[RBASE-L] - Off topic

[Joe Sowers]

I don't go off topic too often, but this is worth a read.

Bill Gates' recent speech at Mount Whitney High School in Visalia, CA. is 
worthwhile reading for anyone. Love him or hate him, he sure hit the nail 
on the head with this one.

He talked about how feel-good, and politically correct teachings, created a 
generation of kids with no concept of reality, and how this method was 
setting them up for failure in the real world. He concluded by outlining 
the following 11 Rules.....

Rule 1: Life is not fair ... get used to it.

Rule 2: The world won't care about your self-esteem. However, the world 
will expect you to accomplish something BEFORE you start feeling good about 
yourself.

Rule 3: You will NOT make $40,000 a year right out of high school, and you 
won't be a vice-president with a car phone until you earn both.

Rule 4: If you think your teacher is tough, wait until you get a boss.

Rule 5: Flipping burgers at McDonalds should not be beneath your dignity.
Your grandparents had a different word for burger flipping....they called 
it OPPORTUNITY.

Rule 6: If you mess up, it's not your parents' fault, so don't whine.

Rule 7: Before you were born, your parents weren't as boring as they are 
now. They got that way from paying your bills, cleaning your clothes and 
listening to you talk about how cool you are. So before you save the rain 
forest from the parasites of your parents' generation, try delousing the 
closet in your own bedroom.

Rule 8: Your school may have done away with recognizing that there are 
winners and losers, but life has not. In some schools they have even 
abolished failing grades, and they'll give you as much time as you want to 
get the right answer on an exam. This doesn't bear the slightest 
resemblance to ANYTHING in real life.

Rule 9: Life is not divided into semesters. You don't get summers off, and 
very few employers are interested in helping you find yourself. You are 
supposed to do that on your own time.

Rule 10: Television is NOT real life. In real life people actually have to 
leave the coffee shop, and go out and find a job.

Rule 11: Be nice to NERDS. Chances are you will end up working for one.