Supporting Your Family

Textbooks: Doughboy In The House

Textbooks are sometimes out of date and provide cookie cutter theories or approaches to business. Your experience with the retail store, bar sponsorship or bank error will give you insight into real business, as opposed to what is being taught in classes. Work experience will stand out in an exam when others regurgitate what the teacher said or what the book preached. This is the kind of thinking that will serve you well in the workforce.

All In The Family

While some of you work to pay for school, others may work for pocket money. Some of you may actually be working to support family – either now or later on upon graduation.

A large group of you may be in school because your parents ''convinced'' you. Another group may have something to prove to your family. Whatever the case may be, it is always important to balance your education with your parents and siblings. This is as important as balancing your career with your significant other and your children.

Two athletes – one far more famous than the other – provide interesting perspectives for students.

When Barry Bonds broke Mark McGwire's record of 70 home runs in a season, his children were by his side. Incidentally, McGwire's own son was a major focus when he was traded from the Oakland Athletics to the St-Louis Cardinals. When Bonds was negotiating his contract after his record-breaking season, he was firm about what he wanted: stability for his family and fair market value so he could provide for them. One would think that the new home run king would state a World Series Championship, but he did not.

This is by no means a knock against the much-vilified outfielder and son of former San Francisco Giants great Bobby Bonds. It is a tribute to a man who realized that his family was first and foremost.

A much less known story is that of National Football League (NFL) running back Antowain Smith. Smith was a very skilled athlete who only began playing football in his late high school years. Smith earned all-district honors at Stanhope Elmore High in Alabama. A natural athlete who favored basketball early on, Smith received but turned down a scholarship offer from Auburn. Not only would few high school graduates turn down a Division I scholarship, even less would say no to the famed football program at Auburn that produced Bo Jackson. Smith took a job as a cloth dyer, earning $3.65 an hour and working the 3-to-11 shift. He did his best to help his cancer-stricken grandfather and grandmother, who needed dialysis due to kidney problems.

When his grandparents passed away, his high school coach referred him to the coach at East Mississippi Junior College. For a man who was tendered a scholarship to Auburn, his willingness to even consider this ''lesser'' opportunity spoke volumes about his maturity and perspective.

After a 40-yard dash and a vertical leap, Smith was offered a scholarship to East Mississippi Junior College. With that, his journey resumed on the football field and Smith – who sports a ''In memory of John and Clara Smith'' tattoo – fulfilled a promise he made to his grandmother to go to University.

Smith was drafted in the National Football League (NFL) and played four years with the Buffalo Bills. From there, Smith signed on with the rival New England Patriots and he walked away a winner in Super Bowl XXXVI.