The author's father gave him career advice on an index card 30 years ago after graduating from college. The index card contained practical tips for having a successful career such as setting goals, thinking for yourself, backing up words with action, selecting good leaders, being willing to serve, knowing the facts, rehearsing presentations, varying tone of voice, and suggesting positive action. The author kept the index card on his desk for 20 years and found it served him well in navigating his career. He thinks his father had insights from his own business career that influenced the author. The author wants to share his father's advice with other college graduates.

1. ROCHESTERNEXT.COM
Democrat and Chronicle Sunday, May 26, 2013
Len LaCara Business Editor (585) 258-2416
llacara@democratandchronicle.com
Len LaCara
The 2013 college graduation season
is wrapping up this weekend. It has
become a time of year when com-
mencement speakers dispense practi-
cal career advice, learned throughout
their lifetimes, in hopes that the grad-
uates will take heed. Thirty years ago,
I received some advice that set me on
a life course for which I am forever
grateful.
A few days after returning home
from college graduation, my late fa-
ther called me to his office. Like many
in his generation, my father did not
attend college. When asked where he
went to school, he would jokingly re-
ply, “the School of Hard Knocks.” He
was a man of remarkable intellectual
curiosity, capacity and a keen interest
in others. He was a seeker who had a
thirst for understanding and a willing-
ness to go it alone that resulted in a
genteel spirit of individuality.
When I arrived at my father’s of-
fice, he handed me an index card on
which he had typed some instructions.
He said I would need to study these
and strive for excellence if I wanted
to achieve career success. To him,
success was grounded in the ideal that
to give of oneself for worthy cause or
goal in a life of service, whatever your
chosen field may be, was the ultimate
objective. We never again spoke about
what he had typed.
For the first 20 years of my profes-
sional career, I taped the card to the
top of my desk to serve as a daily re-
minder of his advice. Here’s what it
said:
Set and stick to specific goals.
Think for yourself and follow up
ideas.
Back up your words with action.
Select and support good leaders, be
willing to serve yourself.
Do you know the facts?
Have you rehearsed what you plan
to say?
Do you vary the tone of your voice,
its pitch and speed?
Do you seek constructive criticism
about your presentation?
Do you end your remarks by
suggesting some positive action?
For 30 years, that well-worn index
card has served me well as I negotiate
the unavoidably turbulent waters of
everyday business life. I’ll never
know why he chose to tell me those
things, but he had insights from his
lifelong career as a business owner
that I’m sure had a significant influ-
ence.
I was invited to a gathering a few
years ago in my hometown. The town
officials were dedicating a small park
in the center of town in honor of my
father’s many contributions to the
community and the country. As I lis-
tened to the kind words of the town
officials, I thought to myself, it is a
special privilege to know a man who
not only gives you his advice but fol-
lows it as well.
Maybe you know a 2013 college
graduate who could benefit from my
father’s advice. If so, please share it.
He wouldn’t mind.
So let’s get to work.
Advice to grads, from ‘the School of Hard Knocks’
PCBURKE@gmail.com
Patrick
Burke
OUTSIDE INSIGHTS
Consideringit’soneofAmerica’scloudiestcities,itmightsurprisesometothinkofRoches-
ter as a rising star in solar technology.
But sunshine isn’t necessary to develop the tools to collect and store the power of the sun.
You need what Rochester has in abundance — technical know-how, ties to the latest research
and the right facilities to test and make solar cells and batteries. Even
Rochester’s expertise in making film is a plus, given the latest trends in
solar panels.
Things are moving quickly in Rochester’s solar arena:
» Earlier this month, Natcore Technology, the New Jersey-based
company developing new solar power technology, announced its opera-
tions at Eastman Business Park will expand from four employees to
about 30.
» In April, federal officials announced that the Albany-based College
of Nanoscale Science and Engineering was buying a 50,000-square-foot
Eastman Kodak Co. building in Greece where a new solar power re-
search facility would be established.
» The New York Battery and Energy Storage Technology (NY BEST) Consortium’s new
commercializationcenter,whichcouldplayakeyroleindevelopingsystemsforstoringelec-
tricity generated with solar panels, is expected to be up and running by the end of the year at
Eastman Business Park.
TINA YEE/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
Solar energy experts say region poised
to be a hub for research, manufacturing
Bennett J. Loudon
Staff writer
See SOLAR, Page 5E
PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY DANI CHERCHIO
GO DEEPER
ON DIGITAL
Click on this story at
RochesterNext.com to
view videos about solar
energy projects in the
Rochester area.
INSIDE
» Sean Lahman column:
Bright insights from solar
innovators, 3E