Life and Education Lessons Learned from Larry Crowne

In an economy when people are feeling the pressure of job insecurity, this weekend’s “Larry Crowne” plays out a common scenario of people being let go from their jobs. In Tom Hanks and Julia Roberts’ feel-good new romantic comedy, it features Hanks as war veteran Larry Crowne who loses his job at a big box department store for not having enough education backing him up. He decides to go back to college at a local community college and ends up in a professional speaking class taught by Roberts’ burnt-out character, Mercedes.

Larry Crowne echoes some excellent lessons about life and education.

1. People with more education are less likely to be fired. Larry Crowne is the perennial employee of the month with a positive, can-do attitude who is let go from his job because of his lack of education. Fiction mirrors reality in this case because even in a down economy, people with a college degree are less likely to be fired.

2. Larry Crowne post-makeover

   A mid-life crisis is the perfect time to reinvent yourself. Midlife crisises are happening to people in their 20s now, so regardless of when it hits for you, there’s not better time to reinvent yourself. Crowne gets a makeover, trades his car in for a scooter, and gets some new friends. Changes like this can go a long way to making you feel better when life kicks you in the pants.
3. It’s never too late to go back to college. If you’re being passed up for jobs or promotions because you never went to college, it’s never too late to get that academic edge. Night school and online college make it possible for professionals to gain higher education while keeping your day job. Did you hear about the 99-year-old man who graduated from college recently? Even though he jokes it took him 80 years, he got ‘er done. Never too late to start.
4. When life serves you lemons, make lemonade. Crowne shows us that when the going gets tough, a good attitude can take you a long way.