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Right out of high school we all think the world is easy, and that we are all going to be millionaires with big houses and great cars. Well the truth hurts my friends, and this list of rules should be read by every 12th grader in America because it is so true. These eleven rules should be carefully considered and contemplated deeply for all those who are graduating this coming year.

Rule 1: Surprise! Life is not fair - get used to it! Nothing in this world seems or is remotely fair, and that's just the way things are

Rule 2: The world won't care about your self-esteem. The world will expect you to accomplish something BEFORE you feel good about yourself. That's just the way it goes, to feel good about one's self you need to make some sort of accomplishment.

Rule 3: You will NOT make $60,000 a year right out of high school. You won't be a vice-president with a car phone until you earn both. You have to start small and work your way up, that's what collage is for.

Rule 4: If you think your teacher is tough, wait till you get a boss. The difference is, a teacher can only punish you so much, a boss supplies your means of living, and can take it away for disrespect. Superiors have a whole new meaning in the real world

Rule 5: Flipping burgers is not beneath your dignity. Your Grandparents had a different word for burger flipping: they called it opportunity. You have to take what you can to make it in life. If that means flipping burgers or walking dogs, so be it.

Rule 6: If you mess up, it's not your parents' fault, so don't whine about your mistakes, learn from them. This is the only way you will ever grow as a human being. Stop blaming your parents, it's not always you mothers fault! And trust me, you don't have the time or the money to spend on or in therapy.

Rule 7: Before you were born, your parents weren't as boring as they are now. They got that way from paying your bills, cleaning your clothes and listening to you talk about how cool you thought you were. So before you save the rain forest from the parasites of your parent's generation, try delousing the closet in your own room.

Rule 8: Your school may have done away with winners and losers, but life HAS NOT. In some schools, they have abolished failing grades and they'll give you as MANY TIMES as you want to get the right answer. This doesn't bear the slightest resemblance to ANYTHING in real life. If you fail in school you get a hug and told "Try again" you fail in life, you starve, harsh huh?

Rule 9: Life is not divided into semesters. You don't get summers off and very few employers are interested in helping you FIND YOURSELF. Do that on your own time, because nobody wants to hear you grip and complain, so suck it up.

Rule 10: Television is NOT real life. In real life people actually have to leave the coffee shop and go to jobs. Unless you happen to work at said coffee shop, but you get the idea

Rule 11: Be nice to nerds. Chances are you'll end up working for one. You know who Bill Gates is right? All his high school bullies now bring him doughnuts and coffee. They also shine his shoes, drive him to work, clean his office, and pay him to use his product. Nerds are cool, so be nice to them.

So there you have it, a high school students guide lines and rules for coming into the real world. Remember them well, and consider thanking your parents for getting you this far. Chances are you'll be relying on them for the first few years of your "adult life" so you may do well to appreciate them more often then you do now.

Learn more about this author, Chris Guinn.
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