Base in u. S. Afghanistan, he is spending a night. The u. S. Is withdrawing most of its forces with the yearend deadline. This is the president s fourth trip to afghanistan as president. [applause] taking a look at rolling thunder, a nonprofit group, more than 90 chapters across the country. Many members are veterans, their mission is to account for all Service Members for prisoners of war. 2500ed in 1987 and 1988, motorcycles convened in washington. We hear about 4000 convening this weekend. This month cspan is showing commencement addresses from graduation ceremonies around the country. Take a look at John Thompson at his alma mater, florida a and m in tallahassee. Each speeches about 15 minutes. [applause] hello. [applause] it is really great to be back. Thank you for the opportunity. This is a special day. A special day for all of you and a special day for me. [applause] [inaudible] [applause] thank you to the great faculty and staff for all they have done. [applause] thank you to [indiscernible] i also have to say thank you to [inaudible] for last nights party. I appreciate the gifts, but i could not wear the tie this morning. To the family and friends of this class of 2014, you worked so hard to get them here and they are on the launching pad. A really important launching pad. And to the class of 2014, you are truly a special group. I want to thank you for your willingness to put up with me this afternoon or this morning. You have come a very long way, but your journey is only just begun. I would argue if you maintain the same positive, cando attitude that you have to get to this place, it you will be celebrating much bigger things in the years to come. The world truly has changed and you must believe that you can change the world. Lets think about a world 47 years ago when i came to florida a m. Back then, [inaudible] it was the definition of success defined [indiscernible] our role models were important teachers, doctors, and lawyers in the community. If you were risk oriented, you became a local business person. That person ran the local dry cleaner or Grocery Store or something that truly did serve the local community. However, the definition of opportunity and the role models we all have today have changed substantially. You sit on the cusp of being able to change it again. Lets think about some of those role models. We still have very powerful teachers and preachers and doctors and lawyers, we also have role models in Financial Services like Richard Parsons the former chairman of citigroup. We have leaders in Technology Like ursula burns, the ceo of xerox. The general counsel of google, also on the board of kkr. And we have leaders in life science and perhaps the most prominent role model of all is our president , barack obama. [applause] i would like to think this list is much more vibrant than 40 years ago, quite frankly, it is more vibrant than 24 years ago. What is the Common Thread for each of these individual leaders . What did it take for them to achieve the wonderful success they have . First and foremost, every career is a journey, a journey focused on a particular set of skills at a particular company or a sector of our economy. Todays focus should be more about the skills you develop and how you focus those skills, becoming proficient in what you do get too excited to get up every morning to go to work and enjoy the work you are engaged in. The average tenure for person in tech is just five years because they want to practice their craft again and again and again and. Another is building the skills that will make you the differentiated person on your team, specializing in something that is important to the organization. It is one thing to say, i will be a salesman. It is Something Else to say, i will be a salesman in technology, where my specialization is about the products that i sell. A strong commitment to doing what is important is also necessary. Many people from my era had no interest in relocating. Their view of their career was the company or organization in the community in which they served or lived. I would argue you can choose a place to live where you can not only work, but grow. In the 1970s, it was really exciting if you were africanamerican to be able to migrate to atlanta. Atlanta was a mecca and the place for all of us. The antithesis of that was boston. Not a single one of us wanted to be in boston. If it were not my willingness to move from atlanta to boston, my career would not be what it is. Strong support from inside and outside your organization you are part of. Career advisors need to have context, they need to help you understand the business that you are in and your success within that business. Having someone from within the organization to help you put context around your career and have a Broader Network of advisors from outside helps you gain a broader perspective. In my mind, there are a number of important elements for a successful career and a start with first and foremost finding something you truly have a passion about, something that gets you excited every day to want to get up and go to work. Find mentors who have experiences and you are willing to share those experiences with you. Go out and launch yourself on a platform that can showcase your talents and experiences. Be realistic about your own performance and the contributions you make to the broader team you will be a part of. Always be openminded and ready to learn something new and exciting. Always find excitement in new opportunities. Lets explore each of those very briefly. Finding something to serve your passion. I happen to live a simple but important philosophy, nothing happens until somebody sells it. Theres no need for anything unless you can move the product. I would not have had that view had it not been for the director of placement here at florida a m who saw me as a student working as a salesperson. He convinced me that i should go, regardless of my 800 pound afro, i should go apply for a job at ibm. The rest is history. I had a wonderful career at ibm. My real passion was about sales and i hope you can find your real passion as well. Next, find mentors that really care about you throughout your career. Successful career is a series of related experiences. Finding someone that has the experiences you need and cares about you are important attributes. Mentorship is not about gender and ethnicity. Mentorship is about skills and experiences and a willingness to share those. Mentors should not be measured in todays terms by how many linkedin connections you have. As a matter of fact, the best mentor you will have will be someone who was more proud of your experiences and success than you might be. In my case, i was the first africanamerican [inaudible] find a platform where you can showcase your talents and accomplishments. Everyone of us needs an environment where we can learn and where we can make mistakes. This is not about strutting or showing off. It is about pushing the edge of the envelope and have someone help you calibrate how much further you can push. Having someone to tell you when you have figured it out and when you have not. Having a role model who will help you understand when you are contributing to the overall team. It is important that as you have the right platform and if your platform isnt right, it is unlikely that you will have a brilliant career. Be realistic about your own performance. It is never easy to admit when you make mistakes, but it happens to every one of us. Remember this achievers have a strong track record of success and when theyve made a mistake, they get another shot. The key to a successful career is about risk, which leads to rewards. All rewards should not be measured in financial terms, although that is not a bad way to measure success. Next, always be openminded. A successful career is about a long journey. Be prepared to take risks. Be prepared to change roles every 1824 months because when you do, you are moving forward and growing and demonstrating that you are making a contribution to the broader team. I had many career steps at my time at ibm and i had a call one day from the cfo of the company that said, john, we would like for you to become the number two financial analyst for our company. All i had in the background was one year at m. I. T. And four years here at florida a m. They had enough confidence in me that they were willing to allow me to take that risk. A year later they said, how about running a Software Development organization . I have never written a line of code that worked. Lo and behold, 27 years, nine months, and 13 days later, i decided i would take a big risk and leave the comfortable comforts of ibm to go run a Company Called symantec. That risk was incredible and that risk paid off well for my family and the investors in our company. Every career undoubtedly will have twists and turns. With every up, there will be some downs. You should not become discouraged. You must keep your eyes focused on the true path forward, not the price, but the path forward. Learn from your successes and your mistakes and be sure to share all of your experiences with those around you. To the class of 2014, your journey has only just begun. Many exciting opportunities lie ahead. I will give you a few simple pieces of advice. Be bold, think big, dream even bigger. Be grounded, grounded in the reality of how important it is to contribute to the teams success and your own personal growth. Stay focused. The focus will drive you forward and give you the ability to win and win big. Finally, execute precisely and bravely with passion every day. There is always someone watching and show them just how good you truly are. To the class of 2014, we are all very proud of you. Go out and show the world just how potent a rattler can strike. Thank you very much. [applause]
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