Life’s Tuition

When was the last time you paid tuition? No, this isn’t about going to an AFP conference or getting a Master’s degree in nonprofit management, although I’m an advocate of both. No this is about the “tuition” you pay at the “School of Hard Knocks.”

I pay this tuition every day — some days more than others. Yet maybe it’s a function of age, but I’m getting less upset about making mistakes that “cost me” because I’m coming to the realization that what I “pay” in money spent or lost opportunity is the cost of the lesson, if I chose to learn from it.

How is this a career point? When was the last time you made a mistake (yes, I can see you looking at your watch), and what did it cost you? A promotion? A chance to look good to the boss? More work for a project that should have been easy? You get the idea. Whether you actually put out money, or pay in income never realized, there’s a cost to the career mistakes we make — and you’re going to make them, for sure. The only question is whether you picked up the education for the tuition you paid.