Floating around the Internet are various quotes and videos from a speech that Bill Gates gave to some high school students. In the speech, he listed 11 rules that won’t be taught in school. According to other sources, the rules originated from a book by Charles Sykes, where there are apparently 14, not 11. I haven’t ready Skyes’s book, so am not sure who the rules belong to. However, I found this website that lists the 14. Here are 4 of the 14, in my own summary (I encourage you to go to the link to read them in totality), followed by what I take from each.
Rules for Students
1. Life is not fair. Get used to it. Perspective is everything. If you think something happened unfairly, keep in mind there is always someone in a more unjust situation than you. Learn from the experience, and become superior to your former self. By adopting this perspective, you will not evaluate experiences as “fair” versus “unfair”, but as opportunities for growth.
2. The real world expects you to accomplish something before you feel good about yourself. A false ego is one of the biggest limiting factors for individual growth. Instead of impeding your maturation, put your actions where your mind is and walk the walk. Any false ego will dissipate in the face of an honest work ethic.
3. You will not make $40K or be prime minister immediately upon graduating. It is delusional for any students to feel entitled to a rank or position after graduating; actually, it is delusional for anybody to feel entitled to anything life. To feel genuinely proud of one’s accomplishments is coupled with a realistic perspective of the long journey ahead. This rule, however, is obviously subjective. For instance, a participant in the Summer Company program this year profited over $200K in the summer.
4. Your boss will not care about you like your teacher has. This is one of a few of the rules that is untrue. Completely subjective, it is assuming a stereotype that your experience with teachers will be better than your experience with a boss. Consider this removed from my list!
#5-10 coming up next week; stay tuned!
Emily