Rules Of The Real World

It is that time of the semester, ladies and gentlemen, when people start acting crazy, break outs seem to be appearing all over my face, and there doesn't seem to be enough time in the days leading up. Does this sound familiar?! FINALS! We have next week and then the first week of May is finals week. The greatest week of the semester...not really. I will be relieved to be completely finished with this semester, but I have learned a lot of great things and will be sad [kind of] to leave the classes behind. It really has been a great semester, overall. On that note, a great four semesters. I will have my Associates degree and be done [for the most part] with general education credits. I think back to my first semester at DSC and I have learned so much since. I tell people that I have learned more in these past two years in college than my whole education leading up to that point which I know isn't entirely true, but it sometimes seems that way.
My mom had this article she had saved from a while ago and found it today and had me read it.
The article is called "Bill Gates' Speech To A Local High School." I found a lot of what he said to be profound and coming from one of the most successful people in the world, it probably wouldn't hurt to apply what he says to our lives. The articles says:
"To anyone with kids of any age, or anyone who has ever been a kid, here's some advice Bill Gates recently dished out at a high school speech about 11 things they did not and will not learn in school. He talks about how feel-good, politically correct teachings created a generation of kids with no concept of reality and how this concept set them up for failure in the real world.
Rule 1: Life is not fair-get used to it.
Rule 2: The world won't care about your self-esteem. The world will expect you to accomplish something BEFORE you feel good about yourself.
Rule 3: You will NOT make $40,000 a year right out of High School. 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 is not 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 parent's fault, so don't whine about your mistakes learn from them.
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 rainforest from the parasites of your parent's generation, try delousing the closet in your own room.
Rule 8: Your school may have done away with winners and losers...but life has not. In some schools they have abolished failing grades and they'll give you as many times as you want to get the right answer. 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. 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 to jobs.
Rule 11: Be nice to nerds. Chances are you'll end up working for one."