10 Real-World Tips for Graduates (Blog)

Des Moines Mayor Frank Cownie will speak at AIB College of Business commencement exercises June 2. The event begins at 2 p.m. at Veterans Memorial Community Choice Credit Union Convention Center, 833 Fifth St., Des Moines. It is open to the public.

By Jane Schorer Meisner

With graduation season now in full swing, I’m watching for accounts of speakers’ fascinating advice to the newest class of alumni.

Actors often deliver commencement addresses, but so do entrepreneurs, politicians, authors, athletes, reporters, musicians, comedians and astrophysicists. The variety of personalities and professions of commencement speakers is what makes the range of advice so interesting.

Chicago Tribune newspaper columnist Mary Schmich once wrote, “Inside every adult lurks a graduation speaker dying to get out, some world-weary pundit eager to pontificate on life to young people who’d rather be Rollerblading.”

She’s probably right. So just in case anyone ever asks me to deliver a commencement address, I’m armed with plenty of collected quotations and other words of wisdom that are significant to me.

Here’s a sampling of advice that has been offered to graduates at assorted college commencements – or that should have been.

“Wear sunscreen. If I could offer you only one tip for the future, sunscreen would be it.”   – Chicago Tribune columnist Mary Schmich

“‘Follow your passion’ is the stupidest career advice I’ve ever heard. … Here’s my slogan: ‘Do something valuable.’” – William MacAskill, an ethicist at Oxford and Princeton universities

"Be smart about credit cards. Always pay your balance in full every month." – every reputable financial advisor everywhere

“I cannot stress enough that the answer to a lot of your life’s questions is often in someone else’s face. Try putting your iPhones down every once in a while and look at people’s faces.” – Public Radio personality Ira Glass at Goucher College, 2012

“It is every man’s obligation to put back into the world at least the equivalent of what he takes out of it.” – Albert Einstein

“Very few employers are interested in helping you find yourself. Do that on your own time.” – from the book “Dumbing Down our Kids” by educator Charles Sykes.

“Graduates, make sure you can write this sentence: ‘I am who I always wanted to be.’” – neurosurgeon and CNN correspondent Sanjay Gupta at the University of Michigan, 2012

“Don’t work for fools. It’s not worth it. Getting paid less to work for people you like and believe in is much better for you (and your career) in the long run.” – Adam Savage, co-host of the Discovery Channel “MythBusters,” at Sarah Lawrence College, 2012

“As you go out to remake the world, I offer the following bits of wisdom: Keep learning, stay awake to amazement, be kind rather than right. And, remember, while you might not agree with this now, being loved is better than being rich.” – from my favorite greeting card to send graduates

“Eat your vegetables.” – me, to my adult children, while acknowledging there’s no guarantee others will heed even good advice

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