Commencement Address, December 16, 2006

by Nancy Barry
Motivational Speaker & Author

Where did the time go? Doesn’t it seem like you were just leaving to go to college?

Your life was filled with excitement and a little fear as you left the comfort of your home.

Your freshman year took a little adjustment. New city, new place to live, new friends, new professors and new responsibilities. Then, one day it all started feeling comfortable.

Your sophomore and junior years flew by. All of a sudden, you’re a senior in college. Reality hits.

You weren’t quite ready to graduate from college and enter the real world. So, you start thinking about graduate school.

No matter how many degrees you earn, at some point you’re college years will be over and you’ll begin your career. Then, it starts ALL over again, the excitement and the fear of the unknown.

I’m here to tell you, your life will be great. You’ll settle into a career and you’ll feel comfortable again. It’ll just take a little time.

Your college years were some of the best years of your life. Now, the best is yet to come.

Starting a new career is a lot like learning to drive.

Remember when you were finally old enough to learn how to drive? It was exciting and scary, all at the same time. Entering the real world will feel just the same.

When you started driving, you were on the road with a bunch of people you didn’t know. Some were good drivers, some weren’t. Some were young, some were old and some were really old! The world work looks just the same.

You’ll be working with a bunch of new people. Some will be young like you, some will be old and some will seem really old.

After you have a chance to get to know them, work with them and learn from them, you’ll be back in your comfort zone.

When you got your first car, you had to learn how everything worked. It all seemed so new. How were you going to remember it all? It just took time.

Same holds true in your career. You’ll be joining an organization that you know a little bit about. As you settle in, you’ll learn more.

You’ll learn how everyone works together toward a common goal. At first, you’ll wonder if you’ll ever figure it all out. You will.

The first week you had your car, it was spotless. Shining like it was brand new.

You had so much pride in your car. By week number two, you still had pride in your car, but it started looking like you lived in it.

When you start your career, you’ll want to take pride in your professional appearance. Take pride in great work you do. Take pride in knowing you have the ability to make a difference in this world.

The big difference here is that you may have only kept your car clean for the first week. You’ll want to take pride in everything you do for the rest of your life.

And when you had your first accident, you thought the world was going to come to an end. You thought your parents were going to wring your little neck.
They may have wanted to at the time, but they must not have because you’re here today!

Seriously, they were disappointed you had a wreck, but all they really cared about was you. All that really mattered was the fact that you were not hurt.

When you make your first big mistake at work, it’ll bring back memories of the day you had to call your parents about the accident. Making mistakes is a fact of life. We’re human.

Making mistakes is how we learn. The world is not going to come to an end if you make a mistake in your new career.

And getting your driver’s license gave you independence. You were out on the road, all by yourself. That independence felt great, but was also a little scary at times.

Entering the real world will feel the same. You’ll love the independence of having your own money and your own place to live, but there will be days it’ll seem a bit scary.

You survived learning how to drive a car. You’ll also survive launching your new career. You can do it. I promise!

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One of my passions is helping recent college graduates go from the college world to the real world. I just finished writing my first book and I wrote it for you.

The title is, When Reality Hits – What Employers Want Recent College Graduates to Know.

The book will be released in the spring, but I’ll give you a sneak preview of what employers want.

Their expectations start with a foundation of integrity, trust, ethical behavior and honesty. Add a positive attitude, a smile on your face, good work ethic and professional appearance and you’re on your way to having a successful career.

They’ll expect you to meet deadlines, follow through on your commitments, pay attention to details and do quality work.
They want you to be able to think outside of the box and have great organizational skills so you don’t lose the box.

They’ll want you to go with the flow and keep your cool when everything changes.

You’ll need to be a lot of different things. Be confident, not cocky. Be curious, courteous and competent. And be dedicated, dependable and determined.

They’ll want you to know it all, but not act like one.

They want you to understand that excellent communication skills are a must. And being a team player is not optional.

And this is just part of what employers want you to know.

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On your new journey, remember that the people are the most important part. If you love the people you work with, it won’t ever feel like work.

You’ll have the opportunity to work with people from all walks of life. Each person will have a rich history. They’ll have different backgrounds, different hair color and different skin color. They’ll come from different parts of the country and have varying cultures and values.

It doesn’t matter what position they hold, they’re just people. Wonderful people – just like you.

The one thing they all have in common is they are human beings.
Treat everyone with respect. And I mean everyone.

Get to know them. Remember you can learn just as much from the cleaning crew as you can from the CEO.

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One of the most important things you’ll do in life is build and nurture relationships.

My entire career has been built on relationships. I am living proof that your ability to build and nurture relationships is key to your success.

I encourage you to be nice to everyone you meet along the way. You never know when they may come back in your life.

Think about this…you never know who they know that you want to know.

As you begin your job search, let everyone know what you want to do. They love you and want to help you be successful in your career. I encourage you to let them open some doors for you.

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On your awesome journey, there are three things you never want to do.

Never give up on your dreams.

Never let people tell you that you can’t do something. How do they know what you can and can’t do? If you want it bad enough, you can make it happen.

Spend your time with people who inspire you. Have the courage to follow your heart and intuitions.

Never underestimate the power of a first impression.

Before you ever get to say a word, your professional image is speaking for you. The first thing they see is your smile and the second thing they see are your clothes.

Never pass up a lemonade stand.

When you see a kid with a lemonade stand, do you stop because you’re thirsty or do you stop because you want to make their day?

Never pass up the opportunity to make someone’s day. Find it in your heart to help someone every chance you get.

So, now what are you going to do?

You’re going to enjoy every precious moment of your graduation. This day is all about you.

You’re going to walk out of here, holding your head high, with a tremendous amount of pride.

Tomorrow, you’re going to wake up. Reality will hit. What will you do?

I want you to look in the mirror and see what we see. An amazing person who chose to get a great education from this awesome university.

What you’ll see is someone who will make a difference in this world.

Someone who has chosen to leave a legacy.

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You’re going to walk through your life with a smile on your face and a sparkle in your eye.

You’ve going to walk through your life with a positive attitude, seeing everything as an opportunity and never, ever getting too good to do anything.

You’re going to let people see and feel your passion for life and when you do…you can sit back and watch the magic unfold.

It has been an honor and a privilege to be with you on this very special day. May all your dreams come true.