It’s that time of the year again…time for college seniors all across the country to graduate and enter the real world.
But before they can step foot off their pristine college campuses, they must don a cap and gown, sit out in the sun for a few hours and listen to a speaker dispense wisdom and advice to be used for the rest of their lives. Some graduates will get to hear famous actors or comedians, others will listen to distinguished alumni who went on to work in politics or business, and the less lucky will sit through lectures from people no one’s heard of.
Speeches will range from funny to sincere, and topics covered will surely include the liberal arts, how to measure success and the importance of being virtuous in today’s society. But in perhaps the most unstable economic period of modern times, and certainly the most partisan, how effective will these call-to-action inspirational speeches be?
If you were delivering advice to those about to enter the workforce, what would you say? Do you even remember the commencement speech at your own graduation? Did any advice stick? Are you a college student getting ready to graduate? What topics do you hope your speaker will cover? More importantly, what topics do you hope they’ll avoid?
President Obama addresses Barnard College
Mitt Romney addresses Liberty University