I have a similar background and here are some things that I've learned over the years:
- College wasn't for me. I dropped out and fortunately it worked out ok. Don't be afraid to take the old school, traditional path (on the job training). - You won't have patience for routine things like paperwork, paying bills, etc. You'd better develop some serious self dicipline or you'll be screwed in the long run. (suggestion: join the military to develop those skills well) - You'll think you know more than everyone else. There are valuable lessons to learn all around you every day. Develop good relationships with highly successful people. Watch them closely and learn from them. You'll be surprised just how much more there is to learn, especially in fields outside your own. - Having the biggest brain is not the most valuable item to most companies. Having diverse expert knowledge and sharing it in a constructive way with everyone around you is highly valuable to companies. You end up becoming a force multiplier to the company. Everyone around you improves. If you don't develop your social skills though and use them in a way that people can accept, you'll poison everyone against you. People skills count in a big way. - Most jobs have some level of routine tasks that have to be performed on a semi-regular basis. Mix a little interesting work into each day to keep yourself from getting bored. Don't let it dominate to the point of not getting your key work done though. - Don't have contempt for the others around you. If you see them as people with little knowledge compared to yourself, then you aren't really seeing the complete person. You're only comparing them against your own skillset. You need to look for unique qualities and skills that they have that you may not. Appreciate them for their own gifts and talents. If you can see where they're better than you in other areas, you'll not approach them with arrogance and contempt. By understanding those unique talents, as a team you'll all be more effective. - Take on the areas or problems that no one else wants to take. You'll find that there's usually a hidden jewel in that area and an opportunity to show your creative talents. In doing so, you'll provide great value to the company. - The suggestion of reading "How to Win Friends and Influence People" is right on target. I live by those principlines and it's served me very well in business and my personal life. - Take everyone's advice constructively about getting over yourself. You may be right about the fact that you're bright, but trust me, there's always someone brighter. If you're lucky, you'll find someone like that in your career. They'll usually put you in your place a bit. If you find someone like that that also has strong people skills, try to get them to mentor you. I had someone like that and I owe him a lot in my professional development.
It's time to wake up and stop worrying so much about the inconvience of being searched. Yes, I understand the concerns about your civil liberties. Remember though that many liberties are balanced against each other when dealing with the Constitution. Most cases in front of the Supreme Court are about striking a balance between clashing liberties. In my opinion, the right to LIFE as stated in the Bill of Rights, outways the issue of searching your belongings as you enter and exit a government facility.
If we want to be safe in our country, we need to think about this: would you be pissed about the government letting some terrorist into a facility with a bomb or some Anthrax and killed some of your co-workers? would you be pissed if a terrorist stole some biological materials from a government facility and used them to kill your family? If the answer is yes, then you have to have searches. If the answer is no, then you're a liar.;)
Slashdot Mirror
I have a similar background and here are some things that I've learned over the years:
- College wasn't for me. I dropped out and fortunately it worked out ok. Don't be afraid to take the old school, traditional path (on the job training).
- You won't have patience for routine things like paperwork, paying bills, etc. You'd better develop some serious self dicipline or you'll be screwed in the long run. (suggestion: join the military to develop those skills well)
- You'll think you know more than everyone else. There are valuable lessons to learn all around you every day. Develop good relationships with highly successful people. Watch them closely and learn from them. You'll be surprised just how much more there is to learn, especially in fields outside your own.
- Having the biggest brain is not the most valuable item to most companies. Having diverse expert knowledge and sharing it in a constructive way with everyone around you is highly valuable to companies. You end up becoming a force multiplier to the company. Everyone around you improves. If you don't develop your social skills though and use them in a way that people can accept, you'll poison everyone against you. People skills count in a big way.
- Most jobs have some level of routine tasks that have to be performed on a semi-regular basis. Mix a little interesting work into each day to keep yourself from getting bored. Don't let it dominate to the point of not getting your key work done though.
- Don't have contempt for the others around you. If you see them as people with little knowledge compared to yourself, then you aren't really seeing the complete person. You're only comparing them against your own skillset. You need to look for unique qualities and skills that they have that you may not. Appreciate them for their own gifts and talents. If you can see where they're better than you in other areas, you'll not approach them with arrogance and contempt. By understanding those unique talents, as a team you'll all be more effective.
- Take on the areas or problems that no one else wants to take. You'll find that there's usually a hidden jewel in that area and an opportunity to show your creative talents. In doing so, you'll provide great value to the company.
- The suggestion of reading "How to Win Friends and Influence People" is right on target. I live by those principlines and it's served me very well in business and my personal life.
- Take everyone's advice constructively about getting over yourself. You may be right about the fact that you're bright, but trust me, there's always someone brighter. If you're lucky, you'll find someone like that in your career. They'll usually put you in your place a bit. If you find someone like that that also has strong people skills, try to get them to mentor you. I had someone like that and I owe him a lot in my professional development.
Good luck
It's time to wake up and stop worrying so much about the inconvience of being searched. Yes, I understand the concerns about your civil liberties. Remember though that many liberties are balanced against each other when dealing with the Constitution. Most cases in front of the Supreme Court are about striking a balance between clashing liberties. In my opinion, the right to LIFE as stated in the Bill of Rights, outways the issue of searching your belongings as you enter and exit a government facility.
;)
If we want to be safe in our country, we need to think about this: would you be pissed about the government letting some terrorist into a facility with a bomb or some Anthrax and killed some of your co-workers? would you be pissed if a terrorist stole some biological materials from a government facility and used them to kill your family? If the answer is yes, then you have to have searches. If the answer is no, then you're a liar.