Saturday, May 06, 2006
All Is Well
My commencement speech went well today. I'm more than a little surprised too. You see, I was having a major case of writer's block. (You might have noticed by the lack of posts to my blog recently.) The problem was that I couldn't decide what I wanted to tell 700 graduates. I've been trying to figure that out for the last 3 months, with no success. Finally, at 9:00 last night, inspiration struck. I spent the next 2 hours writing and re-writing my speech. Then I woke up at 5:00 to fine-tune everything. By 6:30, I was good to go, which is a good thing because I had to leave at 7:00. Which just reminds me of one of my favorite quotes: "If it weren't for the last minute, nothing would get done." I couldn't agree more.
The actual delivery of the speech today was a bit hurried. I have to admit that I was quite nervous and probably should have slowed down a little. But I rehearsed my speech enough that I didn't really screw it up at all. That was my big fear. Granted, I practically just read what I'd written. But I was still afraid that I'd lose my place in the speech and stand up there like an idiot for a minute while I found where I'd left off.
Now that my speech is behind me, I feel a tremendous weight has been lifted from me. Even though I've been done with finals for 4 days now, it never really set in that I was done with school. And that's because this stupid speech hung over me like the Sword of Damocles. But now that the speech is over, I realize that graduate school is over. I never have to go back there. The long mission I started almost 2 years ago is over. I have my nights and weekends back. I have time with my family back. (Okay, so there are drawbacks.)
Tomorrow morning, The Wife and I are headed to San Francisco (and then Sacramento) to visit her brother. We're taking Luke with on his first flight. To say that we're nervous is putting it mildly. The problem is that Luke isn't one of those children that likes to just sit still. He's one of those kids that loves running around, screaming his head off, touching people, cackling wildly. In other words, he'll be tons of fun on the plane. Fortunately, we're packing some Benedryl and we're hoping that will knock him out for the majority of the flight. Otherwise, this vacation might not be so relaxing.
I'll be back on Thursday with commentary about our trip.
The actual delivery of the speech today was a bit hurried. I have to admit that I was quite nervous and probably should have slowed down a little. But I rehearsed my speech enough that I didn't really screw it up at all. That was my big fear. Granted, I practically just read what I'd written. But I was still afraid that I'd lose my place in the speech and stand up there like an idiot for a minute while I found where I'd left off.
Now that my speech is behind me, I feel a tremendous weight has been lifted from me. Even though I've been done with finals for 4 days now, it never really set in that I was done with school. And that's because this stupid speech hung over me like the Sword of Damocles. But now that the speech is over, I realize that graduate school is over. I never have to go back there. The long mission I started almost 2 years ago is over. I have my nights and weekends back. I have time with my family back. (Okay, so there are drawbacks.)
Tomorrow morning, The Wife and I are headed to San Francisco (and then Sacramento) to visit her brother. We're taking Luke with on his first flight. To say that we're nervous is putting it mildly. The problem is that Luke isn't one of those children that likes to just sit still. He's one of those kids that loves running around, screaming his head off, touching people, cackling wildly. In other words, he'll be tons of fun on the plane. Fortunately, we're packing some Benedryl and we're hoping that will knock him out for the majority of the flight. Otherwise, this vacation might not be so relaxing.
I'll be back on Thursday with commentary about our trip.
My Commencement Speech
Thanks Michele. I started studying for my MBA here in August of 2004. Three months earlier, almost 2 years ago, my father died of cancer. My father was a blue collar man. He worked as a trucker, a welder, and a machine operator. He never went to college. But one of his proudest accomplishments was that he put all four of his children through college. In fact, my brother Tom even went on to 4 more years of school to become a veterinarian. And I know that if my dad were here today, he’d look at me and say, “Son. You’ve been through 4 years of college. You then spent the next 4 years of your life studying for and passing your actuarial exams. Now, you’re wrapping up 2 years of graduate school. Enough is enough already! How about you stop learning and go get a job, Brainiac!”
My dad would have a point. It IS time for me to get a job, to support my family. But it’ll never be time for me to stop learning. Life is nothing BUT learning. And just because you’re leaving UIC, it doesn’t mean that YOU’RE done learning either. You’re only just beginning.
The first thing you’re going to learn is what a waste of time your classes at UIC were. I’m sure the Dean loves to hear me say that. 90% of what you learned here was completely useless. When you start working, you’re not going to be using the CAPM. You’re not going to be figuring out the optimal dividend ratio. You’re going to be figuring out whether your boss likes his coffee with cream or sugar. You’re going to be figuring out that if you hit alt-tab, you can hide your game of solitaire when you hearing someone walking towards your cubicle.
What UIC DID teach you is HOW to learn. When your boss hands you a project and says he needs it first thing in the morning, you’ll know what to do. You’ll email your friends all day and then stay up all night doing the project. What UIC taught you was: how to research, how to think critically, how to write coherently. (Well, most of you anyway.) Now you have to learn how to apply these skills to your careers.
One of the things that UIC won’t have prepared you for, though, is when you first realize that you hate your manager or you hate your job. Eventually, you’re going to work for a terrible manager. It’s inevitable. You’re probably going to hate your job at some point too. Don’t look at this as a bad thing. In fact, it’s a godsend.
Bad managers are quite possibly the single greatest learning tool ever invented. We can learn so much more from them than we do from good managers. At my very first job out of college, I had a GREAT manager. I didn’t even notice. He encouraged me. He was patient. He let me make mistakes and then figure out how to correct them, never losing his temper in the process. And it wasn’t until I had a different manager that I realized how great he was.
And that’s because bad managers stand out like a zit on a supermodel. You can’t HELP but notice them. They do things that drive you insane, that have you calling your friends and saying, “You won’t believe what this jerk just did.” And that’s such a great learning experience. Every time your manager does something like that, you just take a mental note to do things differently when YOU’RE a manager. While it’s a whole lot better for your sanity to work with a GOOD manager, it can be a much better learning experience working for a BAD one.
And if you hate your job, it’s not the end of the world. Most people hate their jobs, but most people don’t learn anything from it. You see, it’s the things you hate about your job that are going to lead you into a job you love. So, if you hate sitting behind a desk all day, you might be inspired to become a park ranger. If you hate getting attacked by bears, you might want to quit being a park ranger and become a civil engineer instead. Of course, that would bring you right back to school. But this time it’d be more useful since you know what you want to do.
As Michele pointed out, I’ve had a couple different careers and worked for a few different companies. Those varied experiences encouraged me to get my MBA, and I’m so happy I did. My past jobs helped me learn what I want to do. My education here helped me learn how to do it.
Of course, I fully realize that I might hate my new job too. And that’s okay because I was thinking about going back for my PhD anyway. (My wife probably just had a heart attack.) It’s all just one big learning process. Even if I don’t go back to school, I’ll always be learning.
So, as you enter the next stage of your life, keep in mind that you’re not done learning. There’s a whole world out there waiting for you. Every day, it’s going to throw something new at you. Hopefully, you’ve learned enough at UIC to prepare you. At the very least, I hope you’ve learned HOW to learn. I know I have.
And if my father were here today, I’d tell him: “Dad, I’ve learned a lot so far. But to paraphrase Karen Carpenter, I’ve only just begun.” Thank you.
My dad would have a point. It IS time for me to get a job, to support my family. But it’ll never be time for me to stop learning. Life is nothing BUT learning. And just because you’re leaving UIC, it doesn’t mean that YOU’RE done learning either. You’re only just beginning.
The first thing you’re going to learn is what a waste of time your classes at UIC were. I’m sure the Dean loves to hear me say that. 90% of what you learned here was completely useless. When you start working, you’re not going to be using the CAPM. You’re not going to be figuring out the optimal dividend ratio. You’re going to be figuring out whether your boss likes his coffee with cream or sugar. You’re going to be figuring out that if you hit alt-tab, you can hide your game of solitaire when you hearing someone walking towards your cubicle.
What UIC DID teach you is HOW to learn. When your boss hands you a project and says he needs it first thing in the morning, you’ll know what to do. You’ll email your friends all day and then stay up all night doing the project. What UIC taught you was: how to research, how to think critically, how to write coherently. (Well, most of you anyway.) Now you have to learn how to apply these skills to your careers.
One of the things that UIC won’t have prepared you for, though, is when you first realize that you hate your manager or you hate your job. Eventually, you’re going to work for a terrible manager. It’s inevitable. You’re probably going to hate your job at some point too. Don’t look at this as a bad thing. In fact, it’s a godsend.
Bad managers are quite possibly the single greatest learning tool ever invented. We can learn so much more from them than we do from good managers. At my very first job out of college, I had a GREAT manager. I didn’t even notice. He encouraged me. He was patient. He let me make mistakes and then figure out how to correct them, never losing his temper in the process. And it wasn’t until I had a different manager that I realized how great he was.
And that’s because bad managers stand out like a zit on a supermodel. You can’t HELP but notice them. They do things that drive you insane, that have you calling your friends and saying, “You won’t believe what this jerk just did.” And that’s such a great learning experience. Every time your manager does something like that, you just take a mental note to do things differently when YOU’RE a manager. While it’s a whole lot better for your sanity to work with a GOOD manager, it can be a much better learning experience working for a BAD one.
And if you hate your job, it’s not the end of the world. Most people hate their jobs, but most people don’t learn anything from it. You see, it’s the things you hate about your job that are going to lead you into a job you love. So, if you hate sitting behind a desk all day, you might be inspired to become a park ranger. If you hate getting attacked by bears, you might want to quit being a park ranger and become a civil engineer instead. Of course, that would bring you right back to school. But this time it’d be more useful since you know what you want to do.
As Michele pointed out, I’ve had a couple different careers and worked for a few different companies. Those varied experiences encouraged me to get my MBA, and I’m so happy I did. My past jobs helped me learn what I want to do. My education here helped me learn how to do it.
Of course, I fully realize that I might hate my new job too. And that’s okay because I was thinking about going back for my PhD anyway. (My wife probably just had a heart attack.) It’s all just one big learning process. Even if I don’t go back to school, I’ll always be learning.
So, as you enter the next stage of your life, keep in mind that you’re not done learning. There’s a whole world out there waiting for you. Every day, it’s going to throw something new at you. Hopefully, you’ve learned enough at UIC to prepare you. At the very least, I hope you’ve learned HOW to learn. I know I have.
And if my father were here today, I’d tell him: “Dad, I’ve learned a lot so far. But to paraphrase Karen Carpenter, I’ve only just begun.” Thank you.
Thursday, May 04, 2006
I'm Done!
I'm officially done with grad school! Yay! I had my last final Tuesday afternoon in Investment Banking. It was a pretty easy final, which is a great way to end a college career. It was a much more enjoyable final than my last undergrad final, which was in linear algebra. Yeah, I'd much rather write about issuing bonds than inverting matrices. (Though I'm guessing most people would rather snort Ajax than do either.)
The point is that I'm finally done. Well, I'm almost done anyway. I still have that stupid speech to do. I don't know why I agreed to do it. Oh yeah, I'm an attention hog. Damn me for being a middle child and needing attention! I'm having a hard time writing my speech for some reason. I got a good way through it the other day, but I've stalled out again.
I just can't quite figure out what I want to tell 650 graduates. Should I tell them that they'll all be successful? No. Should I tell them all to go out and make a difference in the world? No, because difference-makers are attention-getters. And attention-getters are the first ones to get fired. I think my message should be to sink into the background. Don't be noticed. But also make sure you aren't unreplaceable at your job. If you can't be replaced, you won't be. Yes, I think it should be something motivational like that.
The point is that I'm finally done. Well, I'm almost done anyway. I still have that stupid speech to do. I don't know why I agreed to do it. Oh yeah, I'm an attention hog. Damn me for being a middle child and needing attention! I'm having a hard time writing my speech for some reason. I got a good way through it the other day, but I've stalled out again.
I just can't quite figure out what I want to tell 650 graduates. Should I tell them that they'll all be successful? No. Should I tell them all to go out and make a difference in the world? No, because difference-makers are attention-getters. And attention-getters are the first ones to get fired. I think my message should be to sink into the background. Don't be noticed. But also make sure you aren't unreplaceable at your job. If you can't be replaced, you won't be. Yes, I think it should be something motivational like that.
Monday, May 01, 2006
Inspiration Has Struck!!!
It's been a few months since I was first asked to give the commencement speech at my graduation. Since then, I've been wracking my brain to come up with a topic, let alone a full speech to fill 5-10 minutes. Well, inspiration finally struck me today. I went from no speech to about 10 minutes of a speech. And I've only written about half of it. I'm literally giddy with excitement. My fingers are tingling. (Of course, that might have something to do with the deep-fried Twinkie I had for lunch.)
So what's the speech about? I'm not telling. Well, not until I fully flesh out the whole speech. Of course, I'll post the speech on the blog after Saturday. (Note, I won't post it before then because I don't want people watching the speech to point out all the things I screwed up.) I will give you a few hints though. The first hint is that it won't be serious. If you know me at all, this shouldn't shock you in the least.
The next hint is that I'm going to quote (at least) 4 different sources in my speech: Barbara Bush, Diane Sawyer, Jack Welch, and Office Space. (By the way, I found a great website [IMSDb.com] that has numerous movie scripts available online. It's a great resource, if, for example, you have to write a graduation speech. Just for example, of course.) My goal is to see if I can simultaneously get the students to cheer me and the parents/professors to boo me. That would really send my college career out on a high note. It might also prevent me from getting the diploma I've worked so hard for over the past 2 years, but a rousing speech like that would make it all worthwhile.
So what's the speech about? I'm not telling. Well, not until I fully flesh out the whole speech. Of course, I'll post the speech on the blog after Saturday. (Note, I won't post it before then because I don't want people watching the speech to point out all the things I screwed up.) I will give you a few hints though. The first hint is that it won't be serious. If you know me at all, this shouldn't shock you in the least.
The next hint is that I'm going to quote (at least) 4 different sources in my speech: Barbara Bush, Diane Sawyer, Jack Welch, and Office Space. (By the way, I found a great website [IMSDb.com] that has numerous movie scripts available online. It's a great resource, if, for example, you have to write a graduation speech. Just for example, of course.) My goal is to see if I can simultaneously get the students to cheer me and the parents/professors to boo me. That would really send my college career out on a high note. It might also prevent me from getting the diploma I've worked so hard for over the past 2 years, but a rousing speech like that would make it all worthwhile.
It's Party Time. Excellent.
The Wife and I had our first annual Arbor Day party on Saturday. It was good times, if you completely ignore the crappy weather. I had a feeling it would rain. And Tom Skilling agreed with me. But Saturday started out looking decidedly un-rainy (it's a word). Of course, when the church bells struck 3:00 (the time that our fiesta officially began), the first drops started to fall. Still, much fun was had in-doors.
The Wife invited her Coven of Mommies. (By the way, I give full props to one of the Dads who came up with the term "Coven" to describe them. I'm going to appropriate that. He can sue me for trademark infringement later.) What's the Coven of Mommies? The Wife started an on-line group of local moms who could get together for play-dates and such. (For the children, that is. Mommies don't have "play-dates." They have "drink-dates.")
What made things interesting is that The Wife invited the Coven and their husbands. I don't want to speak for all the Coven Dads, but I think we were all a little weary of meeting each other. It's one thing for our wives to meet each other on the internet. That's completely acceptable since our wives are completely insane. (Well, mine is anyway. Then again, since I met The Wife on the internet, I shouldn't really be throwing stones.)
By natural extension, men who marry insane women must be insane themselves, right? Well, that's how I think all the Dads were thinking. So when we got together on Saturday, all the Dads were on their toes. None of us were sure who would be the first one to pull out a knife or ask someone to move a piano. (I'm glad I can be the crazy "piano-moving" guy. Yay!) After awhile, the Dads realized that the others Dads aren't all completely nuts. Of course, the beers we were chugging might have helped make things easier.
So you can only imagine my joy when I heard that the Dads said that they all thought the other Dads were "normal." I felt slightly offended by that. I mean, they don't know me at all. I'm nowhere NEAR normal. And I won't have them slander me by saying that I am. I guess this just means that I have to really lit it rip next time I see them. I'm going to go from the crazy Piano-Moving Guy to the crazy Passed-Out-Naked-In-The-Living-Room Guy. Yes, I'm really looking forward to our next party....
The Wife invited her Coven of Mommies. (By the way, I give full props to one of the Dads who came up with the term "Coven" to describe them. I'm going to appropriate that. He can sue me for trademark infringement later.) What's the Coven of Mommies? The Wife started an on-line group of local moms who could get together for play-dates and such. (For the children, that is. Mommies don't have "play-dates." They have "drink-dates.")
What made things interesting is that The Wife invited the Coven and their husbands. I don't want to speak for all the Coven Dads, but I think we were all a little weary of meeting each other. It's one thing for our wives to meet each other on the internet. That's completely acceptable since our wives are completely insane. (Well, mine is anyway. Then again, since I met The Wife on the internet, I shouldn't really be throwing stones.)
By natural extension, men who marry insane women must be insane themselves, right? Well, that's how I think all the Dads were thinking. So when we got together on Saturday, all the Dads were on their toes. None of us were sure who would be the first one to pull out a knife or ask someone to move a piano. (I'm glad I can be the crazy "piano-moving" guy. Yay!) After awhile, the Dads realized that the others Dads aren't all completely nuts. Of course, the beers we were chugging might have helped make things easier.
So you can only imagine my joy when I heard that the Dads said that they all thought the other Dads were "normal." I felt slightly offended by that. I mean, they don't know me at all. I'm nowhere NEAR normal. And I won't have them slander me by saying that I am. I guess this just means that I have to really lit it rip next time I see them. I'm going to go from the crazy Piano-Moving Guy to the crazy Passed-Out-Naked-In-The-Living-Room Guy. Yes, I'm really looking forward to our next party....
