Straight Talk for Both Young and Old

It's not often that truth telling is relevant, put forth in simple words, straight forward and directed at both the young and old among us.

So when I came across such a story, I deemed it worth sharing with you.

Straight talk for graduates and parents presents some basic, time tested and well grounded advice for both the young and old. So if the shoe fits, ....................:

"If there's a graduate in your life — a child, grandchild, niece or nephew — please pass the message along.
Graduates, go to your personal trophy case and throw out all the awards you got for "participation." Participating in life does not pay well, not nearly well enough to pay off your student loans. Second, forget your personal grade point average. If you have not noticed, it does not appear on your diploma.

For those who are members of the "just enough to get by" club, I did not just suggest a free pass; quite the contrary. The lessons you should be learning are how to do your best and thrive in a competitive environment. . . .

Once you have thrown away all your participation medals, what is left? Hopefully you have several that say "first place," "second place," or "third place." It makes no difference if those awards were for athletics, band competition, or the debate team. Those are the important ones.

Life is a competition, and if you want to be successful, you have to achieve, not merely participate. Unlearn all the "fairness" garbage educators tried to force into your brain. . . .

Supply and demand

If you are a recent graduate and are un(der)employed, here is your challenge. The job market is based on the law of supply and demand. If there were a great demand for jobs in your educational field, you would already have one. There is an oversupply of candidates, and demand is low. Waiting for things to "open up" is dangerously shortsighted. You may be well into your 30s before demand in your field opens up again.

Get a job . . . .

Talkin' 'bout my generation

Now that I've said my piece, I'll briefly turn my attention back to you, my peers. Our sons, daughters, and grandchildren face a tough reality in the modern workforce. An entire generation seems to believe that if you just check off all the right boxes, careers, promotions, and money will magically appear. We know that's simply not true. Success is hard earned.

A similar myth has pervaded our own generation; the idea that if you put in your dues, the government will uphold its end of the bargain, providing a decent base for retirement through Social Security and Medicare. Well, that's simply not true either.
Our retirement health is in our hands, and most of the basic assumptions about investing have been upended. Just as it's time for the youth of America to buckle down, learn a business and build a career, we need to ask ourselves whether we've really given retirement planning the careful attention it deserves.""

Summing Up

What he says rings true to me.

How about you?

If so, pass it on.

Thanks. Bob.