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Graduation season is upon us (and has been for some time if the "Dads and Grads" ads are to be trusted). It is a time for new graduates, whether from high school, college, or even grad school, to look ahead. It is also a time for non-graduates to offer congratulations and advice. Congratulations are easy. Advice can be a little more tricky.

In a famous graduation speech/column* (often falsely attribute to Kurt Vonnegut*), Mary Schmich of the Chicago Times compiled her own list of advice to graduating seniors. It grew in popularity from a forwarded e-mail eventually to a top 40 song. If you've never heard or read it, I highly recommend it. The speech can be found here and Wikipedia's entry on the history of it can be found here.

Not that many folks about to, or having just, graduate(d) read BdW, but I thought it would be fun to compile our own list of advice gleaned from our own personal meanderings, just as Ms. Schmich did. To start off the list, I will borrow 2 pieces of advice that I've come to greatly support. Know thyself* (Those Greeks really knew what they were talking about.) and Just do it (Perhaps a little pushy for an advertising slogan, but often valuable as advice when faced with decisions of action/inaction.)

What say you?

Thursday June 14 2007

File under: misc, participation

Toggle Comments (13)

comment?

on Thu 14th Jun, 2007 04:49 pm PDT cardboard said:
I have heard many but the advice my boss has given to be the most inspirational. The first is "You can never listen to to much ACDC or Van Halen". The second i might botch a little but comes from one of his dads good friends and goes something like this "man back in the 60's everyone was shooting smack and doing hard drugs while i was just smoking good weed and smiling the whole time." Another classic that i throw out pretty often but dont seem to live by is this "you will never look when your an old man and wish you had worked more"
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on Thu 14th Jun, 2007 10:31 pm PDT Emily said:
"The reasonable man adapts himself to the world; the unreasonable one persists in trying to adapt the world to himself. Therefore, all progress depends on the unreasonable man." - "Who is George Bernard Shaw" (Another quote, non widsom-related, from my favorite movie Dream for an Insomniac.)
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on Fri 15th Jun, 2007 12:10 am PDT Horge said:
A few classics: "You can pick your friends and you can pick your nose, but don't pick your friend's nose." and "It's better to be pissed off than pissed on." Otherwise, one of my own thoughts: the real power of a degree is not in the department or school which issued it, but in the fact that you did it.
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on Fri 15th Jun, 2007 08:54 am PDT amanda said:
you sound smarter if you speak with Wikipedia quotes ;)
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on Fri 15th Jun, 2007 08:55 am PDT amanda said:
you sound smarter if you write with Wikipedia links ;)
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on Fri 15th Jun, 2007 09:06 am PDT amanda said:
but no, seriously, part of working is being unemployed and it's ok
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on Fri 15th Jun, 2007 11:28 am PDT Sean said:
Stop Whining! - Mr. Kimble; Kindergarten Cop
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on Fri 15th Jun, 2007 03:13 pm PDT Amanda said:
Serve others.
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on Fri 15th Jun, 2007 04:21 pm PDT Jule said:
Be passionate about the things you do, especially those you do for fun. and make sure to invest in your 401k...(I had to put some practical advice in there)
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on Fri 15th Jun, 2007 04:45 pm PDT Saxtor said:
"Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants." - Michael Pollan
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on Mon 18th Jun, 2007 05:52 pm PDT Chris said:
Start accepting your own mistakes and failures instead of your parents' money; you learn more and your success is sweeter.
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on Mon 18th Jun, 2007 08:32 pm PDT erin said:
at my graduation from undergrad our speaker was whats-his-name Hilton... and he left us with one piece of advice, "put the shower curtain in the tub". i wish this story was a lie... that's what you get for going to a state school in ohio.
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on Tue 19th Jun, 2007 08:27 pm PDT Wren said:
I just came across this list of advice and I couldn't pass up sharing it. Enjoy!
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