Nothing - regret sucks
Ask HN: You're 27 again. What would you do differently?
31–40 of 45 posts
Re: Ask HN: You're 27 again. What would you do differently?
#32So I find myself in 1990... I'd call up my high school crush, and we'd end up married 10 years sooner. Do a lot more programming and electronics, pushing as far as my skills can get me. Do a lot more photography, starting with film, and then get a scanner and go digital once the technology is able to keep up. I'd make sure my grandpa ended up in jail, instead of getting away with what he did. I'd do a lot more exerci…
How does the business really work and is there some book about it which isn't just popular fiction?
Re: Ask HN: You're 27 again. What would you do differently?
#33This is very applicable to me. - I would save and invest a lot more than I did. In my case, I would have an additional 500K-700K easily if I just saved when I was 27. I am almost 40 now. This is without compounding. Kids, don't waste all your disposable income. I was making six figures in my mid 20s and had no obligation except some student loans and I blew money like crazy (Bought BMWs etc). I don't regret all of it…
The way I feel like now at 27 is that I have to choose between starting a business, spending more time with people I love or taking better care of my body. I don't see doing those 3 at the same time possible
Re: Ask HN: You're 27 again. What would you do differently?
#34So I find myself in 1990... I'd call up my high school crush, and we'd end up married 10 years sooner. Do a lot more programming and electronics, pushing as far as my skills can get me. Do a lot more photography, starting with film, and then get a scanner and go digital once the technology is able to keep up. I'd make sure my grandpa ended up in jail, instead of getting away with what he did. I'd do a lot more exerci…
How does the business really work and is there some book about it which isn't just popular fiction?
I now understand the motivations of people way better than I did as a kid. There are a lot of things that are common knowledge after you've worked a few decades that aren't rocket science, but also aren't obvious.
It's like parenting... you have no idea until you've done it. There is a whole hidden parallel universe that you just don't see until you have a child to raise.
Re: Ask HN: You're 27 again. What would you do differently?
#35I took risks and they went very well. 5 year plans exceeded expectations, 1 year plans fell short.
People who are richer and more successful are not always better. Most were lucky. You have to trust in yourself more than you trust others. In fact, nearly all my failures in my early 30s/late 20s have been trusting someone who went to MIT or someone with a history of success.
Don't bother with practical productivity books. Nothing stuck. Anything that tells you that doing X will give Y results is lying. History books are fine: someone did X and Y happened. Psychology/science is fine: statistically Y happens as a result of X. There's a subtle difference, but basically a practical book is very fragile. It's like memorising chess openings; the tools work in very specific conditions. The difference is that the world changes quickly - everything in Rich Dad, Poor Dad or the 4 Hour Workweek becomes an anti-pattern once the world changes.
"Resume items" won't land that job or even a better paycheck. Just optimize to do good work, not looking good on a piece of paper.
Re: Ask HN: You're 27 again. What would you do differently?
#36An 80yr old friend said, "the third job is the good one". I would worry less about changing job if I was unhappy.
Re: Ask HN: You're 27 again. What would you do differently?
#371. Maintain fitness better. 2. Do everything possible to get into FAANG or other top tier tech company. Made the ignorant mistake of thinking that working in the tech departments of Wall Street investment banks and hedge funds were the pinnacle of a SWE career (I'm not referring to places like Citadel/TwoSigma/JaneStreet/etc.etc.). Ignorance is bliss. Note that this was many, many years ago when a SWE career wasn't c…
I think the banking salaries exceeded tech 20 years ago so banking was a good decision?
Re: Ask HN: You're 27 again. What would you do differently?
#38Well with knowing what I know now.. I'd buy a bigger house further from the city.
Re: Ask HN: You're 27 again. What would you do differently?
#39I just turned 27 yesterday, time to look at these answers and use the best one :)
Re: Ask HN: You're 27 again. What would you do differently?
#40I had changed careers and gotten out of computers (IT and dev) at about that age. I should have stayed kept out of computers instead of coming back to them.
What did you move into?