Hello Class… My Name is Sean Patrick Tario…

Had the opportunity to speak on campus at UCSC on Friday last week to a Business Management class led by the kind and wonderful Mary Flannery. Specifically spoke on the life experiences I’ve had and lessons learned over the past 10 years pushing the limit and trying to forge a different path than the standard 9-5 cubicle life outside in the real world. For the most part, I ended up winging it, but spent a lot of time hammering home the point that if they (being mostly Juniors and Seniors – @ 50 of ‘em) didn’t get off their butts, start finding out what their passionate about, and start looking for a job ASAP they would be SOL come graduation and forced into a career path they most likely would not be happy with.

Reflecting back, I loved the experience. Something sparked in me part way into the talk, and I was overwhelmed with the desire to go back in time and tell myself all the things I was telling the class in front of me. Made me that much more passionate about the points I was trying to get across and realize I was truly sitting in front of a room of quasi-mold able clay (other than the few students who just plugged in their headphones and tuned out the whole time). I have so much more respect for teachers now (like my amazing wife who teaches now and my mother AND father who taught back in the late 60’s and 70’s) and also a sense of the incredible responsibility they have to actually REACH their audience. Anyone can talk about a subject, but engaging your audience and actually getting them to listen is what separates those teachers who transform lives from those who just get a paycheck.

Having nearly half the class stay after to ask questions was a sign I think that this may be a calling for me… some day! :)