Life as a Teacher

As a college student, I remember how I believed I had all the power to conquer anything life throws at me after i receive my undergraduate degree.  I remember how I thought I knew everything that anyone can possibly know which will help me in any career path and even in any aspect of life.  Then I got fire from a job a year after I graduated from college.  It damaged my self-esteem and at that point, I questioned everything I learned in school and the credibility of my education.  I was naive, innocent, inexperienced, and arrogant in all possible way and the worse part was I just didn't recognize it.  I thought the answers to all my problems were in me and that I was equipped to deal with all problems and this arrogance did not help me to resolve any of my problems.  I was a 21-year-old with a college degree who basically knew nothing about what it takes to survive in the real world.  Don't get me wrong, my BA definitely took me further in my job search, especially qualifying me for jobs that a non-degree holder wishes he can have.  But like many things in life, it takes much more than a college degree to survive the real world. 

In an episode of Shark Tank, two college students presented an item they created with the hope that the investors, also as known as the Shark, would invest their time and money in them.  During the interview, the investor asked about the valuation of the company and the two college students stated a number that was higher than what the investors expected.  The investors laid out the fact why they think the students were wrong and at every comment made by the investors, the college students argued back and even contradicted the comments.  At the end, the investor Robert H. stated, "It doesn't matter who you know, it doesn't matter what connection you have,  none of that crap matters when you get in the real world. Go out and get dirty in the real world." This hit the two college students hard and their faces show signs of children getting reprimanded by an adult.  This resonated to me since I am getting the real world lesson right now and it has been a difficult four years trying to adapt to the real world and learning from life but I think whatever hurt life causes in me, I feel I am much more matured now than when I was a 21-year-old.   I had all the theory when I graduated from college and i discovered that having ideas only does not take me far in life; the real world wants real skills; it wants people who have something that can help it grow its money.  "Life is cruel teacher, it loves to give you a test first then a lesson later," said Daymond John and I could not agree more to that.  In the real world, we will get kicked in the butt first before we get any wisdom out of it.  The good news is life does get bette after life kicked us since we eventually will have to learn a thing or two.  Remember, we have to be strong and stay positive since we are learning so much that mother nature offers to us.