What would you consider to be the "most of it"?

This is a question I was asked in response to "You only live once - might as well make the most of it."

My response: Nothing is certain but change - no matter what you do you will have ups and downs, but to ride those downs and turn them around to ups. But ultimately - love and happiness are what matters in the end...

What Makes You?

College doesn't make you.
Your career doesn't make you.
You and your desires and your passions, the effort you put forth to strive for success, that is what makes you...

Am I suggesting that college is a waste of time? No... stay in school... but it isn't everything.

I know people that will lock themselves up and shut out all human interaction so they can get 100% on every test...
90% and 100% are basically the same in college... some classes have A and A+, but in the long run it doesn't matter!

A 3.6 GPA vs. a 4.0 GPA doesn't make that big a difference...
Paul Graham said:
I asked managers at Yahoo, Google, Amazon, Cisco and Microsoft how they’d feel about two candidates, both 24, with equal ability, one who’d tried to start a startup that tanked, and another who’d spent the two years since college working as a developer at a big company. Every one responded that they’d prefer the guy who’d tried to start his own company. Zod Nazem, who’s in charge of engineering at Yahoo, said:

I actually put more value on the guy with the failed startup. And you can quote me!

Now - he is not suggesting (nor am I) that you should start your own company - but the idea is about taking risks. Is starting your own business risky? Oh yeah - I think the statistic on new businesses is that 9 out 10 startups fail...

But seriously - take risks.... Travel! Start writing papers on subjects you know and care about and post those on the Internet or in journals... Maybe create a student group in a area of one of your interests.... Do something other than your studies...

A lot of people think that a 4.0 GPA and a college degree will guarantee them a high paying job out of college... Maybe... maybe not... A lot of the companies that search college campuses for new hires or send out emails to the students aren't looking for students that challenge ideas or have ideas of their own, but they are looking for students that are textbook... thus, the company can "mold" you to their standards and they know that you won't question how things are done...

What you need to do is look outside the box of college... network, network, network - let people know that you are actually knowledgeable in your area of interest BEYOND book knowledge... I look back to my Introduction to Business class - about, 30 students or so, we all heard the same information, we all did the same assignments - SO WHAT SETS US APART? Why should a company hire me over one of my classmates? What can I offer that company?

When it comes to finding a company to work for - if they ask during the interview for the "textbook" answer - leave... you will regret working there.... why? Because they don't care about your interpretation of the question, they want to see if you remembered what you learned in class...

If I was hiring someone, I would rather hire someone with a B+/A- that is passionate about the field and their work, than someone with a A++++ that has no real skills or passion but can take tests well.

Again - college is important, but getting 100% and a 4.0 GPA is not... Use this time in your life to build connections and build portfolio of things that SET YOU APART. What do you have, other than a transcript, that shows what you have done for the past 4 years?

Hmm... it is 2am and I still can't sleep... so if the above doesn't make a lot of sense, that is why....

Closed Doors...

I am going to take a quick break from the business musings... I posted this somewhere else and it received some good feedback - so I am going to share it here.

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"Is there something you need to tell someone?
Something they deserve to hear - something you owe to yourself to tell them --- but haven't yet told them?

How much is an almost "I love you" worth?

I think sometimes we spend so much time in our mind that it becomes easy to confuse the "almosts" with the "real".
We see it so clearly behind the closed doors of our thoughts that we forget no one else can see it." ~ Jesh de Rox

On a slightly different subject, my current Facebook status says:
"Life's too short to do things you'd rather not be doing. If you're not happy where you are, change. You'll be glad you did." ~ Jesh de Rox

This holds true to working and schooling - but it also holds true to your relationships...



... I've seen so many people get involved in relationships where they truly aren't happy - meanwhile, the person who they really should be with might be near, but "off the radar" - only to disappear forever.

Are you with someone that doesn't care about you, but only your body? Someone that can't slow down and gaze into your eyes and really listen to you?

Someone that couldn't be bothered with a candlelight dinner or afternoon on a hammock?

Are you with someone that doesn't want to walk hand-in-hand down the beach (or anywhere)? Someone that wouldn't bring you breakfast in bed? Someone that doesn't want to spend time with you?

If you aren't happy - if your needs aren't being fulfilled - if the person you are with doesn't make you feel truly loved and cared for - if it is just a "fake love" - then change... or the right door might be closed.

Life's too short...

"Life's too short to do things you'd rather not be doing. If you're not happy where you are, change. You'll be glad you did." ~ Jesh de Rox