What a time to graduate high school
What a time to graduate from high school. Not since the World War II years, has there been a more turbulent time to leave childhood and enter the adult world. An old adage says, "adversity builds character," and June of 2020 has some of the most extreme and adverse circumstances most of us have ever seen in our lifetime.
The seldom-used acronym FOMO has finally come of age and is now heard often and understood by people of a particular age. For those not of that particular age, FOMO is Fear of Missing Out, and there is a long list of those things missed.
The COVID-19 pandemic erased the last half of school this year. For a high school senior in the class of 2020, that means no memories of the senior trip, spring musical, senior prom, spring sports, skip day, and on and on. Those favorite recollections have been replaced by memories of lap-top at-home learning, facemasks, and a shortage of toilet paper.
The fear of missing out on your graduation is weighing on everyone's minds. School administrators, parents, and relatives are all trying to make graduation from high school and moving into adulthood as memorable as possible for you.
A high school graduation ceremony is a rite of passage that is about more than academic achievements. It's a time for goodbyes to the people you've been with for the past 13 years and to celebrate your future. Without graduation, there will be no closure to your childhood.
If it is any consolation, you will realize as time passes, there are more significant happenings that will come your way in the big scheme of life. Events such as marriage, the birth of children, buying a first home, and others that will all overshadow high school graduation.
Because gathering size and parties are still limited, another missed opportunity at this year's high school graduation is the advice given to the recent graduate about their future from a relative. In an attempt to rectify that missed opportunity, this column will provide some advice that might even be read by a graduating senior. However, experience from past graduation advice columns means that a grandparent will probably impart the following wisdom.
If at all possible, please go to college or some other form of higher education. The cost of college is astronomical, which is not a problem if your family is wealthy. But for the working class, the price might be a bridge too far. The nightmarish stories of years of college loan debt are discouraging at best. An option might be to attend a nearby community college. They offer great classes that lead directly to jobs, excellent jobs. Had I not entered law enforcement, I probably would be an x-ray technician.
While on the topic of jobs, you can expect to work for about the next 50 years. There's a reason a job is called 'work.' It is because the activity is seldom fun, but the work must be done, and that's why another person pays you to complete it on a regular schedule. Not always, but usually, the harder work is, the more you will get paid.
You should know that while nearly everyone has a job, only a few people end up in a career. That's not a bad thing, but it is the way it usually happens. Those people who end up in life-long careers are generally the people who go to college.
If you do go to college and expect to have a career out of your studies, please avoid the arts and music which are usually hobbies. While everyone enjoys the arts and music, only the best of the very best can make a living out of making music or art. Teaching is the exception, but there are a limited number of teaching positions in arts and music.
Another option is the military route, which will include less than 1% of a high school graduating class. If college is a goal, the G.I. Bill will pay for your college after a successful 4-year military commitment. It isn't easy and certainly not for everyone, but it is a way to help with the aforementioned astronomical college tuition costs and gain a lifetime of experience quickly. As a retired Marine, my advice for those looking toward the military is to go for the Air Force; you'll receive the same pay, you'll still be a veteran when finished, and it's much safer.
If a college or the military isn't your cup of tea, try to find or create a job that most people avoid because it is dirty or hard. If you think you can hack it and no one else is doing it, you're probably going to be wealthy and maybe even happy at the end of each day.
One of the happiest workers I've recently come across was the man who unclogged my house drain. He chit-chatted and smiled the whole time he was working, and less than an hour later, he departed with a wad of my cash in his pocket. I figured he made about $200 an hour, and he already had one customer before me that morning and headed to his next when he departed.
To the newly graduated, the whole world is waiting for you, right now it's a crazy place, but it can only get better from here.
The seldom-used acronym FOMO has finally come of age and is now heard often and understood by people of a particular age. For those not of that particular age, FOMO is Fear of Missing Out, and there is a long list of those things missed.
The COVID-19 pandemic erased the last half of school this year. For a high school senior in the class of 2020, that means no memories of the senior trip, spring musical, senior prom, spring sports, skip day, and on and on. Those favorite recollections have been replaced by memories of lap-top at-home learning, facemasks, and a shortage of toilet paper.
The fear of missing out on your graduation is weighing on everyone's minds. School administrators, parents, and relatives are all trying to make graduation from high school and moving into adulthood as memorable as possible for you.
A high school graduation ceremony is a rite of passage that is about more than academic achievements. It's a time for goodbyes to the people you've been with for the past 13 years and to celebrate your future. Without graduation, there will be no closure to your childhood.
If it is any consolation, you will realize as time passes, there are more significant happenings that will come your way in the big scheme of life. Events such as marriage, the birth of children, buying a first home, and others that will all overshadow high school graduation.
Because gathering size and parties are still limited, another missed opportunity at this year's high school graduation is the advice given to the recent graduate about their future from a relative. In an attempt to rectify that missed opportunity, this column will provide some advice that might even be read by a graduating senior. However, experience from past graduation advice columns means that a grandparent will probably impart the following wisdom.
If at all possible, please go to college or some other form of higher education. The cost of college is astronomical, which is not a problem if your family is wealthy. But for the working class, the price might be a bridge too far. The nightmarish stories of years of college loan debt are discouraging at best. An option might be to attend a nearby community college. They offer great classes that lead directly to jobs, excellent jobs. Had I not entered law enforcement, I probably would be an x-ray technician.
While on the topic of jobs, you can expect to work for about the next 50 years. There's a reason a job is called 'work.' It is because the activity is seldom fun, but the work must be done, and that's why another person pays you to complete it on a regular schedule. Not always, but usually, the harder work is, the more you will get paid.
You should know that while nearly everyone has a job, only a few people end up in a career. That's not a bad thing, but it is the way it usually happens. Those people who end up in life-long careers are generally the people who go to college.
If you do go to college and expect to have a career out of your studies, please avoid the arts and music which are usually hobbies. While everyone enjoys the arts and music, only the best of the very best can make a living out of making music or art. Teaching is the exception, but there are a limited number of teaching positions in arts and music.
Another option is the military route, which will include less than 1% of a high school graduating class. If college is a goal, the G.I. Bill will pay for your college after a successful 4-year military commitment. It isn't easy and certainly not for everyone, but it is a way to help with the aforementioned astronomical college tuition costs and gain a lifetime of experience quickly. As a retired Marine, my advice for those looking toward the military is to go for the Air Force; you'll receive the same pay, you'll still be a veteran when finished, and it's much safer.
If a college or the military isn't your cup of tea, try to find or create a job that most people avoid because it is dirty or hard. If you think you can hack it and no one else is doing it, you're probably going to be wealthy and maybe even happy at the end of each day.
One of the happiest workers I've recently come across was the man who unclogged my house drain. He chit-chatted and smiled the whole time he was working, and less than an hour later, he departed with a wad of my cash in his pocket. I figured he made about $200 an hour, and he already had one customer before me that morning and headed to his next when he departed.
To the newly graduated, the whole world is waiting for you, right now it's a crazy place, but it can only get better from here.
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