At my desk at work, on a conference call. My screen is flickering with incoming emails that pop up with a snippet, then fade away like a ghost. The instant messaging system keeps blinking like a hazard light. My personal cell goes off again, with another text, and reminders of previous texts. The other line of my phone rings. People in the cube just across from me are talking. Outlook’s reminders window pops up. It goes on and on and on…..

So by the time my state’s primaries come around, many of the candidates will have dropped out. So even if I thought one was the best option for President, I won’t have the chance to cast a meaningful vote for them. Technically the candidates that drop are not out of the race, but that is like saying a runner in the mile decided to sit down on the track is not out of the race till it is over.

The election process needs to change. This current political cycle is a perfect example of that. We had one state’s delegates decided by coin flips (which the winning candidate won all 6, hmmmm…). We have “super” delegates saying they don’t care what the popular vote in their state says, they are voting for the other candidate. We have another state that won’t release their popular vote count.

Is this any way to run an election? I would think there has to be a better way. More on this later…..

It seems to be a common plight among young people today (and I am saying high school in this instance) that they aren't sure what they want to be. Yes, there are some that have ideas. Of course, they might change over time, that is to be expected. Rather I am talking about the ones that just have no idea. I have a guess as to why that might be, and I attribute it to two reasons.

One, there is an overwhelming number of choices out there, and the current line of thinking is that more choices can lead to more confusion and hence, in decision.

Two, It is a rapidly changing job market. This generation has seen some of the greatest economic upheaval since the Great Depression. I think they are aware of this and it perhaps causes anxiety in pinning down a specific direction, and understandably so.

My advice to them is this: It is ok not knowing what you want to do, but focus on basics to give you the most options. Learn to write and speak well. Understand math, even if you don't like it. Especially statistics, because they can give you very powerful insights into things and it can prevent people from misleading you with them. Learn to practice critical and logical thinking. Read about history and how it relates to the way the world is today. Learn to work with people, even if you don't like or agree with them.

Those skills will be required in any career or life choice.