Commencement Speech:
Thank you very much President, Board of Trustees, Chancellor, faculty, staff, graduates, and their families.
Being selected as a distinguished Alumni brings great happiness and pride to my mom, and is a great honor for me. I’ve always loved to negotiate, and have been very good at this, but honor is something that you cannot negotiate. You must earn it.
I earned this honor and was selected as a distinguished Alumni because of what I have achieved in my career. I’m sure you all will be able to achieve even greater things than me, but I would like to share with you what have helped me get where I am today.
Frankly, it’s very simple: work like hell. At my first job in the States, I’m sure I was one of the lowest paid software developers in Sorrento Valley, but I worked like hell. It was a norm for me to work until 8-9PM, some days until 1 or 2AM. This went on for years, not days or months – to gain experience, to learn new things, and to grow. Without a thirst for knowledge and the motivation to always improve, I would never have progressed. Back then, during those long hours it was sometimes difficult to keep believing that it would all pay off one day. You too, will have moments like that, where you may feel like giving up or feel that your efforts are in vain, but I’m standing here before you as proof that they are not.
The principle is simple – always be hungry, always work hard, and always take an extra step.
You must understand that it will never be a straight shiny road to your success; our lives encompass obstacles and interruptions, so expect them, but don’t let them stop you, and don’t use them as excuses to stop yourself from achieving your goals. I’m talking about both personal and work circumstances.
Flights always get delayed when you are on your way to your second interview; cars always breakdown when we are on the way to the final test; the landlord wants more money two hours before your performance evaluation. There is always something to distract you, and always something to overcome. Overcome it and move forward, do not allow it to hold you back.
I have a little story for you: back in Russia I almost dropped from college, but thanks to my mom I stuck it out (let’s give her a good round of applause) so that I had a degree (as you can see) when I came to the States. A computer science degree was enough to write a code, but not to manage people and work with business executives. When I realized that, I didn’t just give up my hopes of becoming a technology executive. I went to Miramar College and took language classes. My ugly accent is still with me, but I communicate a lot better – thanks to this wonderful college, and specifically Dr. Lisa Brewster. She was teaching speech communications and she literally applied the first amendment – freedom of speech – in my life.
Here’s another little story. Last week on May 9th I was at the largest yearly event in the San Diego IT community – “2013 Top Tech Exec Award”. This year more than 350 technology executives were qualified as finalists. Thirteen years ago, when I moved from Saint-Petersburg, Russia to United States, I knew only one IT executive – my boss. I would have been so happy to just participate in an event like that. To me, those executives were just “some people” “somewhere”; but still, 13 years ago, I knew I would be among them someday. I didn’t know how long it would take, but I believed in that. I believed in myself and in my capabilities… and, believe it or not, two years ago I was nominated for the Top Tech Award, and last year, I won this award… and just last week, at Top Tech Exec 2013 I was among the judges. This year I was judging the finalists…… Believe and BE persistent…, and you can take something from a wish to a reality. “You can do it” – my father always said to me…, and I did…, and you can too – let’s give him a good round of applause.
Another very important aspect to success is having PASSION for what you do. You can become a true professional IF and ONLY IF you enjoy what you do. Think about this when it’s time to decide what you will be specializing in, in your career. You can feel satisfaction ONLY if you do what YOU like.
You have all earned your degree and this is a very good start for the next chapter in your life, but you must understand that it’s not the end of learning. The reality is in the modern world you will always need to learn. Technology changes so fast these days, so you constantly need to learn and experiment with new things to keep yourself up to date. If you don’t specialize in technology, you will still need to constantly learn because technology is the base layer of almost every job, and it’s transforming everything. Learn new skills whether your company provides you with training or not. In the end, it’s YOUR market value.
I want to say thank you to my wife and son before the end of the speech. When you do it at the end, it get slightly lost in applause. Tatiana and Dan, thank you very much for your EVERY MOMENT support and love – let’s give him a good round of applause.
Now, back to my final thoughts for you – Entitlement is a trending word today. I must tell you truth: when I moved to United States I was entitled… – entitled to ONLY one thing – hard work. I have never received one food stamp or a dollar from any government program… and this is a good news…, because you can make success by YOURSELF – by working hard… It is in YOUR hands…
The United States of America is a land of opportunity, always was, and always will be. Define what you want to archive, see that, believe in yourself, stay hungry, learn new things, and work hard toward your goals: you will make yourself successful and this country stronger.
Thank you!
* Text in bold is when I unexpectedly received applause. It was a pleasant surprise – I’m glad there were many people with the same belief.
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