Expectations

Momma said there be days like this, there be days like this my momma said....

Do what your parents say, brush your teeth, go to school, be nice to your friends, go to college.

Of course there will be a job waiting for you once you have your degree. You'll get a good salary, be able to buy a house, and raise a beautiful family (well... not everyone can be beautiful...but beauty is in the eye ya?).

These are the expectations we have been taught since a young age and you know what? Those expectations have led to a generation that is sure to meet disappointment.

The following phrase (which I loathe) has been used to soften the blow of disappointment because of improper expectations. You know what God-forsaken phrase I'm referring to? Need more time? Ok....ten more seconds....and time. The phrase that haunts me to no end is, "Because of the down economy... or in this economy" I hate those phrases. Once you utter either phrase they becomes an all purpose security blanket for why your life hasn't turned out the way you wanted.

Our nation is in a massive deficit and it's because children mimic their parents. We see the government continuously spending and as a result our deficit is now in the trillions. Yet, there are bailouts and life goes on just like any other day in "the matrix." In this loose metaphor of children mimicking their parents we have adopted the same spending habits as our government and consequently are in huge debt as well. Our nation has collectively put its head in the ground and has continued to spend without thinking about the inevitable train that is about to smash us into financial Stone Age.

You know what I wish they taught in high school or college? Personal Accounting and Achieve Your Dream Classes. What do I mean? Well, how many of you balance your check books or know how much your credit card company charges you? And I'm not talking about knowing what your APR is. I mean how much do you pay every month when you pay that teeny tiny number and not the larger ugly number? I would also have students make a budget and learn what is necessary and unnecessary. Also on the agenda would be learning what an asset and a liability is. I would have them look up how much they want to spend in college and realize how long it will take them to pay it off if they earn a $50,000 salary (if they can even find a job). Then I would tell them how long it takes to get a promotion with different jobs and the projected pay scale. Stop me if I'm wrong, but doesn't this just make sense?

The Achieve Your Dream Class would consist of the following lesson plans:

• Do you know what it takes to get your dream job?
• Do you know the work it takes to get this job?
• Do you realize how much work it's going to take?
• No really, do you really know what it takes? Ask someone in that profession, shadow them for a week if not a month. Can you really see yourself working there for 10, 20, even 40 years?
• Do you know how much debt you are going to accrue striving for your job?
• Explain what paying your dues mean. 

We need to change the expectations for our generation and the next. We need to educate them that in your fourth year of college or even during the summer of your junior year, students need to look for internships to secure a possible job after college. The reality is companies are cutting costs and don't want to hire new grads who don't have any work experience. So what should they do? Is it impossible to get a job out of college? No way! You become a strong candidate for a job offer by getting your foot in the door by applying for internships and residency programs. Yes, you won't be getting paid much (if at all) your first few months, but if you have been working hard and exhibiting that you are indeed competent you are very likely to receive a job offer (for very little pay, do make sure you that is your expectation).

Our generation has been coddled and told we're the best, smartest, and most capable. What has happened is that we lack the work ethic of previous generations. We look at older workers and wonder how they could have worked at the same place for 30 years and not complained. Well that requires work ethic, which is something our generation tends to lack. To create that work ethic starts with expectation management and then to create an attitude of enduring hardships and failure. The sooner we realize how hard it is to thrive in this world, the sooner we realize the need to work harder and stop giving up at the first moment of resistance.

So what are you going to do to achieve your dreams?