Advice to the Class of 2024
But really, it’s also advice for adults to remember what it felt like to be starting your career and living your best life
It’s graduation weekend at universities across the country, a time for celebration, toasts, hugs, tears, pride, excitement about the possibilities that exists, and stress over the possibilities that don’t exist.
Sixty-one years ago, President John F. Kennedy delivered the commencement address at (then) San Diego State College and received the first honorary Ph.D. degree. He spoke before over 30,000 people inside Aztec Bowl, now mostly demolished to create Viejas Arena.
Kennedy was assassinated 169 days later in Dallas, in the same convertible car he rode on El Cajon Blvd to reach SDSU’s campus.
Seth Mallios, an SDSU anthropology professor and campus historian, has called JFK’s address, “the most important event in the institution’s history.”
If you’re curious, here's the transcript of JFK’s speech.
As reporter John Wilkens wrote last year in the San Diego Union-Tribune:
He was thinking a lot about civil rights and how education could be a vehicle for equality and justice. In five days, he would give a televised national address on the subject, paving the way for major changes in federal law that happened after he was killed.
At San Diego State, he drew contrasts between what California spent on education and what Mississippi did. He was trying out ideas, connecting dots in ways that might have proved incendiary if done in the Deep South …
At the college, security wasn’t what it is now. The university’s archives include a photo of a woman who got close enough to put her right hand on the president’s face.
His speech was about the “importance of education as the basis for the maintenance of an effective, free society,” and he started by lauding California’s investment in schools.
No President had ever spoken at SDSU before, nor has one spoken since then.
I thought SDSU might be so impressed by the podcast I host for the School of Journalism and Media Studies that they’d invite me to address the Class of 2024. Alas, it didn’t happen. I don’t answer phone calls from numbers I don’t know, and I check my snail mail about once every two weeks, so maybe they asked and I didn’t respond.
Maybe it’ll happen another year. In the meantime, for today’s Newsletter, I’m going to workshop some ideas for a future commencement address with advice to students, advice to my younger self, and my younger self’s advice to my old self.
I also asked a bunch of friends to give their advice. Their responses made me smirk, think, laugh, and get infield dust in my eyes.
I hope you enjoy.
Josh’s advice to college graduates
Send postcards to your parents from the road. Yes, you need to buy stamps. When you get older, send postcards to your kids. They’ll save them and cherish them. One day, they’ll give them back to you and they’ll make you cry. Good, happy tears.
Save all your stories, broadcasts, reports, whatever is your profession. One day, you’ll look back on them and realize you weren’t as good as you thought you were. Other days, you’ll remember how creatively brilliant you were and that will remind you to be bolder. When in doubt, be fearless.
Save the rejection letters and rejection emails. Keep the receipts. When you get where you want to be, look at all the people who told you no. Fuck them for doubting you.
Vin Scully knew the name of every usher, security guard, cook and janitor in the Dodger Stadium press box. Do the same at your job.
Think about who you want to be on your personal Board of Directors for your major life decisions. Choose wisely. Consult them frequently.
Current Josh’s advice to younger Josh
Don’t be so stupid with your money, you dumbass.
Don’t charge your work expenses on your personal credit cards. I know it’s tempting. More hotel points! More frequent flier miles! It’s fool’s gold. Unless you’re disciplined enough to pay it off each month – and you are absolutely NOT -- you’ll end up paying way more money in interest fees than the vacation would cost you.
Make learning Spanish the same priority that you make Journalism.
Say yes more often.
Younger Josh’s advice to current Josh
Just go with the flow and stop trying to script out everything in your damn life, old man.
Here’s an example of what younger me did:
A couple days after SDSU’s graduating ceremonies, I drove across the country to Upstate New York to start a job with the now-defunct Watertown Indians minor league baseball team.
I had no GPS navigation, just a big ol’ Rand McNally map. I had no cell phone or pager. I had no hotel reservations, no idea where or when I’d stop to sleep. I had a few CDs and cassette tapes, but mostly listened to terrestrial radio. I didn’t take a picture. I didn’t even own a camera. I stopped when I needed gas, or was hungry, or needed a bathroom break, or when I was sleepy.
On day one, stopping in Las Vegas for an all-you-can-eat buffet was a poor choice because I fell into a food coma and needed to pull into a rest stop for a nap.
On day two, it took awhile, but I somehow found my brief childhood home in Littleton, Colorado without GPS. I talked to a neighbor who remembered my family. I walked the along the sidewalk, remembering random things like where my sister broke her arm, hiding Star Wars figures in junipers that no longer existed, school bus stops, and the two different ways we could walk to the community pool that no longer existed.
Time was an abstract concept. I didn’t own a watch back then.
Later that night, somewhere in eastern Colorado, I felt tired and decided I should stop the next time I saw a hotel along the side of the interstate. Thirty minutes later, I still hadn’t found one. Then I did, but I was suddenly wide awake, so I kept driving longer. I haven’t the foggiest clue what city I spent that night.
On day three, I still can’t fathom how I did the following without a cell phone. I met my high school friend Chris Berg and his father in the parking lot, somewhere just off I-70, and we went to a Royals game in Kansas City.
I can only guess we talked on a landline, many days in advance, and planned the time and location to meet. It was probably one of my few “deadlines” for the drive, about 6-6:30 pm. I can only imagine Chris and his dad, sitting there in the parking lot, wondering if I would show up, no ability to check on my progress.
I don’t have any memories of the game. I’m pretty sure we sat high in the Upper Deck. I decided to find the game on Retrosheet. I know that I left San Diego on a Monday and arrived in New York on a Friday, so it’s reasonable the game was on a Wednesday night.
The NY-Penn League schedule began on June 18, so the Royals game I attended was probably Wednesday, June 10, 1996. Here’s the boxscore.
The California Angels beat the Royals, 3-2, in 10 innings. I hope we stayed for the whole game. Tim Wallach hit a game-tying homer in the 8th and a go-ahead homer in the 10th.
Fourteen years later, as the co-host of Post Game Dodger Talk, I advocated for Wallach to replace Joe Torre as Dodgers manager, instead of Don Mattingly. The Dodgers didn’t listen to me. My first year with the Albuquerque Isotopes, Tim’s son Matt was one of our catchers.
If I were to drive across the country now, I’d have the exact mileage planned and the hotels reserved each day (some Marriott points, some money if the rate is low). I’d plan where to eat and plan quick excursions. I’d download audiobooks and podcasts to listen.
I’d take pictures and videos, create lots of #content and constantly check my #engagement. Maybe I’d write something on Substack each night with pithy observations from the road.
So, yeah, 23-year-old Josh’s advice to 50-year-old Josh is just embrace not having a plan. As my good friend Ferris was fond to say in our 20s, “take a picture with your mind. It lasts longer.”
More advice from others
I asked a variety of people today to give me their advice to graduates, or advice to their younger self, or what they want their future self to know about their current self.
Here’s a sampling with names and the decade they graduated:
Matt S, 1990s: “Show Up! The best ability is availability. Often times, this simple trait will separate you from the rest. Always figure out how you can do something. Don’t be that person who spends more energy figuring out how they can’t do it rather than just doing it. Have a good attitude. If you can’t have a good attitude about what you’re doing, you need to do something else. Be nice, always, but don’t take shit from anyone.”
Johnny D, 1980s: (Advice to his younger self) “Bro, stop worrying about what other people think about you. They are focused on their own lives, and without sounding too harsh, no one cares. That’s not to say no one cares about you as a person. They just don’t think about you as much as you think they do.”
My reaction: I can’t stress this advice enough. Seriously. People don’t think about you as much as you think they do.
Colin R, 2020s: “When you are choosing what you want to do after college, pick a job not just for the money, accolades, or status. Pick something you will go home that day and be excited to go back the next day. After all, you just suffered through four years of college classes, time to do something you actually enjoy.”
Gabriel E, 1990s: “Patience. Everyone wants to jump to the next job. It’s easy to say yes to more money. But there is real value in saying no to a job offer and growing with an organization. Your late 20’s and early 30’s is your time to swing for the fences and take risks. If you miss, you have time to recover and you’ll have more at-bats. When you hit late 30s and get into 40s, your tolerance for career risk goes way down for various factors. Also, learn A.I.”
Tim H, 2000s: “If you’re driving across the country, don’t eat at Applebee’s. There’s an Applebee’s in every city. Go to the trashy diner that might get a B rating from the health board and probably deserves a C. When in Fargo, eat at the trashy diner and enjoy the accents bouncing off the walls.”
Margaret L, 1990s: “Use every job you have as a building block. Learn as much as you can. Ask questions. Be kind to everyone - from the receptionist the CEO. ‘How you do one thing is how you do everything.’
A very wise coworker once told me: (insert company name) isn’t going to hold your hand at the movies. Have a balanced life and don’t ‘marry’ your job. They can replace you easily, but you can’t replace the experiences you miss if all you do is work.
Every now and then, you are going to need to ‘re-hire yourself.’ Remind yourself why you choose your career path and why it brings you joy. Always max your 401k match and actively plan for retirement -- you will be glad you did no matter how much you love your job.”
Margaret’s advice, on behalf on her husband Matt: “Don’t rush through college! Take your time! You need more time to be young and irresponsible. You will have plenty of years to have a job!”
My reaction: I wholeheartedly agree with this. I know, easy for me to say now because college was way cheaper back then. Still. Enjoy life before responsibilities become real.
More advice from Margaret’s family … and I freakin’ love they made this a group activity:
As the African Proverb tell us: “If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.”
Nothing good can ever come from drinking at the office holiday party.
Have mentors. Be a mentor to others.
Join your industry professional association and attend the meetings.
Use a condom … aka wrap it before you tap it.
Jen S, 1990s, advice to her younger self:
“There will be a Hal. He will be old and cranky and snarky and grizzled and nothing you say or do will surprise Hal, amuse Hal, or please Hal. Ever. But keep befriending Hal. Keep asking him about the way things were. Keep listening to his stories. Really listen. Buy him a jar of Gulden’s Spicy Brown Mustard on his birthday. That’s the one and only thing he really wants in this world. It may turn out to be the key to your future.
There will be a Dianne. She will be perfect and polished and experienced and professional and have absolutely nothing left to prove to anybody. Somehow, inexplicably, she’ll still want more for her career —insatiably— as all overachieving Dianne’s do. Everyone will tell Dianne how great she is. You? You dig deep and tell Dianne the truth. Say it kindly. Couch it as your own opinion. But tell her the truth. Never lie to Dianne. It may turn out to be the key to your future.
There will be a dad. Or a mom. Or a Sheila. Sheila will cheer for your every victory and your every loss. She may not ever know the difference, she just cheers for you no matter what. If you robbed a bank she would cheer for you. She cheers for you so much that sometimes you don’t even hear her cheering because her cheering never stops, like living near an airport. Just take five tiny seconds of time out of your jam-packed life to text Sheila. Text her this: thanks for always being there. Means a lot. It may turn out to be the most important thing you’ll ever say.”
Kevin C, 2000s (who is somehow more long-winded than even me):
Do not be afraid to take internships or seasonal positions when starting out. This is how you get your foot in the door and start forging those precious relationships that can last your entire career. A seasonal job or internship may not be the sexiest position in the world, but it shows you are willing to learn and pay your dues. I wish I had been more willing to do this when I first started out. I literally cannot count the number of times I had been passed over for an MLB communications job because I “did not have Major League experience” – and that position ultimately went to someone who had interned at the Major League level.
Do not be dead set on a team or location. I understand everyone wants to work for their favorite team or in San Diego or New York – but in this industry, beggars can’t be choosers. When starting out, the job and job description should absolutely trump the team/location/level. I’ve seen too many people leave the industry all together because they didn’t get a job in Chicago or Boston or wherever. That’s not how this business works and when I see those people leave, there is a little bit of me that is happy to see them go. I worked in Albuquerque for five-plus years, and it was the best decision I ever made in my career. I had never even stepped foot in New Mexico until I had already accepted the job. The reason I accepted a position in a town I knew nothing about and a state where I knew no one was because I knew it was what was best to advance my career. I never once thought I’d be working for the Colorado Rockies, but now (despite our record), there is truly nowhere I’d rather be in my career.
And finally, one of the main reasons I took that job in Albuquerque is because I took the advice of people I had met and worked with along the way. I talked to all my former bosses (now turned very good friends) and broke down the situation. I cannot stress enough how important the relationships you make along the way can help you out – both in the professional and personal sense. Never be afraid to ask people questions. I have worn Josh’s ear(s) off so many times I cannot count, but just having a sounding board who understands the industry and what you’re going through is immensely important if only for the mental health aspect of a job that consumes so much of your time.
Daesha G, Class of 2024, advice to her future self:
Twenty years from now, I would like 41-year-old Daesha to remember her time at SDSU, as well as her journey to receive a bachelor’s degree at a four-year institution. Although I began my journey into Journalism in 2021 and am graduating three years later, 21-year-old Daesha was met with challenges, such as breaking out of her comfort zone. Twenty years from now, I would like my future self to cherish all of the friends and memories she experienced all the way from Riverside, NBC 7, and SDSU.
Some of those memories, however, allowed my current self to evolve into a leader who many went to for advice relating to journalism, relating to story pitches, AP-style, or who to reach out for sources. I want my future self to remember the impact she had on others to champion personal growth and have pride in the stories they produced for The Daily Aztec. In 2044, I want myself to never forget the choice I made to consider becoming Editor-in-Chief for The Daily Aztec and its impact as the first Black woman to serve the position for the 2023-2024 year. I want my future self to consider that her presence, during that time, inspired many to get involved in the newsroom, regardless of who they are. As I graduate from SDSU within the next 24 hours, I want my future self to remember how the act of perseverance can take anyone far, including 21-year-old Daesha, to dream big for her future and help others along the way.
Thornton Melon’s advice to the Class of 1986:
Who was Thornton Melon? That’s the character Rodney Dangerfield played in the 1986 classic, “Back To School.”
I have only one thing to say to you today … It’s a jungle out there. You gotta look out for number one. But don’t step in number two.
And so, to all you graduates, as you go out into the world, my advice to you is …
Don’t go! It’s rough out there! Move back in with your parents and let them worry about it!
The advice plays for a laugh in 1986, when the median price of a house was $92,000 and the average was $121,200.
The advice is extremely practical in 2024, when the median price of a home ranges from $229,000 in Iowa to $787,000 in California.
Seriously, if you can, live with your parents. Save your money. Chase your passion without having to worry about paying rent.
What’s your advice to the Class of 2024?
Or to your younger self?
Or to your future self?