The Dogmother Posted January 22, 2007 Share Posted January 22, 2007 This should be read out at schools (I hope none of the teachers on the forum are offended ): Love him or hate him, he sure hits the nail on the head with this! To anyone with kids of any age, here's some advice. Bill Gates recently gave a speech at a High School about 11 things they did not and will not learn in school. He talks about how feel-good, politically correct teachings created a generation of kids with no concept of reality and how this concept set them up for failure in the real world. Rule 1 : Life is not fair - get used to it! Rule 2 : The world won't care about your self-esteem. The world will expect you to accomplish something BEFORE you feel good about yourself. Rule 3 : You will NOT make $60,000 a year right out of high school. You won't be a vice-president with a car phone until you earn both. Rule 4 : If you think your teacher is tough, wait till you get a boss. Rule 5 : Flipping burgers is not beneath your dignity. Your Grandparents had a different word for burger flipping: they called it opportunity. Rule 6 : If you mess up, it's not your parents' fault, so don't whine about your mistakes, learn from them. Rule 7 : Before you were born, your parents weren't as boring as they are now. They got that way from paying your bills, cleaning your clothes and listening to you talk about how cool you thought you were. So before you save the rain forest from the parasites of your parent's generation, try delousing the closet in your own room. Rule 8 : Your school may have done away with winners and losers, but life HAS NOT. In some schools, they have abolished failing grades and they'll give you as MANY TIMES as you want to get the right answer. This doesn't bear the slightest resemblance to ANYTHING in real life. Rule 9 : Life is not divided into semesters. You don't get summers off and very few employers are interested in helping you FIND YOURSELF. Do that on your own time. Rule 10: Television is NOT real life. In real life people actually have to leave the coffee shop and go to jobs. Rule 11: Be nice to nerds. Chances are you'll end up working for one. If you can read this - Thank a teacher! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Louise Posted January 22, 2007 Share Posted January 22, 2007 That is so true Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chocchick Posted January 22, 2007 Share Posted January 22, 2007 Actually quite apt The irony about working for nerds, and life not being fair (i.e. Microsoft monopoly) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nicola H Posted January 22, 2007 Share Posted January 22, 2007 Ooo I think my 15 year old son needs to read this right now............I will email it to him, not sure he will read it though because he knows it all at the moment............ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snowy Posted January 22, 2007 Share Posted January 22, 2007 Sent it to my 15 year old too - will await outcome but not holding breath .... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lesley Posted January 22, 2007 Share Posted January 22, 2007 I'm always telling Lauren and Jake, Rule 1 ....usually when I'm slapping the kitchen scales down so that I can weigh the pudding I've already put out - followed by me shouting "I told you they were the same, there's only 2g difference, now eat it!" - Life isn't fair - get used to it! I'll email this to my daughter so that she's well armed Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Egluntyne Posted January 22, 2007 Share Posted January 22, 2007 Could have written them myself. Apparently he is not going to leave his children any money in his will. He thinks they will not try to achieve if they live in expectation of inherited wealth. Good for him. (Although I have reservations about his world domination). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Looney Posted January 22, 2007 Share Posted January 22, 2007 Rule 5 : Flipping burgers is not beneath your dignity. Your Grandparents had a different word for burger flipping: they called it opportunity. I agree with this one especially. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Dogmother Posted January 22, 2007 Author Share Posted January 22, 2007 Apparently he is not going to leave his children any money in his will. He thinks they will not try to achieve if they live in expectation of inherited wealth. Good for him. (Although I have reservations about his world domination). Exactly Egluntine! Lorna, I agree with the burger one too. As student, I did office cleaning in the evenings to fund my way through my course, I didn't have any debts and didn't spend what I couldn't afford. The children these days expect too much to be handed to them on a plate Watch out Egluntine, I'm into 'grumpy old bag' mode again Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Egluntyne Posted January 22, 2007 Share Posted January 22, 2007 Watch out Egluntine, I'm into 'grumpy old bag' mode again That makes two of us! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bronze Posted January 22, 2007 Share Posted January 22, 2007 Apparently he is not going to leave his children any money in his will. He thinks they will not try to achieve if they live in expectation of inherited wealth. Good for him. (Although I have reservations about his world domination). Exactly Egluntine! Lorna, I agree with the burger one too. As student, I did office cleaning in the evenings to fund my way through my course, I didn't have any debts and didn't spend what I couldn't afford. The children these days expect too much to be handed to them on a plate Watch out Egluntine, I'm into 'grumpy old bag' mode again Oooh stuffing envelopes. I remember that and the slighlty more interesting jobs of cleaning and data inputting. Retail was a revelation. I'm trying not to generalise. There will be children like that but there will also be the ones who go out there and work to get what they want. It wasn't that long ago people were generalising about my generation and I'm trying not to do the same with the next. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Dogmother Posted January 22, 2007 Author Share Posted January 22, 2007 You've got a point there Bronze - It's probably always the same proportion of the population that are like that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cinnamon Posted January 22, 2007 Share Posted January 22, 2007 That is so great. I am going to print it off & leave it on #1 daughters bed Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ubereglu Posted January 22, 2007 Share Posted January 22, 2007 I'm trying not to generalise. There will be children like that but there will also be the ones who go out there and work to get what they want. I'm like that. I know my parents will never give me anything that is unnecessary. Hence I had to save up for my eglu and my parents wouldn't buy it for me or give me any money to help out. I've always known that life was never fair too. Why else would I have never got to meet my mum's parents and her Dad only meet one of his seven grandchildren. Also why else would my Dad never take MY SIDE in a argument with my sister. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Looney Posted January 22, 2007 Share Posted January 22, 2007 Also why else would my Dad never take MY SIDE in a argument with my sister. For the same reason that my brother always got away with murder (not literally!) and I was grounded constantly for even thinking about doing something wrong Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Looney Posted January 22, 2007 Share Posted January 22, 2007 Also why else would my Dad never take MY SIDE in a argument with my sister. For the same reason that my brother always got away with murder (not literally!) and I was grounded constantly for even thinking about doing something wrong [not that I'm bitter about it ] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Egluntyne Posted January 22, 2007 Share Posted January 22, 2007 Also why else would my Dad never take MY SIDE in a argument with my sister. I bet your sister says exactly the same thing Liz! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charlottechicken Posted January 22, 2007 Share Posted January 22, 2007 Wow Clare, thanks for posting this, I admire Bill Gates anyway, as I do all self made people. Yes, he has his bad points, but he is now moving away from the business (not for long I imagine) to try to put something back into society, even though he doesn't have to. Could have written them myself. Apparently he is not going to leave his children any money in his will. He thinks they will not try to achieve if they live in expectation of inherited wealth. Good for him. (Although I have reservations about his world domination). Is that true? Brilliant! It's his money, he can do what he likes with it. I think I have mentioned on a different thread about Tori Spelling having a major tantrum when she was 'only' left £100k in her fathers will. Now that's greedy and spoilt! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Looney Posted January 23, 2007 Share Posted January 23, 2007 A chap (about 22 years old I think) at my boyfriend's work was given £4k just before Christmas by his parents who to him to "go and enjoy yourself"! The money wasn't even his Christmas present! He did as he was told and blew it all in a couple of weeks...... Apparently he's a really nice guy but has absolutely no idea about making his own way in life or having to work hard for something. I suppose this is his parents fault. I do wonder whether his lack of drive and passion to strive for something will trip him up later on in life Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Louise Posted January 23, 2007 Share Posted January 23, 2007 Its not always the case Lorna I consider myself to be a fairly well rounded and sensible human being have always fought for what I have and work very hard - my brother is a waste of time most of the time Same background and upbringing but he just does what he pleases My uncle left him some money in his will apart form his flat that went to his sister that was the only bequest and he wanted my brother to buy some propert with he so it got spent on a car which he crashed and a very expensive holiday Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Dogmother Posted January 23, 2007 Author Share Posted January 23, 2007 Sounds like my sister and I Louise - don't start me on that rant! - we are completely opposite; she is definitely the face of conspicuous consumerism! Loads of money and all the trappings that go with it, if she could be bothered to be well groomed, she'd be a WAG-type Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Louise Posted January 23, 2007 Share Posted January 23, 2007 Yes when my brother has any money it just seems to burn a hole I on the other hand have invested and saved and I have a nice house to show for it - well most of its nice Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Looney Posted January 23, 2007 Share Posted January 23, 2007 I guess so, interesting to think about though - how much is to do with upbringing and how much to do with other factors. My mum and her brother are the complete opposites when it comes to work...as far as i am aware he has never really had a long-term job, certainly not for the last 20 years or so anyway! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
