Some interesting perspective from someone who was actually at the Stanford University graduation ceremony where Steve Jobs delivered his, now widely read speech. You can read it here. Thanks to my friend Jill Jackson in NYC for the insight.
Jill actually spoke to someone who attended the graduation ceremony who said the reaction in the gathered masses was quite different from the one many have taken. THEY HATED IT! Said Jill, "The man’s daughter thought it was awful. Apparently most parents disliked it too. I
don’t think they minded the "do what you love" part, but–considering the
precise perspectives of these people–they seemingly couldn’t bear the thought
that the major sums of money they’d just fed into the HIGHEST of higher
education coffers were being DISCOUNTED by the commencement speaker. In other
words–it felt a bit like–"hey, you might have just spent YOUR or your PARENTS
LIFE SAVINGS on this education–but a little calligraphy class at the library
could’ve taken you a lot farther…"
It’s no secret that higher education is struggling. In many cases they only prepare students to graduate…not to actually make a living in the real world outside academia. How many people do you know now who are doing something other than what they majored in in college. Chances are…YOU are doing something different too.
How many people change their majors two and three times before they find something they think they like…only to graduate and still not be able to find a job. Corporations who used to make a habit of on-campus recruitment have dropped the practice because of the quality of employees they’ve been getting.
Talk to most graduates and they’ll tell you; school skills and life skills are two very different things. That’s why I think apprenticeships, internships, mentor relationships can all be so much more valuable than GPA. That way you can discover the things in you that really light up. You can begin doing the things you are passionate about when you are 25 instead of waiting until you are 55.
I sympathize with the parents and students who have sunk a ton of money into their higher education. Who knows maybe that education was more about ego than it was about getting prepared to earn a living. Hopefully, some day, after they’ve paid off all the student loans they’ll be able to look back and say it was all worth it.
I think I’ll just look for a cool calligraphy class…
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