Ask HN: What have the past 12 months taught you?

The same question was asked a year ago with so many amazing answers, experience, and deep advice. Asking the same question again after almost a year.

Previous entry: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17316120

1) Health start becoming your nr1 priority around the age 40.

I wish I exercised more, did more yearly blood tests checks and was more considerate around my diet.

2) That one should be thankful for what they have

What I thought I wanted was not really what I wanted. My mind just concoted those goals, so that I could go towards them and escape current unpleasant situation. Once I did that, I learned that the grass was not greener on the other side.

I believe I am an optimist. Last several months made me a realist.

Toned down my habit of almost compulsorily seeing the good in people. I am less trusting of new people now. Made me more aware of my own characteristics that I had not given much thought to. My patience levels have gone down the drain, compassion out the window and I have more of a GTFO attitude for anything that, in my opinion, is bullshit.

Several traits have changed. I don’t like some of the changes that I see in myself - but I suppose that happens when someone slowly shreds your life and emotional and mental well-being over several months.

The lowest point in my life was probably over last few months. Most of what I built over last 5-6 years is gone, but that’s okay.

I am at peace, with occasional bouts of depression over past events. Perhaps I will be able to learn my lessons and avoid making the same personal mistakes in the future.

I am rebuilding. Let’s see how that goes. Hope I see this question next year. :)

Not taught:

- Just a reminder I could die one second from now. Tuesday a friend of 21 years, had his heart stop. CPR was performed all the way to the hospital where they found a blockage that they cleared, however his brain had been without oxygen for quite some time and there was no brain activity. 72 hour protocol was started (arctic sun) but he died Wednesday evening leaving his girl, 1 kid and 4 step kids.

Taught:

- The general population is extremely ignorant to climate change and the rather serious consequences it brings. I've had many people tell me it's fake, it's just something politicians use in debates, it's a conspiracy, that we aren't experiencing global warming but in fact are headed for a mini ice age, that they don't care because they can't stop it so they're going to keep on living their life how they want, etc.

- That without a college degree, you are effectively a second class citizen in the workplace. I've had company after company reject me in the past 18 months for not having a degree, including one company doing the exact same job I do now that wouldn't even interview me citing "we require a BA/BS degree as well as previous experience" while at the time I had 12 years of experience and their company was 5-6 years old... my own employer does not promote without a degree, they will flat out tell you to get at a minimum a BA/BS and then preferably immediately start an Masters. Oh if I could go back 16 years and tell myself to get a degree.

- I've learned that tech is largely elitist. Founders only want to deal with other founders once they've had a taste of mild success. Those in power can be college dropouts but they require BA/BS at a minimum for entry-level, non-technical, roles in their companies. They will tell you things like "the best way to stand out is to complete a major project or produce an important result" for entry-level work in their form rejection email.

- I've learned that most of the current people at the helm will admit they were extremely lucky to have a mentor, that helped them without hesitation, when they had no experience or accomplishments behind their belt and were effectively still naive children, but they will only help those people that are well qualified on paper and stand a good chance of making them bank. They would rather bet on a likely win by throwing investment money for a cut at someone and introductions instead of helping someone by actually giving them work, creating something in their empire that the person can prove themselves on, and then give them more responsibility, and more, to let them learn by doing and building a reputation. Instead it is "come to me when you have a sure-fire idea, I'll buy a ridiculous amount of your company for a small sum, and you can make a little while I do little and get richer".

- That Silicon Valley is comical. I'd always pictured it as these brilliant people doing neat stuff, making breakthroughs and driving future technology. Last year I had a lot of introductions made and had the opportunity to talk to a lot of people in the Bay Area that I never would have without the introductions, being a non-STEM, no-degree, no billion dollar idea guy in Indianapolis. While some of these people were truly brilliant, I realized nearly all of them are extremely myopic on one thing that interests them, they mostly don't care about anything else and they will pursue their idea at all costs even when it's something ridiculous or so fantastically unlikely to ever pan out. You'll ask for an introduction "I'd love to help, but I'm really busy" you'll ask if they need a janitor so you can get your foot in the door somewhere to try and build out your CV because you lack a degree "I'd love to help, but I'm really busy", they're friends with umpteen Giving Pledge members and you ask if they could introduce you to someone at one of the dozen philanthropic entities because you'd just like to ask them some questions and see what drives the organization and what they are doing so you can have insight to a different world "I'd love to help, but I'm really busy" you look at their project as an outsider, with an entirely different set of world experiences, and point out that only their friends know what a continuum transfunctioner is and that 99% of people don't and maybe it would benefit them to bring a few popular science YouTube influencers around and show them some of the public stuff on tape and "I'd love to do that but first I want to get this continuum transfunctioner fully operational even though experts in the field think it may never work, so maybe in 4-5 years when I'm not busy I can have the team think about actually explaining what we are doing to 99.9999999% of the world".