Attitude-What it takes to graduate (1)

Why you are here, and why you will finish what
you’ve started

The Five A’s
• People attend school for many reasons:
• some want to advance their own knowledge,
• some want to gain new skills,
• and others are searching for their purpose in life.
• There is, however, one commonality for most students
who enroll in an educational institution...the desire
and necessity to earn a livable income for themselves
and their families.

The Five A’s
What will get you there
• The first and most obvious component is that of SKILLS
AND KNOWLEDGE.
• All employers want people who have good technical skills and
a broad knowledge base. Theory and practice that will give
you the information, techniques, and materials to develop
your skills and knowledge.
• Employment statisticians tell us that employees who lose
their jobs often lose them because of personality or attitude
problems; hence, the necessity of developing a curriculum
that addresses itself to this second component of
employability...the INTANGIBLES

The Five A’s
• SBBCollege defines these intangibles as the 5-A's
• ADAPTABILITY is being able to fit in, to handle various situations
and change with a positive attitude and maturity, to be flexible.
• ATTITUDE is how you perceive, interpret and react to your
environment ... are you the employee employers want: with a positive
“can do” attitude.
• APPEARANCE is the way you present yourself and the message you
send through your clothing, grooming, and how you carry yourself,
and the way you feel about yourself.
• ATTENDANCE is really about being dependable...on time and
ready...there when they need you to be and work the required hours?
• ACADEMICS is applying yourself to the challenges of education,
committing to the time needed to learn and succeed, and to seek
help when needed.

The Five A’s
• In the business world, human relations are a primary consideration. Skills are
of course very important; however, if they are not preceded by the 5-A's, you
will not be a valued employee and being valued and respected paves the way to
all the good things life has to offer.
• These skills help you to successfully sell your company, its services or products
to the public. This is why you will be valued by the company. This is business!
• The INTANGIBLES are not teachable skills. As teachers, we cannot teach you to
have a good attitude nor can we teach you to be adaptable. We cannot maintain
a good appearance for you or attend your classes for you. We can, however, give
you “tried and true” guidance in these areas and then structure certain aspects
of the learning environment so that you will, on a daily basis, be exposed to and
develop these INTANGIBLES. You will notice that these INTANGIBLES are very
contagious ... we readily adopt them by observing and emulating those around
us.

The Five A’s
• Your stay at SBBC is like an on-the-job training period. You
are learning the best ways to make yourself “valuable” to an
employer. It is a time for you to experiment with
• NEW WAYS OF THINKING,
• BEHAVING,
• RELATING TO OTHERS,
• AND DRESSING, as well as a time to
• GROW IN SKILL AREAS.
• Most of all, it is time for you:
• TO BE IN CONTROL OF YOUR LIFE AND YOUR FUTURE
• To develop responsibility for yourself, your actions, and to
start enjoying your achievements and your life.

The Five A’s
• SBBC believes strongly in the importance of these
components and we have established a realistic, job
oriented environment that enables the student to make a
smooth transition between school and work.
• Each student, in turn, must be willing and realistic enough
to take advantage of everything that is offered and work to
develop a high level of employability.
• SBBC cannot sell you an employable personality. We sell
the seeds, provide great growing conditions, and help find
a market for the finished product. You must make the firm
commitment to sprout and grow by learning SKILLS and
developing the INTANGIBLES.

Why are you enrolled at
SBBCollege?
What do you hope to gain from being here?
Take a few minutes to write down all the reasons you chose to
come here; this is your own private list, you don’t have to
show it to anyone else.
• Is it for your family, or to provide for your children, or to
make your parents proud?
• Is it because you want a career, more money, or more
opportunities?
• Maybe you’re here to silence all the “haters” who said you’d
never do anything or be somebody
• Write it all down!

What will you GAIN by finishing?
What will you gain by successfully graduating?
• Will you be able to get a career? Doing what?
• Will you be able to make more money? How much?
• Will you be able to move into a new place? Where?
• Will you be able to get a new car? What kind?
• Will people respect you more? Who?
• Be as SPECIFIC as possible!

What will not finishing COST you?
If you give up and quit, what is it going to cost you?
• Maybe you’ll have wasted time and money with
nothing to show for it.
• Maybe you won’t get all the things you wrote down
before.
• Maybe you’ll get stuck exactly where you are for the
rest of your life.
• Maybe you’ll prove all the haters were right about you!
• Write it all down!

How will finishing FEEL?
How are you going to feel walking across the stage on
graduation day?
• Are you going to be proud that you worked hard and
didn’t give up?
• How will it feel having your friends and family there
cheering for you?
• How excited will you feel about your future?
• How will it feel knowing your dreams are becoming
reality?
• Write it all down!

“Whether You
Believe You Can, Or
You Can't, You Are
Right”
-Henry Ford

Choosing new beliefs
It is up to YOU to decide what you believe about
yourself!
• Instead of saying to yourself “I can’t do this”, tell
yourself “I can and will figure this out!”
• If something seems ‘boring’, tell yourself “it’s
important to know this” so you can graduate and get a
career.
• If you don’t feel well, instead of missing class tell
yourself “I am tough and I can make it”!
• Write 3 things down you can say to yourself, to keep
you going when the going gets tough!

This is your ‘WHY’ list
This list is what is going to keep your motivated when
times get tough…and they will get tough!
• Keep it with you, and read it every day before class
starts.
• Write it out again every 2-3 weeks, or any time your
goals change.
• This is a VERY powerful tool that will keep you on
track when other people get distracted and fail….
*USE IT*