TU Tuesday- Commencement Speech

Information Texts:  Literary Non-fiction - Includes the subgenres of exposition, argument, and functional text in the form of personal essays, speeches, opinion pieces, essays about art or literature, biographies, memoirs, journalism, and historical, scientific, technical, or economic accounts (including digital sources) written for a broad audience 


http://speakingfrog.com/?p=516
http://www.collegeboard.com/prod_downloads/press/cost04/EducationPays2004.pdf


      In his commencement speech for Carnegie Mellon, Bill Cosby began by asking the graduates why the considered themselves nerds, "I don't know why you want to accept yourselves as being that, because you have continued on where non-nerds stopped." I think that education is an extremely important part of society today.  Not only because there is so much to learn, but because everyday jobs are increasing the qualifications necessary to work in that particular job. "And they quit.  All the non-nerds did that-- they said I'm tired, why do I have to know this?...I think that's very, very brave, considering how many friends you lost," said Cosby on the same subject.  As an American high schooler, I see a lot of my peers (especially in the few regents classes I take) that have the potential to be in advanced classes and perform better in general, but don't because they don't feel like it.   I also must agree that sometimes, the classes you take and how hard you work, or the effort you put in,  affects the friends you have.  I have lost, or become more distant with some people because we've gone on different paths educationally.  


     After talking about his first big show as a comedian, Cosby offered excellent advice to the graduates, "I don't care what you do, when you are good then you bring you out."  I think that this is important.  I tend to second guess my abilities a lot, and it is sometimes hard for me to show these.  I think that because I am a fairly shy and quiet person, particularly around people I am not comfortable with, it makes it even harder for me to show that I am good at something.  Cosby offered some more advice when he said, "But you can't be proud and you can't carry it out unless you are sure of yourself and prepared."  I think that getting an education is the best preparation you can receive in today's society.  Education sets you up to live a better life.  According to College Board's, Education Pays, in 2003 a study comparing average full-time year-round workers with a four year college degree and average full-time year-round workers with a high school diploma showed that those with a four year degree "...earned $49,900, 62 percent more than the $30,800 earned by the...worker with only a high school diploma."  And the numbers continue to increase with the more education you get.  An education can have a huge and lasting impact on your life.