Greetings, readers! Last week we talked about delayed gratification and how it is necessary for you to get ahead, build wealth, own property, accomplish success. It also applies to careers. More on this after the Top 20.

Finally taking over the #1 spot is Whitney Houston’s monster hit anthem Million Dollar Bill, an amazing and inspiring candidate for comeback hit and comeback artist of the year. Tumbling to #2 is Run This Town by Jay Z, Rihanna and Kanye West.

Up to #3 is a previous essential new tune; Make Me by Janet Jackson, which is doing well in the dance charts. Up to #4 its Bad Habits by Maxwell, another comeback artist of 2009 candidate. Falling to # 5 is Boom Boom POW by Black Eyed Peas. Fighting its way up to #6 is Empire State of Mind by Jay Z and Alicia Keys. This is a hot song that I’ve heard all over the place.

Slipping to #7 is Mary Mary with God in Me. On the way up at #8 its Baby By Me by 50 Cent featuring Ne-Yo, a recent essential new tune but one whose lyrics I just cannot manage. Up to #9 is I Invented Sex by Trey Songs featuring Drake. Improving to #10 is Money To Blow by Birdman featuring L’il Wayne and Drake.

Falling to #11 is the dance anthem I Know You Want Me by Pitbull. Down to #12 is Under by Pleasure P. Falling to #13 is Release Me by Agnes. Jumping to #14 is Papers by Usher. Up to #15 is Paparazzi by Lady Gaga.

Slipping to #16 is S.O.S. (Let The Music Play), by Jordin Sparks. Improving to #17 is It’s Killing Me by Melanie Fiona, last week’s essential new tune.

This week’s essential rocking new jam had landed at #18. Say Aah by Trey Songz featuring Fabolous reminds me of Jamie Foxx’s monster hit Blame it, from last year.

New at #19 is How Low by Ludacris. In at #20 is Try Sleeping With A Broken Heart by Alicia Keys.

Now back to this week’s word — delayed gratification. The desire of so many people to want immediate gratification will not work. Previous generations had to struggle, sacrifice and work for everything. Why should things be any different now? Anything in life that is worth having is worth working for and sacrificing to attain, bar none.

A good buddy of mine was sharing with me that he is a qualified, educated, hard-working black Bermudian male, now in his mid-40s. He has worked for 24 years, has had his Masters Degree since the early 1990s, but just could not break through the “glass ceiling”.

Finally, in his mid-40s, he has made it to the ranks of Senior Manager/Department Head. He had disappointments during his career, applying for jobs but not getting them; positions for which he was suitably qualified. He fought through the disappointments, did not despair, kept working, kept applying for posts; getting some and moving around as positions dictated. He saw others obtain promotions quicker than he did and while this was frustrating, he just kept working, kept applying and one day, his ship came in. I neglected to say that he kept praying; because prayer changes things and we must never forget that.

The point here is that he had to wait over 20 years, but some young whippersnapper, fresh out of a poorly chosen and what my dad calls “fly by night” college, which may not be properly accredited, expects to start as the manager of the department or section in which they are applying for a job. You don’t graduate from college or enter the workforce and start out as the boss. I hear many stories about young persons who are fortunate enough to get a job out of college, and expect to be making six figures from day one. Sorry, it doesn’t work like that.

I want to take us back to an issue from the previous paragraph. Many of our young people have been attending institutions, colleges and universities that are not accredited and cannot get jobs once they graduate because their degrees, certificates and accomplishments are not worth the paper they’re written on, much to the dismay and disappointment of students and parents.

We must ensure that students only attend properly accredited colleges, universities and technical institutes. They must only get degrees from schools that will be accepted by employers, so that they can get jobs upon graduation. Otherwise they are wasting money and time, because if employers don’t accept the degree/institution, they will not hire the student. The Department of Labour and Training, which includes and is the parent department of the National Training Board, can provide a list of schools that are accredited, they can advise you of the best schools to attend based on your area of interest and more importantly they can tell you which schools you should not attend.

So, young people, hang in there for the long haul. It is not a sprint. It is a marathon. If you take your time and pace yourself you will get there. When you get a position, don’t expect to be the boss from day one. It may have taken your boss 20-plus years to reach that point in their career. Don’t think that you can do it in five.

Be patient, hang in there, learn all you can, be a good employee, work hard, be punctual and in time you too will gain upward mobility. However, promise yourself that as you move up, you will not forget what it was like to be the person at the entry level position, because many of us forget what it was like at the bottom when we get to the top. This does not a good leader make. Good luck … DJLT.