So for this age, for your time, I want you to just think about this: Think about not waiting your turn.
Instead, think about getting together with friends that you admire, or envy. Think about entrepreneuring. Think about not waiting for a company to call you up. Think about not giving your heart to a bunch of adults you don’t know. Think about horizontal loyalty. Think about turning to people you already know, who are your friends, or friends of their friends and making something that makes sense to you together, that is as beautiful or as true as you can make it.
And when it comes to security, to protection, your friends may take better care of you than CBS took care of Charles Kuralt in the end. In every career, your job is to make and tell stories, of course. You will build a body of work, but you will also build a body of affection, with the people you've helped who've helped you back.
And maybe that’s your way into Troy.
There you are, on the beach, with the other newbies, looking up. Maybe somebody inside will throw you a key and let you in. But more likely, most of you will have to find your own Trojan Horse.
And maybe, for your generation, the Trojan Horse is what you've got, your talent, backed by a legion of friends. Not friends in high places. This is the era of Friends in Low Places. The ones you meet now, who will notice you, challenge you, work with you, and watch your back. Maybe they will be your strength.
If you choose to go this way, you won’t have Charles Kuralt's instant success. It will take time. It will probably be very lonely. A living room is not a news room. It doesn't feel like one. You know you’re alone. And on the way, you might get scarily close to not being able to afford a living room.
+There Are Some People Who Don't Wait, Robert Krulwich