats my life... Don't do any of the above.
Live long... play hard..be honest be yourself.... oh and don't be a Bumwipe

What? You believe this? I'd like to see the facts on this...

I would say that would be a safe statement to make in this area. We had a thread awhile back discussing this. A college diploma isn't necessarily like being handed the goose that lays golden eggs.

Keep your debt--particularly credit card debt--to a minimum.

Take care of your health.... eat right, exercise.

Don't start smoking.

Find a balance between preparing for the future and living in the moment.

Don't step on people as you climb the ladder.

Learning a trade is nothing to be ashamed of. Some folks might call you a "bumwipe" if you don't have a postgrad degree, but those snooty folks as well as the regular folks all need the services of skilled tradespeople or else they're crying in their latte. Imagine life without welders, plumbers, electricians, mechanics, etc. etc. And if you think these don't require significant brain-power as well as skills like hand-eye coordination, try to wire a 3-way switch or replace the head-gasket on your car sometime.

Hear! Hear! All I have to say is thank God for the guy who knows how to fix my toilet, the woman who repaired a hole in my carpet, and the mechanic who checks out my car. I'd be lost without them!

True... I'd be crying in my I'll-take-it-black-please Maxwell House coffee... but I'd be crying all the same.

ummmm yeah, ok... What's up with the “snooty folk” comment Snoopy? I don’t get it... This reminds me of a bias/prejudice comment that McGee made a few months ago when speaking of "outsiders" that are migrating to our county. Congratulations on showing everyone a closed mind approach on a board that anyone on the Internet can read... Welcome to Hagerstown everyone...

‘Crying in their latte’ Nice one...

So do you think we should let our children to get a degree and further their education??? You cant climb too far past the first few rungs on the ladder without one these days.

Well, I don't think that it was implied at ALL educated folks are snotty.... just SOME. And if you think there aren't at least SOME educated & snotty folks out there, you're mistaken. They do exist, you know. I mean, there are snotty folks from every walk of life, no?

Mike,

The comment was not directed at you. I apologize if you were offended. It was aimed at a member who, a few weeks ago, basically started the phrase "bumwipe" here by (paraphrasing here) implying anyone with less than a Masters degree was a bumwipe or had a "bumwipe degree" or something along that line. I disagreed. I considered her snooty. My opinion, that's all. Wonder if she does her own brake jobs, builds her own houses, and wires her own panel boxes?

I have no opposition to a college degree -- I is a collige graduite after all. And I encourage my kids to go to college. BUT... college is not for everyone. My Dad would never have made it in college -- just did not have that kind of brain. But he could do other things -- fix things. I say there is no shame in learning skilled trades. If you think you can't get too far w/o college your idea of doing okay for yourself is different than mine. As just one example, I know auto mechanics making $60-80K/yr in Hagerstown. IMO that is darn good money. I'll bet many people with BS and even MS or PhD degrees make less in Hagerstown.

Proud to be Armani by day and Quaker State by night.

One question bout the auto mechanic... How many hours and days a week does he have to work to earn that?

Dealership that is only open M-F, 40-45 hours a week actual time in the shop. He is an ASE certified mechanic with several years experience. Gets $40/hr no matter what he works on from an oil change to a engine rebuild.

My Point to the comment is that you IMHO, you limit your maximum earning potential in life (over the course of 30+ years) if you have the mind/desire/skillset to go onto higher education. The degree is not the important part, its the accomplishment of the degree that shows employers that you have the aptitude and ability to learn the line of work they are currently hiring for, etc.

I graduated with an economics degree, but have been in IT for 8+ and things, for the most part are going a lot better for me than had I decided to do something different, based on a trade. Granted, I'm not cut out of the mold of being a do it yourselfer, as I really only cut my own grass, that's about it. I had to go to school, or else I'd starve!

As a hiring officer of a company, I typically prefer looking at resumes that have degrees, since I've done my fair share of hiring w/o degrees. I know my starting positions that I hire for start in the 40-45k range, my most recent was hired at 75k. But I look at it like this, a good trade at age 18 will make between 12-15/hr, Assuming the higher number, that's ~30k/yr or 120-150k over the 4-5 years someone would be in school. After graduating, depending on the degree, whether it's a BA, or BS (I think BS makes more out of the gate), one could get a job at a place that pays 42-45k. Granted they had to drop themselves into debt to get that, so let's say 100k in debt load.

By age 30...Trade has ~370k in earnins, factoring in some inflationary raises

By Age 30...Degree has ~400K less 100k for college.

So you say, what's up? you make more w/a trade, but at age 30, you still have 35 more years of work. and that difference is quickly overcome by mid 30's. Also, those who make more money at an early age in life, are in better positions to start things like 401k, etc, which will help them a lot more later in life.

Finally, a person with a degree has a greater chance of breaking through glass ceilings. A person with a trade, with some exceptions, will hit a solid sheetrock ceiling, literally!

Couple comments, ZT:

As you say, if the person is of "the mind/desire/skillset to go onto higher education". That is a very big "if". Some can't; some don't want to. Lotsa trade guys would go nuts in an office. If they are happy in a trade but miserable in an office which would you suggest they do?

Second, you only give the trade a $30K/yr job. Again, that's not always the case. It is not unheard of to make $60-80K as an electrician, mechanic, plumber, etc. and IMO it is easier to be self-employed in such trades or pick-up side work if you want it, which to many is a big plus.

A college degree is the best for some, but not all, and many tradespeople will out-earn the college degreed worker despite your example.

Agreed, it's all a matter of perspective, wishes, and desires.

Many folk, however, don't enjoy work...so regardless of the argument, work is still work to many.

One of the companies that I work for is a fairly large construction company, so I see both sides every day. There is a huge difference between the higher ed people and those that don't, however, there is a great deal of respect that each side carries for the other. Without one, we couldn't have the other!

(for the record, the ones with degrees make more than the ones without)

Get out of Hagerstown! LOL

Learn as much as you can!

GO TO WORK. repay the loans and pay taxes like the rest of us adults..oh--vote too! And before you go to vote, look at your paycheck..see the parts taken out--think if you want more programs done by the gov't = less net $ in your paycheck...

Go to school immediately after you graduate... (unlike me...) i have 5 more classes til i get my B.S. (ugh... and i am almost thirty. Going to class part-time is not fun when you have a FT job.)

Find a college that suits your future career goals and degree. Interested in Engineering? Try Purdue, PSU, VT...

Apply for grants, loans, scholarships early and often. Nothing like a free ride...


...Basically, in todays society, if you dont have a degree, they dont want you. (unless you plan on working in low-tech/low-demand area like Western MD the rest of your life) *not that there is anything wrong w/that....

I hear you on that. I just started college and I'm 28 years old. I'll get my degree in 10 years.

Sigh. I hear ya there. I've been taking classes off & on for years now (I'm forty-ish.) Things get crazy in my life and I end up dropping school...then things get better and I go back. I'm taking the next semester off again. Don't know if I'll ever get that degree.

I just wish I had had the chance to go right out of high school. Get that degree while your parents are still willing to support you!

The best advice? After high school (or college), live alone for at least one year ... no roommate, no significant other, no spouse. Why? Because you learn to be more self-sufficient (to balance your checkbook, pay bills, complete your tax return, change a light bulb, entertain yourself, shop for and cook basic dishes) ... and with that knowledge, you won't feel it necessary to "settle" when you are ready to choose a life partner ... you will not be afraid that "if I don't marry this one, I might be alone", because you've already been alone and you survived. This is also beneficial for those folks who become widowed ... the fear of being alone is not as strong because you've been there before and survived.

I like that advice, lebbylou.

When I graduated, I had roommates for several years, then was out by myself. I was a little worried about expenses, etc. on my own, but it turned into some of the best years of my life to that point. I liked bachelorhood and living alone so well, I had a hard time adjusting to my fiance (now my wife) moving in.

That's a good point. You can pick those people out too. The ones that have never been alone and need someone there for everything they do.

Yeah, like my first husband!

" The only place where success comes before work is a dictionary "

Imagine there is a bank that credits your account each morning with $86,400.

It carries over no balance from day to day. Every evening the bank deletes whatever part of the balance you failed to use during the day.

What would you do? Draw out every cent, of course!

Each of us has such a bank. Its name is TIME.

Every morning, it credits you with 86,400 seconds. Every night it writes off, as lost, whatever of this you have failed to invest to good purpose.

It carries over no balance. It allows no overdraft. Each day it opens a new account for you. Each night it burns the remains of the day. If you fail to use the day's deposits, the loss is yours. There is no going back. There is no drawing against the "tomorrow."

You must live in the present on today's deposits. Invest it so as to get from it the utmost in health, happiness, and success! The clock is running. Make the most of today.

To realize the value of ONE YEAR, ask a student who failed a grade.

To realize the value of ONE MONTH, ask a mother who gave birth to a premature baby.

To realize the value of ONE WEEK, ask the editor of a weekly newspaper.

To realize the value of ONE HOUR, ask the lovers who are waiting to meet.

To realize the value of ONE MINUTE, ask a person who missed the train.

To realize the value of ONE-SECOND, ask a person who just avoided an accident.

Treasure every moment that you have! And treasure it more because you shared it with someone special, special enough to spend your time.

Remember that time waits for no one. Yesterday is history. Tomorrow is mystery. Today is a gift. That's why it's called the present!


and let us not forget the people and knowledge base that has gone before us:


Winston Churchill's commencement speech delivered to a post-war graduating class at Oxford University. The shortest commencement address in history.

Each line was delivered with a more vociferous emphasis than the line before, and as he walked off the podium after delivering the third line, the audience lept to their feet as one in thunderous applause:

--------------

"Never give up."

"Never Give Up!"

"NEVER GIVE UP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

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What's the best advice I would give to a graduating senior?

It's nice to be important, but it's more important to be nice.

I don't know if I remember the person with the best grades in high school or the one voted most popular or most likely to succeed.

What I remember are the students less able than I who, nonetheless, had a great spirit and tried hard every day and by the example of both their attitude and effort showed me what persistance and hard work really were.

What I remember are first string athletes who took time to not only work with the second team but also after going through an undefeated season took the time to go out of their way to recognize the contributions of each and every member of the team.

What I remember are the kids with more money who shared their food generously, and discreestly, with other kids who had less money in the cafeteria at lunch.

What I don't remember is everyone in my rather large graduating class. I just didn't have classes with some of them.

What I think is that even though I didn't know them just graduating must have been some kind of accomplishment for them. It was up to them what they did with that accomplishment. A high school graduate, on average, got in more doors than a high school drop out. A college graduate, on average, got in more doors than a high school graduate.

Still, just getting in the door of a work place won't keep you there or make you happy. It has been my experience that in the world of work and real life, just as in the world of school, real success is determined just as much by how well you cooperate and get along with others and help them cooperate with you ( in a nice way) as success is determined by skills or degrees you might have had or who you might have known that helped get you the job in the first place ( unless the owners of the business are your mom and dad or a relative who will put up with you no matter what).

I also remember with sadness those who died in accidents in high school and later in Vietnam. It is not nice that they died, but it behooves us all to remember just how nice it is to be alive to experience the mystery and surprise, and opportunity, of what tomorrow will bring.

You ain’t seen the time that is coming to the world that has never been. There is coming a time when we will be watching for snipers in trees

WTF kind of advice is that? Paranoid are we??

The best advice I would give, is to be honest with yourself and do not try to be someone your not. Don't ever give up, even when the world seems to come crushing down on you. Believe me I'm only 28 and I think I might have hit my lowest point in life already. But I try not to look back and believe in what the future holds. Blah Blah Blah!!!

Good luck to you in all your future endeavors, and congrats on graduation.

I think we are in need of a new forum question. Maybe feistyirishbabe can come up with a good one for us, considering she was the one who started the whole drug/pharmacist bit that got out of control !