Don’t waste youth

I watched a documentary the other day. It was a 50 minute film about a pop band, Roxy Music, who were very big in the 70s and the 80s ('More than this, the Roxy Music story'). I really enjoyed the film, it brought back many fond memories. Bryan Ferry was a real style icon and seems to have remained incredibly cool throughout his whole life. If you transported him from any point in history into any present moment, I am sure that he would still be as cool, current and relevant as he appeared then.

The documentary was made in 2009, so already quite some time ago. The original members of the band Bryan Ferry, Brian Eno (synthesiser), Graham Simpson (bassist), Phil Manzanera (guitar), Andy Mackay (saxophone and oboe), and Paul Thompson (drums and percussion) were all filmed, reflecting upon that period of their life where they set out to present an avant-garde musical offering. What was particularly interesting was that they had not originally set out with music performance as their main function. Certainly, Ferry and Eno were studying art, and their presentation of music and style was, in fact, an art piece that they felt very strongly about. The blind passion of youth was clearly evident, these people believed they could change the world, and nothing was beyond them.

The documentary sent me running to my notebook, where I immediately wrote. This note.

'DO NOT WASTE YOUTH, YOUR YOUTH

the window from 16/17 to 30 is so valuable to build blocks from which to leap or develop. It is the foundation to the you of the rest of your life'

It really made me realise how powerful we are when we are young. We underestimate the energy that we have when we are young. Our blind faith really can move mountains in our youth.

Everything that we will become in our adult lives, the opportunities that will manifest themselves for us, will be as a result of the people that we became during our youth. It's highly likely that we will spend the rest of our adult life reminiscing this period;  the important friendships that are formed, successes, failures, desires, hopes and dreams.

I suppose, if you really look at all this you'd say, “yeah it's all obvious”. But I wonder, is it obvious to us when we are young and entrenched in all that is happening around us.

In 2001, Tony Blair declared that it must be “education, education education”. This was what would change the future for Britain and its inhabitants. While he spoke of the freedom, equality and empowerment of educational leaders that would enable them to deliver better academic and vocational study, the reality is really very different. Our children were put on a pathway, requiring them to hit the marks and funnel in, hit the marks and funnel in. SATS, 11+, Common Entrance, Entrance exams, GCSEs, A-levels, Degree, and on and on. Everybody became obsessed with the notion that good qualifications equal a good education and that this work would grant them the prize of a good job.

I always worry about the struggle that many children have just to keep up. I think in reality, many people are cast aside if they can't hit the marks, or choose to disengage, because of a lack of help and support in the system.

Clearly that was leveraged by many educational institutions. The old Polytechnics became Universities. Seemingly every educational institution was somehow up rated. Now you needed a degree to do almost anything and everything, unless it was menial, manual or dangerous! A profession like nursing, which was not previously considered an academic choice, from 2009 needed a mandatory University degree. University degrees became a requirement for many office based job applications. It seemed like learning on the job was a thing of the past, mentoring passed over for more “education, education, education”, a university degree and its associated debt.

Even my own profession, hairdressing, has struggled. Rather than an on the job apprenticeship, either gaining NVQ from in-house training with outdoor assessors or day release to a college is replaced by a full-time college course with the aim of gaining a level two or level three NVQ. Are the people that come out of the college ready to be hairdressers? Not in my opinion. They will then have to embark on some hands on learning in the salon environment, potentially adding years to the overall length of their training to become a competent professional. I would imagine this is true in almost any profession, whether, office-based, industry based or in the health arena.

What I have realised after watching my own son, go through entire system of education, and gaining a plethora of qualifications culminating in a Masters degree, in business management from a business school in a Russell group University, is that there is no guaranteed prize at the end. Our young people have done everything that has been asked of them, by their parents, their teachers, their politicians and society at large. Was Tony's vision really practical?

Listen, I'm not saying that having qualifications is a bad thing, of course it's not. They are, of course tangible, tradable assets which will potentially be valuable throughout ones life. I'm just saying it's not the only way. I'm pleased to see that finally other avenues are beginning to open. Apprenticeships starting again, degree apprenticeships are becoming more widespread and available and we do seem to be realising that practical hands-on skills are in fact, also valuable tradable assets.

Back to my original point that I wrote down in my notebook. The young should not waste their youth. Take the pathway that is most suited to you, be that academic or practical, don't worry about it, just always do and be the best you can in everything you do. Take every opportunity that life throws at you, grab it with both hands. If you get the chance to travel do it. Don't worry about what job you get, if your dream job does not automatically manifest at the end of your childhood educational journey.

The cream will always rise to the top.

Try and find a workplace that will make you happy and keep a smile on your face. Don't worry about the role that you initially take up. Have fun, stop putting yourself under pressure, relax. You can do all that and still work really hard and gain the respect of the people around you.

For us oldies reminiscing, it's been fascinating to see how opportunities manifest before our very eyes. You almost can't dream, or imagine what opportunity might deliver itself to you as time passes.

Maybe it's a lucky break, but you'll have to be ready to take full advantage if one of those delivers itself to you. Maybe it's sheer hard work that gets you seen. Who knows?

I showed this piece to Mop (my wife). She wasn't particularly complimentary. She said it sounded like I was terminally ill and declaring my thoughts on a life passed.

I absolutely did not feel the least bit maudlin when I wrote this, in fact, quite the opposite, I was full of joy. I suppose I just remembered I had absolutely grasped my own youth with both hands and taken every opportunity that came my way.

Mop did make an interesting point, though, one should always be alert to those trying to steal your youth, because people, companies and organisations can and do. It's valuable and you don't get it back. So make sure you use your superpower to make you happy! if you're not happy, it's probably time to consider your next move.

Live your life, you can't fail! Even when the world sees failure, you learn something, so hopefully you don't make that mistake again. At this point in your life, you've got time, you've got time to learn about life! It really does have its ups and downs, it's peaks and troughs. You'll climb a mountain and the view is spectacular, but there's probably a valley before there's another mountain to climb, and they just keep coming. The range can last your lifetime, so don't get bogged down in the foothills!

Don't waste your youth! Get out there and enjoy your life.