The learning doesn't end with your diploma

Graduation day is tough for adults. After 22 years of child-raising, they are unemployed.

-- Erma Bombeck

The world is full of graduates this month and I think it's time we tell them the truth.

Yes, after all those days they spent sitting at a desk from pre-K to grad school -- thinking, listening, writing, reading, testing -- it comes down to this: It wasn't so much about what you learned, it was about completing the task. It was about making plans and executing projects and making deadlines. It was about communicating with teachers and getting along with classmates and taking tests under pressure and dealing with failure.

That's what we call work, and if you're lucky, you get to do it every day for the next 40 or 50 years.

And if you want it to be successful, consider a few suggestions.

- Show up on time, which we all know is five minutes early.

- The secret to job advancement is making the boss look good. This helps if you work hard. The first 90 percent of completing any task takes 90 percent of the effort. That last 10 percent takes the other 90 percent.

- When in doubt -- mumble; When in trouble -- delegate; When in charge -- ponder.

- Make friends wherever you go ... you never know where your car might break down.

- Flattery works. It shouldn't, but it does.

- It's always better to overdress. Nice suit, etc. Pretend it's a court date before a traffic judge. Shine your shoes, too.

- Don't talk about yourself so much. Get others to talk about themselves. Ego has a unique chemistry.

- Never write something in an e-mail you wouldn't want your mother to read. They don't go away.

- Don't change lines in the grocery or the bank.

- Get rid of the pickup. Everyone will want you to help them move.

- Never give up.

- Fix your own lunch. You can't eat out every day.

- Winning isn't everything. Everyone remembers Robert E. Lee, the losing general at Gettysburg. The Union general who won the battle remains obscure.

- Hold your tongue. Nobody ever got into trouble for keeping his mouth shut.

- Finally, if a fairy godmother grants you three wishes, make the last one for three more wishes.

If you've got anything to add, I'm sure the graduates would like to hear it.

Reach Bill Kirby at (706) 823-3344 or bill.kirby@augustachronicle.com.