Team –

The Time Magazine article about the Class of 2020 was an intense read. A truly sober graduation. The trajectory of the writing was alarming. We all have experienced setbacks in life. For some early in life and some late in life. Adversity breeds opportunity and life is a challenge worth living to its fullest.

My eldest daughter, Whitney, class of 2020, graduates June 12, 2020 from University of Denver. Whitney’s graduation is a pay raise for me – no more tuition!

Scanning the Time Magazine writing for gold nuggets, I find myself going from the end of the writing to the beginning. Charlotte Alter, the writer, states “The pandemic has marked the end of one phase for this unlucky cohort. The recovery could mark the beginning of another.”

Is this not true in any aspect of life?

Charlotte opens her writing as follows “They call it commencement because it’s supposed to be a new beginning.” Commencement being graduation for the Class of 2020.

The loss for the Class of 2020 is not academics, it’s the loss of education and the launch pad the graduation celebration provides in life! Pre-school, grade school, middle school, high school, and college are all launch pads for individual growth. Inspiration for the next adventure.

This class of 2020 embarks on their next chapter without the broad recognition of a recent accomplishment, graduation and the related celebration, to inspire greatness in their next chapter. Generally, jobs, travel, and off-campus living situations would be inspiring next steps.

What can we do?

Hire them! Get your friends to hire them. This could be pivotable in our lives as much as theirs.

They are influenced by Trump’s election in their freshman year and COVID-19 in their senior year. They are resilient, motivated and talented.

They finished their senior year of college “online.” Our world is now online. They are experts in every media type on the planet – no training required – and their older siblings are millennials. Are we not trying to attract millennials to our practices?

They did not get proper goodbyes to those they loved at school, but they are starving for relationships and rewards that a life work balance brings. Every generation is defined in a certain way – the Class of 2020 will be different. Like in our business, the good will become great.

Today’s Closing Bell will update our May & June closings report. We will also share the line up for Tuesday’s Path Forward at 2 PM PT.

Both updates are awesome, plus there is a clean crisp dollar bill in your future.

This is Where We Are Now.

Thanks!

Mark

Mark A McLaughlin