Commencement Speech to the Art Institute of Orange County Class of 2003

Commencement Speech to the Art Institute of <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:placename w:st="on">Orange</st1:placename> <st1:placetype w:st="on">County -</st1:placetype></st1:place> Class of 2003

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I hardly feel qualified to give you all a commencement speech – I am not a politician, a captain of industry, or statesman with decades of wisdom and experience to offer newly minted graduates. After all, I am only a 30 years old – and a game developer.

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However, after thinking about it for a bit last night as I was pulling together notes for this talk, I realized perhaps it is appropriate that in today’s tremendous rate of progress it is okay for a young entrepreneur to give a try at offering the single decade of wisdom I have to you folks? So, I will give it a shot:<o:p></o:p>

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You have just finished a major accomplishment in your life - your degree – whether it is culinary arts, fine artists, animators, game developers all of you. Congratulations.<o:p></o:p>

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Your diploma certifies to the world that you have the educational background to become a professional artist in your chosen field. However, what you have really achieved is to prove to yourself that you are capable of setting long-term goals and sticking to them day in and day out until you see that success. <o:p></o:p>

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The truth is, my diploma is sitting up on my bookshelf at home amongst my science books. I have never shown it to anyone besides my family members. Never needed it on an interview.<o:p></o:p>

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The reason you came to this fine school is not to acquire a piece of paper that you will show other people and seek their validation. No. The true reason you have stayed up late doing homework assignments, working on term papers, taking on loans and working odd jobs, taking midterms and finals, even working in group projects with your friends – and the um – not-friends, was to gain that quiet self-confidence of accomplishment and knowledge.<o:p></o:p>

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Go ahead and glow inside. Glow to yourself. Smile and hug your friends and family on this day of celebration – it is your day.<o:p></o:p>

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Some of you have come back to school to learn a new profession – that takes extraordinary courage to turn the boat around and head into a new, more true course for your future. I have done it myself - you have my deepest regards.<o:p></o:p>

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You all have graduated from this fine school – The Art Institute – I know it’s a fine schools, because I am proud to say that I currently employ seven of you: Ryan, Ritchie, CJ, Oliver, Huey, Phi, and Chris. All seven of you possessed the skills, talent, courage, and confidence to begin working at Taldren in your junior year here at the Art Institute while being professional game developers. Over the past year I have become friends with you and genuinely like you as people.<o:p></o:p>

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From my first-hand experience the Art Institute attracts students who are passionate about learning their craft and are humble and hardworking professionals – even as students.<o:p></o:p>

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Some of you may think that your school, the Art Institute maybe, how shall I say, a bit more practical than say Harvard or Yale – to that I say – right on. The world moves forward with people who are practical.<o:p></o:p>

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I was thinking of a book titled Guns, Germs and Steel, which won a Pulitzer Prize the author has a fascinating passage on who is the most courageous people of history. It was not the kings, or the warriors – rather the passage focuses on the courage of the traders.<o:p></o:p>

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For it was the trader who had the gumption to load up a basket full of arrowheads and hike over to the next valley and try convince this other tribe not to kill him and steal his arrowheads, but to rather to take the basket of arrowheads and give him a bunch of grapes or whatever. Imagine how much guts it took when the negotiations were going south for the trader to hold his ground and come up with the grapes. <o:p></o:p>

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We, the young professionals, artists, culinary artists, animators and game developers are the traders of our own era. We have the courage to take the spirit of our imagination and blend it with the sweat of our labor to create something original and fresh for our fellow human beings to enjoy.<o:p></o:p>

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In addition all of you being artists, you are all now professionals – this school has taught you how to work and that is a most fine skill to have – of course you might notice my bias. <o:p></o:p>

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In the early part of your careers – for the next 3 to 8 years your will work very hard – these are the years that are most influential on the success of your career. You will be focused on making the next promotion or perhaps switching projects, restaurants, employers – whatever - all to seek stronger challenges, loftier positions, and of course getting paid better wouldn’t hurt either!<o:p></o:p>

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Soon, much faster than you realize you will go from being a student pre-occupied with your own workload, assignments, and due dates. To becoming a professional where often the days are long, the deadlines are sometimes just impossible and the workload sometimes just isn’t fun. And to your own great surprise – you look around and discover you are responsible for this mess! You are the manager. 2 people, 5 people, 35 people or 100 people could and are likely to be under your leadership inside of the next 10 years.<o:p></o:p>

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This is an awesome responsibility. People will depend upon you; their families will depend on you. The amount of hours that they spend with their family will depend on decisions that you make. As you work your way up, keep your eyes and heart open and think about how you would lead when it is your turn to lead.<o:p></o:p>

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The year is 2003 and we are standing on ground that a generation ago was farmland and a century before that grazing land, and before that native Americans were the masters of this costal plain. The most elderly amongst us were born at the same time the airplane was born and their grandparents lived through the Civil War. Most of you will retire near the year 2040 and perhaps have grandchildren that will see the year 2140. Where we stand today is probably the most dynamic period of time in history. You are the shapers of the most dynamic time in history.<o:p></o:p>

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Beyond thinking about how you will lead your fellow workers to success in the near future; I would also ask you to think about your deep values – the core of what makes you human. It is difficult in the world we live in to avoid the constant drive of avid consumption of luxurious goods and services as the measuring stick of our quality of being a human being – its not! - The BMW M5 at the end of the day is just a car and is not you. It’s not your high score. Listen to your inner self when you walk along the beach and ask yourself what are your deepest values. And hold on to them through the storms of life.<o:p></o:p>

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Besides obtaining this degree and getting a good paying job, what do you really want to accomplish? Just like the diploma, I urge you not to spend your life attempting to collect more and more baubles to impress your friends in <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Newport Beach</st1:place></st1:city> – instead I implore you to discover what you truly want to do. Then tear after your true goal with all of your passion and energy – that is the way to satisfaction with your professional life.<o:p></o:p>

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Maybe you want to open a restaurant, create a game, or animate a movie – no matter what that goal is – just aim for it and every day take a step closer. You are the future statesmen, politicians and captains of industry. How you treat the people around you and our one precious planet is the future – our future.<o:p></o:p>

Do your best every single day.<o:p></o:p>

Except for today – party with your friends and family.<o:p></o:p>

Congratulations!<o:p></o:p>

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-Erik Bethke<o:p></o:p>

Originally posted on LiveJournal