Advice to the graduates

So now you are graduating. Congratulations! At this juncture in your very young life, you are in a stage where you are about to make important decisions that will determine what you will become in the world we live in. You are, I think, in a hurry to make those decisions and quickly start. What, a career? A life? Or would you, like countless others in your status, bide time, take it easy, and let the feeling of being an initial, modest success—that’s what graduates are—sink in slowly into your consciousness, like melting a cold chocolate bar in your lips in the heat of summer?

Regardless of what you will do after graduation, listen: Are you ready?

I mean, are you prepared to go out of the campus which had been second home to you this past four years or so? Are you ready to say goodbye to your teachers and their lessons, to your classmates and friends whose very lives form part of your own life story, and to the daily rigorous drill of knowledge and skills that your mentors said you will need as you navigate the rivers and shoals of the outside world? Our world. Are you ready?

I ask these questions because I don’t think you have in your mind at this point a complete picture of the terrain of the universe beyond your classroom. You might have browsed it on the Internet or read it from your textbooks, or even experienced what it is when you had your field trips, but surely, you have seen nothing yet of what really life is at the outside. Your life now.

I don’t pretend I have either. But having passed through the stage you are passing just now, having experienced the excitement, the confusion, and the sense of wonder you are feeling right at this moment, I believe I can share with you my thoughts—yes, advice—that might help you sort out the mixed bag of emotions and ideas that is full to the brim and seems ready to burst out on graduation day.

Now, listen.

I know that having passed your course, you feel supremely confident that you have stockpiled your mental arsenal with knowledge and skills which you can use to move forward and conquer. I am sure you have even prepared emotionally for the harsh environment of adulthood. Good.

My first advice is draw from that arsenal the tools you will need to move ahead. Remember, we are now in the Knowledge Society and the battles of life will be fought on the knowledge and information front. Use your knowledge of the world to claim your first victory.

But wait. Before you even fight your first fight, say look for a job, think what you really want in life, from life; what you want to be and what you want to become. At this point, my second advice comes from the first advice of my mentor, the late Senator Blas F. Ople.

He said: “Alamin mo kung ano talaga ang gusto mo sa buhay. Ang daming tao ang ipinapanganak sa mundo, lumalaki, nag-aaral, nagkakatrabaho, nagkakaasawa, nagkakaanak, nagkaapo, nagkakasakit, at namamatay na hindi alam kung ano ang gusto sa buhay.”

This is the first order of the day after graduation. Know what you want to be, and when you discover what you want for yourself, start working for it. There is another name for knowing what you want in life. It’s called vision.

When you have a vision, a dream, everything that you do revolves around that vision or dream.

Take the initiative, that’s the third. Taking the initiative is becoming active, not passive, acting on, not being acted upon. There is an opportunity in every adversity. If you take the initiative, you are able to distinguish the door from the window. Open you doors and windows and let every opportunity come in. Seize them the moment they enter.

Don’t pretend everything is alright. It is not. The world outside your school is cruel and unjust. It does not distinguish innocents from the guilty. Only the law does that. This means that, all things being equal, the world will not wait on you, whether you are a newcomer or an old hand. It will continue to revolve on its axis. It does not play favorites. You have to work for everything that you want to have—material or otherwise. And when you get something because you worked for it, that’s when you deserve it.

My fifth advice is don’t be afraid to ask questions. Many travelers in this world—we are all travelers—get lost, are waylaid, or take eternity to get to their destinations in life simply because they were afraid to ask questions, pretending they knew everything. That is dangerous: pretending to know everything. One of the most admirable traits that a person could have is his or her readiness to ask questions. It tells you of two things: the humility of not knowing and the curiosity to learn something. Ask questions.

Don’t be afraid to say “No”. That’s the sixth advice. Many Filipinos have this trait of saying “Yes” even if it means “No”, fearing it is impolite or offensive to do so. No, it is not, and saying “No” could do wonders to your career. It could even save your life, such as in “No, I will not steal”, or “No, I will not do drugs.” Say “No” when you mean “No.”

Will you please show up on time? That’s my seventh advice. This is very important, particularly when you are called for your first job interview. Contrary to conventional wisdom, there is no such thing as “Filipino time.” The truth is, Filipinos generally come late. This is really offensive and reprehensible. I fret when I am late. When I am late, I call or serve notice I shall be late. Otherwise, I come on time. As a writer, I have disappointed many because I left a meeting or an appointment because the person I was supposed to meet came late, very late. Time is universal. It is a precious commodity.

Load up on a lot of patience. That's the eighth advice. You will need it because many of the world's inhabitants are so selfish they would like to see you fail. Be patient even if others are not.
I know you are in a hurry to get started to have a better life than where you started four years ago.

My ninth advice? Just be yourself.