In the 1967 film, “The Graduate,” a Mr. McGuire grabs the anti-hero, Ben Braddock, by the shoulder at his college graduation party, takes him outside by the pool, and offers him a one-word sermon on his future: “Plastics.”

 

By Tom McDermott

 

In the 1967 film, “The Graduate,” a Mr. McGuire grabs the anti-hero, Ben Braddock, by the shoulder at his college graduation party, takes him outside by the pool, and offers him a one-word sermon on his future: “Plastics.”

 

When the film ran near the small men’s college I was mostly attending, I watched it twice in one sitting, skipping a cram-session for a final exam: Shakespeare, as I recall. At the time, I closely related to the confused Ben, as played by Dustin Hoffman; but now, with decades of hindsight, I wish I had related more to the blunt, risk-taking, savvy Mrs. Robinson. If I had, I might have stayed up all night and aced the exam, or decisively packed a bag and set off to make my fortune (or begin Basic Training).

 

I bring this up, because high school and college graduation season is upon us. Well-meaning and perhaps well-known speakers will address graduates on their special day, offering a few thousand words of wisdom, and relatives or family friends may whisper a special word in expectant ears.

 

What would that whispered word be today?

 

‘Money” is certainly a possibility. As crass as it may sound, it might be the honest answer, especially here, along the financial Gold Coast, where one person may refer to another as “a millionaire,” and actually mean it as an insult.

 

“Lean in” is an excellent candidate, especially for young women. Sheryl Sandberg, the author of the best-selling book of the same title, is probably in heavy demand on campuses this graduation season. As a business leader, Facebook’s resident adult, mom, wife, and activist, she certainly does it all. Being a billionaire doesn’t hinder her credibility either. And, guys, you should read “Lean In” too; it’s an intern-eat-intern world out there (Disclosure: there’s a copy on my desk).

 

“DIY” is a favorite message of mine these days. Every week it seems, a parent informs me that their graduate does not yet have a summer or full-time job or asks how their young English or Creative Writing major can get published. I’ve become used to the disappointment on mom’s face (it’s always a mom), when I advise “It’s a Do-It-Yourself World. Write something, make something, start something. Don’t wait for the party invitation. In Sandberg’s words, “Opportunities are rarely offered; they’re seized.” Leap In.

 

“Fail” is becoming a mantra of the new entrepreneurial class; don’t laugh. The Wall Street Journal columnist, Joe Queenan, recently advised schools to invite more people who have failed to speak at graduation, rather than only the serially successful. Bernie Madoff at his alma mater, Hofstra, was his best (or worst) example.

 

What a fun idea! Could Queenan’s theory partially explain why my daughter’s high school invited me to address the graduates seated in the school’s chapel in 2004? I did work at a famously idiotic company for twenty years, and many of the other dads were too busy flying their G-Vs and visiting their various residences with wives who looked barely older than their daughters. Those grads probably don’t remember what I told them. Come to think of it, I don’t remember either.

 

Perhaps the whole concept of graduation is outdated.

 

Am I just being a killjoy or trying to bankrupt even more student loan aficionados by keeping them in school forever? Not exactly. I’m just pointing out a new paradigm: School may be out, but lifelong learning is a required course now.

 

As Thomas Friedman of The New York Times and others have pointed out, our economic value and careers are no longer about what we know, they are about what we do with, and how we add value with what we know. Or, as Cisco CTO Padmasree Warrior puts it, “It’s your ability to learn quickly and contribute quickly that matters.”

 

Interviewers, bosses, and colleagues can now look up what we know in seconds. We must learn to integrate what we’ve learned into valuable ideas, solutions, or products; and we need to learn how to do that not only by ourselves, but with colleagues and teammates as well. And, we need to be nimble and quick about that.

 

This development is not just about being our own brand on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, or Pinterest, or creating the next photo or game app. That’s all fine, but these only scratch the virtual surface of who we can be and how we can bring value to an enterprise, project, or even a family for that matter.

 

It doesn’t matter if you’re 22 or 62, the lifelong learning school bus is stopping for thee. Climb on. Buckle up.

 

Maybe today’s message is: “Learn In.”