Professor Elam

In the late 1960s Clint Eastwood, Lee van Cleef, and Burt Reynolds all had careers in ascent. But only one shot to the top. As Eastwood observed he came back from Spain and the spaghetti Westerns. He quickly managed to direct and star in a genuinely good movie, Play Misty for Me. 

 Van Cleef had been a co star for years as far back as High Noon mid 502 and Liberty Valance 1962.  But he found his niche as the flinty eyed co star with Eastwood in the second two spaghetti westerns.  But Eastwood came back to Hollywood and started directing. For whatever reason, van Cleef was not so calculating or simply lacked the star power. He continued to make mostly B movies and television series. 

 Before you accuse me of picking B actors for the example, about the same time Burt Reynolds landed a role in Deliverance and a star was born.  Great looks and an aw shucks personality so appealing that even Dinah Shore, a huge star from the 50s in her own right, fell for him.  A famous photo spread in Cosmo, dating Sally Field, he seemed to have it all. And then, well, you tell me. he continues to work but I have not seen him at the Oscars. Eastwood has gone from box office success to genuine Academy Award honors, now everyone wants to be in his movies, even Shawn Penn. 

My point here is that you must seize the moment. Your two years here at A & M are important, make the most of them. I just earned my ten year pin as a full time college professor. And here are some observations.

You must manage your college time to maximize your learning. More than one student is amazed at how quickly two years goes by.

This is not time to hurry up. Accounting is a ladder, one course builds on another, no you cannot take combinations and intermed II at the same time. Remember a degree is not a movie ticket, you will be judged on your accomplishment and knowledge on the job. 

Are you budgeting your time to be successful?  Do you have your own place to study at home? do you plan quiet time?  Believe it or not some students get up early when it is quiet at home, teenagers are never awake at 5 AM…

Do you have a study buddy or study group, do all of you look out for one another if someone has to miss class?  Do you have the current text?  Have you purchased an outline from Schaum's or Gleim?

Are you reading the business news, have you read the websites of San Antonio cpa firms?

We will be discussing more ideas for your success, but you and only you can make it happen.