Bill Clinton: “Well, when I was--I'm not sure I thought about it that much when I was your age. But when I was in high school I was…”

“Well, when I was--I'm not sure I thought about it that much when I was your age. But when I was in high school I was basically interested in three things. I was interested in music, and I was very serious about it. I was interested in medicine, and I considered studying to become a doctor. And I was interested in what I'm doing now; I was interested in public service. And when I grew up, it was a noble thing to want to be an elected official. I see all these surveys now where parents don't want their children to go into politics, and people think it's a bad thing to do. I don't believe that. The political system which gave Mr. Dooley a chance to serve in Congress and gave Ms. Eastin the chance to be the education superintendent and gave me a chance to be a Governor and then a President is what's kept this country going for 200 years. So when I was raised, just like I was raised to believe and have high education aspirations, I was raised to respect the political system that we have and to believe in it. And I still feel that way. So those are the three things I was really interested in when I was in high school. And finally, I just decided that I wanted to do what I'm doing now because I enjoyed it more and because I thought I was better at it. I think, generally, you need to find something you really like to do with your life and something you think you can become good at and do it. It doesn't mean you'll always win at what you're doing or you'll always be successful. I've lost two political races in my life. And I have not always achieved everything I've tried to do in the public offices I've held. But I think that generally you'll be happier if you do something that you're interested in and that you think you can be good at, even if it's extremely difficult. And I remember when I went to college, sometimes, I made the worst grades in what were supposed to be the easiest courses, and then sometimes the hardest courses I did better in just because I cared more about it and I would throw myself into them. So that--I don't have any advice for you except to find out what you really--what you like, what you care about and then do it without reservation--whatever it is. Student. Mr. President, I'm very overwhelmed by your visit this morning. But how was it like meeting President Kennedy?”