My Commencement Address to the Non-Graduates.....

Congrats to the Class of 2016. However you got there.

This is graduation season for both high schools and colleges. While most people graduate from high school these days, a college graduation is truly a time to reflect and be proud of your achievement. You have worked hard and completed the task. For some, education was easier, and you used it like an Olympic athlete uses a workout. To tone and train. For others, it was more difficult. You had to really put yourself out there and work like the devil to just get decent grades. But if you did it, congratulations. Still others graduate, but didn't put the time and effort to best use. Maybe you partied too much. Congratulations to you people too. But don't worry. You'll pay for the lost opportunities someday.

But today, I'd like to address another group: the non-graduates. The people that don't go back to school and choose another path. This group includes myself. We never got a chance to sit down in robes and listen to inspirational speeches by celebrities.

Typically, a university's largest class are the freshman. The smallest are the seniors. So what happens to all those people that don't make it? There are tons of reasons people leave school. To me, the saddest reason is money. A college education today is ridiculously expensive. Most are still paying for it many years after they graduate. But there are many reasons, more personal, that someone would leave school. Sometimes people are not prepared. Maybe they aren't sure about a career path. Some people just aren't mature enough at that point in their lives. Some are not confident enough. Sometimes an unplanned pregnancy can certainly change your life, as well as your plans.

Some of us majored in Party Planning.

For myself, it was a combination of some of those reasons. But I think it boiled down to a lack of focus. I can still remember saying goodbye to my parents when they dropped me off that day in Bowling Green, Ohio. I was all alone and looked into the dorm room mirror and said to myself, "what the hell am I doing here?" But I was feeling much better a few hours later. The classes I was interested in I enjoyed. But more often, I saw no practical use for them, lost interest, didn't go to class, and found more fun things to do. After a few years of stumbling around, I was offered a management position in the wonderful restaurant industry. I can still remember the disappointment in my father when I told him I wasn't going back.

Former GE CEO Jack Welch:a smart guy, but I have better hair.

But this is a happy story. Because eventually I found a rewarding career as an Account Executive. It was challenging. I got to be creative, persuasive, logical and helpful. I won awards. I got to sit cube to cube with people with MBA degrees. I was pointed out by managers as somebody that was working smart. One time I had a chance to meet and attend a business seminar with former General Electric CEO Jack Welch. Welch was one of Americas leading business gurus of the 80's and 90's. When he answered questions at the seminar, it seemed like his business instincts talking rather than his business degrees. I was able to provide the same answers in my head before he answered.

So now I'd like to provide some advice to my fellow slackers. Young people who left school for one reason or another. You can put on your robes now. A bath robe will do. Here is an acronym I think you can keep in mind: for where you are, and where you want to go. FOCUS. (How clever!)

• F is for Find Your Passion. Find out what really interests you and you like doing. Then find somebody to pay you to do it. If you enjoy doing something, if you're passionate about it. It's not work. It's fun. The hours don't matter.
• O is for Overcoming Obstacles. Two people interview for a good job. One person has a degree, the other doesn't. You're already behind. Find a way to overcome that. It could be your personality, your street smarts, or perseverance. Think on your feet and find a way.
• C is for Challenge Yourself. Just because you're not in school doesn't mean you stop learning. Read books or articles about the career that interests you. Find a mentor. Even if you had a degree, things always change. You have to know the answers, as well as the next question.
• U is for Understanding where you are. You are not in school anymore. You probably are working at a job that found you rather than you finding them. I doubt that you will find it satisfying long term. (Refer to point F above.)
• S is for Success. In the end, being a success is what YOU define it to be, Not your parents, not your friends. If there is something nagging at you inside: Then keep reaching until you scratch that itch.

 Most importantly, know that you are not a failure by leaving school. You are choosing another path. You are not a failure unless you say you are.

Ceremony for the Class of 2016. West Point, NY.

A SALUTE TO AMERICA'S FINEST: Speaking of graduates, this weekend my nephew graduated form the United States Military Academy at West Point, NY. He was also commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the Army. My heartfelt congratulations to him and his proud family. These young people are truly Americas best and brightest. While the current Presidential campaign seems depressing, these young people provide me with confidence in our future.