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Ask HN: What did you do (or wish you did) when you got out of highschool?

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Re: Ask HN: What did you do (or wish you did) when you got out of highschool?

#11

Post by joeclark77 »

In the "what did you wish you did" category, think about joining the military. They will pay you more than some minimum-wage job would, give you training and possibly an exciting tech job like cyber-warfare. (Not to mention the uniform and the physical training that'll help you attract a good woman!) Maybe you don't have any sense of duty or patriotism (most of us didn't at your age)... but you probably will in 15 years, and you'll thank yourself! There are a lot of us old guys who wish we had served, but I've never met an old veteran who wishes he hadn't.

Think about the other stuff you're probably planning to do with the next decade: work some entry-level jobs, live with your parents, sit on the sofa, play a lot of video games, etc. Why not drive a submarine or work with satellites or something instead?

Re: Ask HN: What did you do (or wish you did) when you got out of highschool?

#13

Post by logn »

I went straight from HS to college with the help of my parents. But I also worked half the year full-time and went to school the other half full-time. I highly recommend this path. Learn basic programming skills first, then enroll in a CS program, then market yourself to employers and apply to any intern/co-op positions. I could have never divided my attention between work and school simultaneously, so I think alternating work and school is ideal.

Also, learning programming before enrolling in a CS program is from my experience the best path to not failing out. Professors do not really teach programming. They give assignments and do their best at lectures which doesn't really help your brain think programmatically.

Re: Ask HN: What did you do (or wish you did) when you got out of highschool?

#14

Post by kdude63 »

S4M wrote: post #8
kdude63 wrote: post #7

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Because the tech industry is what I'm passionate about. My lack of drive comes from things like lack of self-confidence and motivation.

You should read the essay "How to do what you love" by pg [0]. One thing he says is that it's easy to think you love something just because it has lots of prestige around it. I don't know you, so it is possible that you will love technology, but from your comment "Because the tech industry is what I'm passionate about. My lack of drive comes from things like lack of self-confidence and motivation.", it seems to me th…

Hm, well now that I look back at the comment I made at 2am, it seems rather silly to say I'm passionate about the tech industry itself.

The thing is that I've always been fascinated with technology and what it can do. I love working with it and I love making it work. As far as I'm concerned, making something useful in Java or putting together a computer is just as much fun as watching a movie or eating food.

My problem with drive is the whole "do what you're told" thing. I've tried doing things for a friend, but I often get bored in the middle of it because I'm just doing what I'm told, and it's not of any particular value or interest to me. Things that I don't think are just really cool or things that don't benefit me personally are harder to work on... and I don't think I'm the only one with this problem.

But anyways, thanks for the link, it's a good read and definitely something to think about either way.

Re: Ask HN: What did you do (or wish you did) when you got out of highschool?

#15

Post by spiralhead »

kdude63 wrote: post #14
S4M wrote: post #8

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You should read the essay "How to do what you love" by pg [0]. One thing he says is that it's easy to think you love something just because it has lots of prestige around it. I don't know you, so it is possible that you will love technology, but from your comment "Because the tech industry is what I'm passionate about. My lack of drive comes from things like lack of self-confidence and motivation.", it seems to me th…

Hm, well now that I look back at the comment I made at 2am, it seems rather silly to say I'm passionate about the tech industry itself. The thing is that I've always been fascinated with technology and what it can do. I love working with it and I love making it work. As far as I'm concerned, making something useful in Java or putting together a computer is just as much fun as watching a movie or eating food. My probl…

Unless you're working for yourself on your own product it's hard to find something you're 100% passionate about. But the funny thing about that is working for yourself is one of the hardest things you can ever strive to do. It is even harder when you get married and have kids because your free time evaporates to zero. Now is the time to go for independence if you can do it

Re: Ask HN: What did you do (or wish you did) when you got out of highschool?

#16

Post by JSeymourATL »

joeclark77 wrote: post #11

In the "what did you wish you did" category, think about joining the military. They will pay you more than some minimum-wage job would, give you training and possibly an exciting tech job like cyber-warfare. (Not to mention the uniform and the physical training that'll help you attract a good woman!) Maybe you don't have any sense of duty or patriotism (most of us didn't at your age)... but you probably will in 15 ye…

*Ditto: Great chance to see the world, and prove yourself. You'll come back with confidence you can't get anywhere else.

Re: Ask HN: What did you do (or wish you did) when you got out of highschool?

#17

Post by JSeymourATL »

Bravo for thinking to ask such a profound question. No doubt you'll go far!

Personally, I wish I started a program of autodidacticism earlier. Teaching myself about business & technical subjects that interested me. Also, make a habit of reading biographies of great men. Tremendous lessons can be learned that way.

Finally, read up on Goal Setting and implementing your action plans. *You've got less time than you think. Get Going Now!

Re: Ask HN: What did you do (or wish you did) when you got out of highschool?

#18

Post by jf22 »

I did what I wanted, was lazy, did too many drugs, danced to too much music and didn't care about the future. Life got messy at some points and I was almost homeless a couple of times. My career growth was stunted by I ended up about in the same place, or better, as my peers who "applied themselves".

I took shitty jobs that made me appreciate the perks of sitting behind a desk. I roamed around a dirt poor social circles which made me appreciate money. I hung with happy hippies who didn't give a shit about what society said thought about them and learned what inner peace means.

My perspective about measuring success and failure was changed by my post high school experiences. I chase goals and dreams differently now because I got all the fun and partying out of my system and look back on my life with fond memories of all the excitement I had.

Its like I'm not working hard to I can retire and have fun again you know? I know what the uninhibited lifestyle is like and the pros and cons. I choose to live a more calm life because I made a rational decision. Not because I feel like I'm pressured by social norms or external expectations.

Now I have a good 9-5 job, some freelance clients, two failed saas businesses, two content sites. I work hard now but only real difference between me and people in similar situations is our age and how peaceful we are internally.

If everything around me crumbles and I have nothing again I'm sort of ok with that. I don't worry if I missed out on anything and can relate to the joy and struggles of entirely different classes of people.

I guess that brings me a sort of peace when I'm working a long night or putting in extra effort. I just don't get stressed out about things and there is no nagging voice telling me to relax, I did that already. ;)

If I were you I'd fuck about, take a furniture delivery job, work in a kitchen and do things only a 20 year old body can handle. Make friends with people who you'll probably never be able to meet again after your CS career takes off and overall, relax.

Gain life experience instead of computer experience.

Re: Ask HN: What did you do (or wish you did) when you got out of highschool?

#19

Post by osmnshkh »

I'm in the same position right now. Instead of getting a job where you won't learn anything, try and get a job or an internship at a startup. I've worked at a local startup for the past year and it's been an amazing experience. I learned a lot and met a lot of interesting people.

https://angel.co/jobs

Re: Ask HN: What did you do (or wish you did) when you got out of highschool?

#20

Post by 27182818284 »

I think Sacramento might be sub-optimal. I'll throw out a couple other tech cities that have a much, much, much lower cost of living, but still exciting developments. I think you can get to these places faster, and then develop skills or make some money or even attend college. (I'd actually recommend college first. I know it is fashionable to hate on college right now, but the overwhelming evidence is that it is still a good thing)

==Kansas City Probably the heart of Silicon Prairie right now, it has amazing areas like the Kansas City Startup Village where hackers live together in houses next door to each other powered with Google Fiber. (Need help with something in iOS? Walk a house down and ask the guys in the other place. That type of thing) Not only is it a great city with great BBQ, beer and history, but it the biggest emerging tech scene in the Midwest. This includes, but isn't limited to http://eyeverify.com/ http://www.gethandprint.com/ etc etc etc

==Lincoln, Nebraska Home of the University of Nebraska, it is an emerging tech center with new accelerators and venture capital firms in its sister city like http://dundeeventurecapital.com/ (Omaha is an hour away by car) and other avenues for funding like http://www.investnebraska.com/ and the http://www.nebraskaangels.org/. The fastest growing private company in Nebraska is http://www.hudl.com/, which started as a 3-person startup, but now has 3 offices in two cities. Similarly, the university is in the process of launching Innovation Campus which almost doubles the land area of its campus and includes maker spaces, business accelerators, and more.

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