<p>So I just had to share... My oldest is graduating on December 22nd with a degree in Communication Studies (minor in Political Science). He's been saying since he was in the 8th grade that he was going to work in professional sports. For years, no one believed that he could do it. Well today he got a job with the Los Angeles Clippers! 3000 people applied for 6 spots. I'm just so happy and excited for him and I just had to share the news with parents who would understand just how exciting it is to watch their child achieve their dream.</p>
<p>YEAH!!! that is indeed happy news. Congrats to your son for graduating and getting a job. one of the best gifts he could get this holiday season.</p>
<p>I guess if you are not now, that your will become a clippers fan especially now that you have the family hook up </p>
<p>Thanks, everyone! Actually the best part is the Clippers have been my son’s favorite team since he was in middle school. He is just floating on air. He feels that he just landed his dream job. This is just so great for me. I remember the little boy crying in the second grade because he couldn’t read as well as everyone else. Look at him now. I’m just so darn happy for him.</p>
<p>That is so wonderful! I’m going to tell my son (who struggles with learning issues). Can I ask – what do you think contributed to your son’s success? An easy going, friendly personality? Did he become more academic focused in college? Any tips/suggestions?</p>
<p>^^^ Please do… This child is the definition of determination and doing things his own way. He is bright but was so bored in high school. He came to me as a sophomore and said, “I think what is expected of kids to get into college out of high school is ridiculous. I want to have a life and enjoy high school. I’m going to community college first.” I was fine with that. He graduated from high school with ordinary grades but a CIF championship in his sport. He went to community college for one year. During that year he held down a job, played his sport for the college and took 30 units. He was a scholar athlete. He applied to one school (the only one he wanted to go to) and got in. He had a terrible first semester at college due to a religion class. He ended up on academic probation but pulled it together beautifully. He was an unpaid intern for three years with the athletic department at the school. He did a summer internship with the Padres. He took summer classes and held down a job delivering pizzas. He listened to everyone tell him he couldn’t do it and he did it anyway.</p>
<p>I’m sharing this because I want parents to know that each child matures in their own time. I think if we listen to our children and love and support them in their choices, that good things will happen. I’m still in shock. I can’t believe he did it! Woo hoo!!!</p>
<p>Classof2015 - I think what contributed most to his success was being told that it was okay to not fit the norm and that it was okay to do things differently. This got him through college. Formal education really wasn’t important to him. He just went to college to get the degree but you can see by his minor in a totally unrelated field, he studied what he was interested in. We have always told our children the key to success is doing what you love and getting paid for it. We have told all of them to shoot for their dreams because it means nothing to make money if you are miserable in your job. That’s just how we feel and that’s how he raised them.</p>
<p>The other thing was I recognized very early on that he had a passion for sports, that he had an amazing personality, and that he could write. He drove me crazy because he wouldn’t do his homework. He would just slide by getting B’s and C’s. Yet he was clearly bright because he could name the starting line-up of every team in the NBA and NFL. He just thought school was uninteresting. I started suggesting things when he was in his early teens that would highlight his strengths. I suggested all sorts of fields. I got him a book filled with the writings of Rick Reilly from Sports Illustrated. I shared with him interesting stuff about the sports world. I didn’t fight it or try to change him. I just went with it. He tried writing for the sports section of the college newspaper. They wanted him to be editor but he decided that wasn’t the right way to go. I encouraged him to get involved with the athletic department and he did. Basically I just kept telling him that he could do it. I tried to give him confidence and he took it from there. He has a very good personality and is very well liked. He made connections through all these internships and they came through for him with the Clippers. The Padres are still trying to get him to work for them right now. My son decided that work experience was more important than grades in college. He did well but he wasn’t concerned about graduating with honors. He got out there in the real world and he said that is what helped. When he was in one of the interviews with the Clippers, the man said “I don’t care what you did in college. What can you do for me now?” My son was the only one in the room with any sports experience. He was the youngest one they hired and I am convinced it was because he had real work experience.</p>
<p>So many young people have to settle for first jobs that have little or no relationship to what they actually want to do. It’s great to hear about a new graduate who is going to be able to work in the field that he wants.</p>
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Congrats to you both!</p>