Adult Education

Just a little rant for a Friday morning. I'm consistently saddened by what kids don't learn, and it's usually things I feel their parent's should be responsible for, but today I want to talk about things adults should know. I readily admit this is very picky of me, but it's been a pretty constant experience.

At the end of my college education I took a class that helped me get my resume and portfolio ready. It also went over interview skills and appropriate dress. Pretty useful, yes? And it was a required class. But one of the most useful things it went over was how to shake hands: Not to firm, not weak. We practiced this.

Now I am in the "real world" and have business meetings with professionals. They shake hands more than I do probably. They are usually older than I am and college educated. This would seem to indicate that they would have the hand shake down. No. I can't tell you the last time someone shook my hand and it wasn't like grasping a cold piece of pasta. Men, women, big, small it doesn't matter, they've all had the wimpiest hand shakes.

You know what I've learned? My professor was right: A hand shake does make a big impression. My first thought is, "ugh, does this mean this person is this wishy-washy?" It really does convey a bad impression that you then have to work to over come. It's happened so often that I have to remind myself that a crappy shake doesn't mean a weak personality and hopefully the conversation will reveal an intelligent, well thought person. It doesn't always, but hope springs eternal.

End of rant...have a happy Friday!