Advice to people leaving school
by Mr P. Shaw
1. If possible, travel. Nothing opens the mind quite as much as travel. Go to unfamiliar countries, do a home stay, learn their culture and language. Engage with the people, find out about them and their families and hopes and dreams.
If you just go to different countries, did some sight seeing, a tour, and got drunk, you're a tourist and you only got 5% of the benefit.
2. Now that your exams are over I can tell you - nothing matters less than the mark you get. Your future is determined by your attitude, effort and turning up. There's no one thing you can do that will set you up forever. You need to put the effort in from here on out. Every day.
If you didn't get the mark you wanted - there is always another way. Indeed, sometimes the long road works out better.
If you didn't get the mark you wanted - there is always another way. Indeed, sometimes the long road works out better.
3. When you get a shitty job, as often happens for school leavers, outwork everyone else. I don't care if you're only getting paid a pittance.. outwork everyone and keep your eyes open for your next opportunity.
4. Your parents have protected, provided, sheltered, loved, disciplined, helped and cared for you for pretty close to two decades now - annnnnnnd, you're probably going to lean on them some more in the coming years. For advice, financial help, a place to stay, a place to stay between places to stay, for storage and free dinners.
Just try to be a little bit grateful.
Don't wait until your thirties, like I did, to realise just how lucky you are. You've got it, good kid, even if you don't see it yet.
So just as you think you've finished a marathon, you're actually only at the starting line (this will be a life long theme btw).. attitude, guts and enthusiasm will get you where you need to go.
The world is waiting for you, go gettem.
