My Graduation Speech To The Class of 2017

This blog has nothing to do with my typical blogs. I've written this blog to my daughter Amelia. And if others can get value from it, so be it.

My daughter recently graduated from high school and as I listened to yet another commencement speaker drone on, I started thinking about what I would share with the next generation. What words of guidance could I provide, and do it in less than one page (nothing worse than a 30 minute commencement speech that chronicles someone’s greatness)?

So in less than one page, my graduation speech to the class of 2017!

·     Continue to learn. If there is one thing that school hopefully taught you (besides don’t eat that pink gunk from the cafeteria), it’s how to learn. So put that investment to work by spending 2 to 4 hours per week reading something new. Step out of your comfort zone. The world is changing at an accelerating pace from a technology, social, design, entertainment, travel, healthcare and even political perspective. To not constantly be moving forward with your education is the same as falling behind. And with the wide availability of a wealth of on-line and free education and training, there is no excuse for not continuing to advance your knowledge and skills.

·     Be prepared to un-learn. Some of these changes are drastic. Consequently, you will need to un-learn what they held as gospel in order to embrace the potential of the new. Un-learning is hard because there is comfort and safety in embracing that which you already know. But you cannot climb a ladder without letting go of the rung below. No one five years ago would have envisioned a world where no one owns a car, and what cars do exist drive themselves. Now that possibility is only 4 to 5 years away.

·     Be humble!  It is very hard to learn anything new when you already know all the answers. The ability to learn new material and un-learn outdated approaches takes humility because sometimes those new lessons can come from the most unlikely of sources, like your students (which I am learning as I teach at the University of San Francisco) and even your own kids (thanks Alec, Max and Amelia!).

·     Seeking a career is a life long journey. Find a career that fuels your curiosity and passion. That search will take a while…maybe a long while. And it’s unlikely to be the first job you take. However each job you take will teach you more about what’s important to you, and what’s not. Don’t take a job because it pays the bills; find a mission and chase that mission your entire life. That’s what I’ve done and I could not be happier.

·     Have fun. Bottom-line: life is not worth much if you are not having fun. So smile and embrace life! It’s really great!