These are a baker’s dozen lessons I have learned from being a parent that translate to all aspects of my life.

• The louder I am, the less I am heard.
• Words are the most dangerous thing in the house (parent to child AND child to parent).
• Alone time is something to cherish. Even if it is when you use the loo.
• Dinner at the dinner table is really about stopping the rush of life and spending time with those you care about.   Better the food, better the dialogue.  Seriously.  Oh, wait, if the food is really bad that works too.
• Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner are manmade ideas. Soup for breakfast is just fine. Quit judging me.
• Laughter is truly the best medicine. Well, unless you are sick. Really, don’t try to laugh it off, go to the doctor!
• Vacations create amazing memories. No matter how much you spend, it will be the little things about these times together that you will remember forever.
• Parent Of The Year Award is an elusive devil. I like my chances for next year. Maybe the year after that. We will see how January goes.
• Quality time will never surpass quantity time with family. More is always better. Quality is subjective. Quantity is measured by the plethora of treasured memories.
• Boys mature much slooooooower than girls. My guess is by 40 years or so. I think this is really why women have maternal instincts.
• Just when you think you have it all figured out, the rules change.
• Working should be about more than making money to pay the bills. It should be fulfilling. While this is not directly about parenting, it is something I am instilling in my son.   I want him to know it is okay to have it all.
• The greatest and most challenging job I will ever have is being a dad.   I am just grateful for the opportunity.

Corey: Hello Mr. Gumby, thank you for taking the time to interview with me for this sales position.

Gumby: I appreciate the opportunity.

Corey: We are a rapidly growing company and are often building the plane while flying it. How will you adapt to this environment?

Gumby: I’m known for being really flexible.

Corey: Flexibility is important in our line of work. Can you share with me a time you were flexible?

Gumby: Of course…

Corey: Whoa, I did not mean that kind of flexibility!

Corey: Selling can be a difficult job. Tell me about a time you encountered a difficult sale. What approach do you take with these?

Gumby: I pretty regularly encountered Blockheads in previous positions. I try to be patient.

Corey: Patience is good. Do you get the sale done?

Gumby: I’m still working on those.

Corey: Why are you looking to leave your current job?

Gumby: To be honest, I’ve been “kiln” it there and don’t get the recognition I think I have earned.

Corey: How do you know you were doing so well?

Gumby: I have been there for almost a year.
Corey: Does that seem like a long time?

Gumby: Some days more than others.

Corey: What is your style of leadership?

Gumby: I think of myself kind of like an artist. I mold them into the employee I want them to be. It can take some time to get it right, but once I fire them up, they are solid. Kind of like clay, I guess.

Corey: What does that that molded employee look like?

Gumby: Kind of like me I would say I guess.

Corey: Do you have direct supervision experience?

Gumby: No, not yet.

Corey: What would you say are your weaknesses?

Gumby: Ice cream. Unfortunately if I eat it, I freeze.

Corey: Is that your only weakness?

Gumby: No. I can sometimes glaze over things when I am bored.

Corey: Do you get bored often?

Gumby: More than one might think.

Corey: What about weaknesses in your skill sets?

Gumby: I went to college. I am prepared for all that faces me.

Corey: Did you do anything while in college to learn the skills needed to perform the job?

Gumby: I’m not sure I know what you mean.

Corey: You know, like internships, apprenticeship, experiential learning, project-based learning, etc.

Gumby: I had a TV show. Does that count?

Corey: That’s cool, but not necessarily what I meant.

Corey: What are your goals?

Gumby: I just want to leave the place better than I found it.

Corey: That is noble. I mean more about your career goals.
Gumby: Ahh, to make the world more awesome that it is today.

Corey: Ok. Thanks. What kinds of questions to you have for me?

Gumby: What is the typical dress code here?

Corey: We are pretty informal. Feel free to dress how you are now.

Gumby: That is a relief. You would be surprised how many people frown on me wearing this outfit so regularly.

Gumby: When will I find out if I get the job?

Corey: Well Gumby, you are exactly what I am looking for. Someone with little to no skills and will take months if not years to train.

Gumby: That is great!

Corey: I’m kidding. Come back and see me when you have some real experience to share.

Moral of the story? Don’t be a Gumby.   Get the experiences along your educational journey so you have practical application experiences to share in your interview.

• Having a college degree still positions you to make more money over your lifetime.
• We still value a college degree, but now question the value we are getting for our money.
• All nighters have gotten expensive thanks to the rising costs of coffee!
• Too many students graduate from college without any practical experience in their chosen field.
• Regional Accreditation is not better than National Accreditation despite what people may say. Both have pros and cons. What matters is what is best for the individual student.
• Change is necessary. Both pocket and transformation kinds.
• Thinking about college is making me want pizza and beer. Is that wrong?
• Textbooks are still relevant and old school at the same time. It would be awesome if they could be adjusted to old school prices.
• People can get a quality education online, just like they can get a poor education in person. We just tend to judge online more harshly.
• Algebra is critical for your long-term survival. Wait, I might be mistaken.
• A good chunk of current and future students will work in industries that have not been created yet.   This means that students should either major in something that is adaptable or in something they are passionate about.

Free is a funny word. We use it incorrectly most of the time. When people say state university tuition should be free, they are misusing the word free. It won’t be free. It would be 100% subsidized. There is a difference. Someone has to pay for it to happen.

What is the reasoning for wanting free tuition at state universities? People will tell you that it is because of the outrageous student loan debt. It can’t be about student debt. This country was founded on debt. There is debt that is considered good debt and debt that is not good. Student load debt should be part of the good debt. Why? Well, simply because paying for an education to improve your lot in life should be a good thing. If you have to pay for the things that keep you alive (food, water, shelter), it is reasonable to think you should pay for a higher education.

There is a greater problem than student loan debt. The greater problem is that the unemployment/underemployment rate of recent college graduates is nearly double the national average for unemployment. No longer does getting a degree equal getting a good paying job. So really, the biggest problem is not student loan debt or unemployment of recent college graduates. The problem is the skills gap. Students are graduating from college without developing the skills they need to be employable. They get theory, just not the practice.   I see ads and articles by universities saying they give this to students.   I believe some do. The issue is that most don’t.

Rather than making state colleges free, maybe we should look at some better alternatives.

• Hold colleges accountable for real outcomes.   Stop measuring success by simply graduation rates. What about employment rates? Attach this success to state and federal funding.
• Change tuition rates to match starting salaries after graduation.   A student studying to be a teacher should not pay as much as someone studying to be an engineer.
• Create student loan caps depending on the earning potential of the major you choose. A social work major should not be able to take out as much student loan as someone majoring in accounting. If a student is undecided about their major, the cap stays low.
• Require universities as part of their accreditation to eliminate majors that are not yielding graduates that find jobs. This isn’t about eliminating certain types of degrees. Some universities will do better than others with specific degrees.
• Move universities out of the “not-for-profit” business so that they can be more entrepreneurial and rely less on federal student aid to help their students pay for the cost to run a university.

I don’t have all the answers on this, but making tuition “free” is not going to solve the employability problem that graduates face.   I think it is time that we look for real solutions to the real problem.

• Parent of the year award is kind of like a participation trophy. You don’t have to do anything special to earn it. It comes with the mug.
• If you can see your phone without extending your arm completely, you do not need glasses yet.
• People will really never understand what your actual job is unless they do it too.
• Apple is better than Android. Even when Apple fails to impress, they still are in the lead.
• Homework time has proven to be an awful experience for both the 2nd grader (enter your own child’s grade here) AND his/her parents. I actually can’t speak about how this is with girls, but with boys..Whew!
• If you have not read/listened to the Hobbit, do so. The movies were great, but the book was a masterpiece. (Bilbo Baggins Rules!)
• Do something weekly outside of work that allows you to be creative.
• Working out is not fun, but neither is brushing your teeth. You should however, do both regularly. I would say twice daily on the brushing thing.
• You don’t need to tear down others to build yourself up. Seriously, it won’t hurt you to be nice. Just be nice.
• Seriously, Apple is better. When was the last time you saw people waiting in line to get the newest non-Apple product?
• Picking your nose in public is nasty. However, if we see you do it, we will chuckle at your expense. Maybe even point. If we are with others, we will talk about you. Hmm. Maybe this is kind of like your 15 minutes of fame. Pick away.
• Staying current with technology is like regularly swimming in the fountain of youth.
• Not staying current with technology makes you old before your time. Weird how that works.
• Mythbusters is still awesome. Even without Tory, Grant and Kari.
• Thursday Night NFL makes the week better.
• It’s strange how everyone is a bad driver except you.
• Even if you don’t think they deserve it, show them grace. It is better for your heart and soul.

Corey: Please welcome the great Batman to the show!

Bruce: With whom are you talking?

Corey: It is just for effect.

Bruce: I thought this would be in a nicer place.

Corey: I know, it’s not a cave, but bear with me.

Bruce: Ah, funny guy.

Corey: So, Bruce, why do you talk with such a deeper and gravely voice when you are Batman?

Bruce: The neck piece is a bit tighter than I would like it to be.

Corey: Why don’t you loosen it?

Bruce: If it is any looser it makes my neck look weird.

Corey: By whose standards? I don’t think those of us you are saving would care much about that.

Bruce: When you design a suit, you can have it fit like you want it to.

Corey: What do you think about Iron Man’s suit?

Bruce: Which one?

Corey: I guess Mark #51.

Bruce: It’s nice, I guess.

Corey: Nice. It is freakin’ amazing. Have you seen all the stuff it can do? I mean..

Bruce: Ok, got it. You like it. Look, if I spent a billion dollars on my suit it would be..

Corey: Be what? Able to fly?

Bruce: Maybe.

Corey: Do you know how to develop that kind of technology?

Bruce: I could figure it out.

Corey: Really? If you could figure it out, why don’t you just have it? I mean you are Batman. Bats can fly, can’t they?

Bruce: Do you have any other questions?

Corey: Yes.

Corey: What is the deal with Robin?

Bruce: Don’t go there.

Corey: I mean boy wonder? Don’t you think it is odd that you are hanging out with a boy?

Bruce: He is not a boy.   It is just the nickname.

Corey: Why do you need a sidekick?

Bruce: I don’t.

Corey: But you have one.

Bruce: Yes, but you didn’t ask why I have one, you asked why I NEED one. I don’t NEED one.

Corey: Ok, why do you have one?

Bruce: I needed someone to lighten things up. I am a pretty serious guy.

Corey: You just said needed.

Bruce: Move on.

Corey: Whose weapons are better, yours or Iron Man’s?

Bruce: Mine.

Corey: What makes you think so?

Bruce: They haven’t let me down yet.

Corey: But Stark Industries makes weapons.

Bruce: I know. I use some of them.

Corey: Really? Awesome.

Bruce: No, not really. I make my own stuff.

Corey: That was lame.

Bruce: I have all kinds of weapons, plus the Bat mobile, the Bat Plane, you name it and I have it.

Corey: But Iron Man can fly.

Bruce: He does have that going for him.

Corey: What is your beef with Superman?

Bruce: He is arrogant. Loves himself. Thinks he is God.

Corey: Sounds like someone else I know.

Bruce: Oh, so you have met Tony Stark.

Corey: I meant…

Bruce: I know who you meant. Don’t forget who I am. I don’t really know you and you have not earned the right to be disrespectful to me.

Corey: Are you threatening me? On my own show?

Bruce: Call it what you want, just tread lightly here, son.

Corey: Back to Superman. It seems like all you super heroes should get along better.

Bruce: We do when we have to. We all have our own way of doing things.

Corey: Why did you design your suit to be tights?

Bruce: I don’t wear tights.

Corey: You totally do. Look at this picture.

Bruce: That isn’t me. That is Adam West from the 1960s TV show.

Corey: So. You must have worn tights in the 60s.

Bruce: We all did things in the 60s we aren’t proud of.

Corey: Not me, I wasn’t born yet.

Bruce: No, I guess not, but I am sure in 40 years when you look back on this show you will know what I am talking about.
Corey: That was rude.

Bruce: I’m not sure you even really know what that means. Do you even pay attention to these interviews?

Corey: Sometimes. I have a short attention span.

Bruce: I can tell.

Corey: Looks like I’m going to really need to edit this show before it airs.

Bruce: Where does it air?

Corey: I’m not really sure actually.

Bruce: Does any one even see it?

Corey: I have a couple loyalish followers.

Bruce: Who, your mother?

Corey: Maybe. You are really not that nice of a guy.
Bruce: Do you have more questions?

Corey: I don’t know. You have me a bit flustered.

Bruce: Well?

Corey: Yes. Why are you considered a super hero and not a vigilante?

Bruce: Marketing and my great wealth, but mostly marketing.

Corey: Don’t you think it is odd that as one that can’t fly you wear a cape?

Bruce: I’m Batman. It completes the suit.

Corey: But it is just an accessory.

Bruce: So is a watch.

Corey: Then wear a watch.
Bruce: I do.

Corey: That was a rhetorical statement.

Bruce: BAM! I’m out of here.