Have a good weekend Larry, you the man!

I would tell the people closest to me what I love about them and how much I love them. I would say good bye. I would share the hope I have in Jesus. I would listen to them and encourage them, that faith in Christ Jesus means Ill see you latter & not just good bye. I would encourage them to celebrate with me as I leave this life and transition to a life-eternal. I would choose to die with praise on my lips, a smile on my face and joy on my heart!

TRAVEL…see as much as I could see and meet as many people as I could and experience as many cultures as I could.

I would draw near to Jesus Christ every waking moment. I would love my family & friends like this:
I would be the first to wake up in the morning so I could help make breakfast and get their lunches ready for the day. I would constantly ask God to bless them and give them Joy and Peace and Wisdom. I would look at each of them and find a place in their lives I could support and encourage both financially and with time. I would speak to them daily and express the things I love about them and choose to forget the things that irritate or bother me. I would forgive quickly and hold nothing against them. I would write a letter to each of them and create a video for each of my friends and family to say good bye. I would sleep less and with the time alone I would seek to know the words of God and prepare for the life beyond this life. I would especially serve my wife with time & foot/back message (she loves that about me). I would hire some one to help with the cleaning so we could focus on other things as a family. I would encourage my family to remember their days are short and not to waste even a day! Io could add so many things I would do but you get the idea & ultimately I would live my last days with honor and no regrets.

A great question to ask ourselves daily, monthly and annually. It certainly would help with our setting priorities and making time for what really matters, the things we can’t take with us in the end. To focus more on the eternal and to help others do the same…

People place way too much value on “smart” and too little on thinking.

Ability to spend time thinking about a problem results in better solutions, some really smart people don’t have the discipline to think, consequently their conclusions and solutions often will not pass the test of time, they are not durable.

I’m still trying to figure out yesterday’s blog…..I didn’t go to college either!
Funny stuff

Larry, I think college CAN be helpful, but not necessarily in the old tradition. College level learning, if tailored to what today’s job market is looking for, may provide a competitive edge to a job candidate. College didn’t do a thing for me while I was there. I was too immature to use the experience productively, but it helped me get my MBA. I thought all that education was important 40 years ago, but it turned out that it really wasn’t. My former career didn’t require that level of education.

Today, the job market is entirely different. The ROI for a college education is not very attractive. Yet, if a person used college learning to improve communication skills (writing & grammar), analytical skills (logic, basic algebra and geometry), and some human interaction skills, that person might find more job opportunities. And college learning today can be had at lower cost community colleges and even over the internet, but I don’t see any benefit to saddling oneself with gigantic college loans; the ROI just doesn’t warrant it.

I agree with you that successful people don’t have to have been to college. Life experiences are usually more educational than college, so I recommend people travel, join the military, work different jobs, read a lot, and follow their dreams. Plus study the experiences of people who are successful. That is an education with a solid ROI.

Larry, I feel IQ has been overrated for a very long time. Regular education focusses on developping skills that are related to IQ, while EQ is what makes us a winner in all respects of life. If only teachers would spend more time helping youngsters to develop that quality, that we do all possess, but which is underrated still!

Kindest regards,

Ingrid Kaffa- de Klerck

Larry,

I think that is great idea for most of positions in your company. However, there are many technical professions and other positions where is almost impossible to begin the job without a major amount of training. For example, in software engineering it would be difficult to begin a position without a solid background. That training would not necessarily have to come from a university, but it would have to be present.

Having the privilege to hire in that field for 30 years, I can say that if two individuals have approximately the same training, the non-university candidate will the majority of the time be more successful based on my small universe of hiring.

Like others have noted, it is virtually impossible to have your resume reviewed at most companies without a degree. The hiring manager is many times afraid of the consequences, if a non-degreed candidate ends up not being successful.

These podcasts are worth a listen, if of interest:

http://freakonomics.com/2012/07/30/freakonomics-goes-to-college-part-1-a-new-freakonomics-radio-podcast/

http://freakonomics.com/2012/08/16/freakonomics-goes-to-college-part-2-a-new-freakonomics-radio-podcast/

As a guy that has been able to make due with a G.E.D. I could not agree more. Education is important, knowledge is critical, but a degree doesn’t buy anything in our hiring process.

Thanks for posting this.
Ryan

Larry,
As the New Year starts and I search for ways to do a better job I always enjoy and try to learn from your thoughts, this is a particularly useful one as I try to grow our business and change what I do. What’s the best book you’ve read that might help me?
Thanks for the daily thoughts.

Will