2008-2009 Training Manual; Position: President of the United States

I took a job as a dishwasher when I was 13-years old and on my first day there was a five-minute training session that included a kitchen walk-through and a quick peek at the dining area. Oh, there was also a quick stop at the soda dispenser. My first job out of high school took me to a luxurious country club where I played the role of ‘cart boy.’ The training lasted about 30-minutes and at the end of the day I realized my resume was now dotted with enough skills to get me...nowhere.

After college I landed a job with a well known rent-a-car company and the training lasted two weeks and I was not doing much more than what I did as a cart boy. Go figure. My next stop also included a few weeks of training and the training trend continues today; 20-years since my first job.

Today, I hold an MBA and 20-years of work experience, I speak a foreign language and I have lived in South America, Europe, many of the Southern states, one Mid-West state, and I spent seven-years on the West Coast. I have been in debt to my ears, homeless, a star athlete, a high-school dropout and along the way I made connections with people from all walks of life. Can I expect to take a new position with a new company and not be required to attend some type of formal training; of course not.

Could I be President of the United States? Of course not; not now, however; the next president, I feel, should have similar experiences or qualifications to run our country.

The world is changing quickly (Global Economy) and there are no barriers anymore. We at least need a leader who is seasoned in world history, educated in world culture and speaks a foreign language. If the person does not meet the criteria then, why not create a training program. A training program that assist the president in developing a knowledge base of current world trends and a quick study of War History, World History, Presidential History and Current World Affairs; along with training on current technological trends and a study of pop culture. Did I leave anything out?