A Good Choice that You Will Make Great

Marissa Mayer gave the commencement address at Harvey Mudd College last summer and talked about how she chose among her 14 job offers after graduation - nice problem to have - to become Google's first female engineer and employee #20.

"I got together with my economist friend and we carefully weighed them all. Being a computer scientist, I love logic and data, so I created a big matrix: one row for each job with columns for salary, location, quality of life, career trajectory, and likely happiness, all rated on a scale from one to 10. We drew up charts, graphs, and equations, and it was all so incredibly focused and detailed and analytical that by midnight, I just totally lost it and collapsed into tears.

Then my friend said: 'You're approaching this as if there's one right answer. And I have to be honest, that's just not what I'm seeing here. I think you have a bunch of good options, and then there's the one that you'll pick and make great'

That's good advice for life and the college application process. Do your homework so that you have good choices, then pick the one that you will make great.

In the mood for further inspiration? The website Social Times has put together a list of seven of the most "awesome" commencement addresses. http://socialtimes.com/graduation-speeches_b64065