36%. That was my grade going into the final exam. Not even a perfect score was enough to pass the course.
And so I went to the professor to beg.
“No.”
But if I fail, I won’t have the prerequisite for all of the classes I am supposed to take next semester!
“No.”
But then I’ll have to take the semester off!
“No.”
But then I’ll have to take an EXTRA YEAR!
“No.”
What will I tell my friends and family?
Welcome to the 5-year plan.
I took the next semester off and repeated that single course, with the same professor. Awesome. I was furious. How could he do this to me!? Did he have any idea what he cost me? A year of my life and thousands of dollars! I’m paying those student loans right now.
Except:
The internship that I worked while I repeated that course was my first: it set me up for a successful career by teaching me professionalism, time management, balance, punctuality, personal finance, leadership.
I met one of my dearest friends working there.
Taking that semester off aligned my schedule with Justin, who became my best friend. We took every class for the rest of college together, supporting each other and encouraging each other to learn as much as we could. We also had a lot of fun and took turns as best man in each other’s weddings.
This also aligned my schedule with my roommate Chris. About a year later,
Chris introduced me to my wife!
I can keep pulling at this thread: the extra summer gave me an extra internship, which aligned me with the start of a new research project, which led to my senior design project, which led to grad school, and my career as a professor…
The consequences of failing that class? A job I love, a best friend, a wife who loves me for me, my son. I can live with that.
Every class I teach requires the class that I failed as a prerequisite!
Apart from the amazing coincidences (I don’t believe in those, theres a Plan), I learned something important. I learned what it takes to do college right. And I did it. I earned an A in that class and solidified my approach to learning.
Failure isn’t the end.
So don’t give up. Learn what works and what doesn’t, hustle, and try again! I had no idea at the time, but so much of my life can be traced back to that professor and the word,
“No.”
If you’d like to see me talk about this, head over to YouTube:
This is a 12-minute recording of a lecture I gave on the last day of class this semester. If you’re new here, then this is the best possible way for you to get to know me. If you’ve been watching for a while, then I want you to know that I am more proud of this video than anything I’ve ever posted. Take a look and let me know what you think!
