Majoring in finance.
Ask HN: What has been your biggest mistake?
31–40 of 102 posts
Re: Ask HN: What has been your biggest mistake?
#32I think the mistakes that can be classified as the 'biggest', are typically the ones made in personal relationships. Those are the things that probably cannot be mended/replaced with any other 'equivalents'.
In terms of career/work etc, i really do not think one needs to worry much or brood over past decisions, we all got plenty of time (hopefully) to work everything out as we want it to.
This quote sums up a lot of things nicely:
The greatest mistake you can make in life is to be continually fearing you will make one. -- Elbert HubbardRe: Ask HN: What has been your biggest mistake?
#33Most of the below!!! (except playing football and doing physics!!)
Re: Ask HN: What has been your biggest mistake?
#341) Granting people respect just because they are older than I am.
2) Not moving to San Francisco sooner.
Re: Ask HN: What has been your biggest mistake?
#35Earlier quoted context omitted.
Football meaning soccer or american gridiron? I played the latter and the injuries I took affect me to this day. Back in the day, nobody mentioned the 100% injury rate - i.e. anyone who plays football will eventually get hurt bad enough they can't play. Thus, as I type this from bed, because one of my slipped discs has acted up, I have the opposite opinion - playing football was one of the biggest mistakes I've ever…
Almost every sport has a 100% injury rate where you eventually get hurt bad enough you can't play anymore. The trick is choosing a sport where the most common injuries prevent you from playing the sport but don't prevent you from walking. A good percentage of swimmers eventually develop shoulder injuries, but (AFAIK) that doesn't prevent you from doing anything except swimming.
maybe the 100% rate is true, but not 100% career-ending injuries.
Most people quit playing a given sport seriously because they have to choose between that and making money.
I swam for 4 years in college and I only know 1 person who had a career ending shoulder injury, and that one because it was misdiagnosed for a year.
OTOH everyone I know who played football at any level has at least a minor nagging injury.
Re: Ask HN: What has been your biggest mistake?
#36startup-wise: 1. working as employee #6 at a startup in boston instead of google in 2001. 2. working as employee #6 at a startup in SF instead of youtube in 2005. whoops!
At that point in time, where the other 2 startup ideas less/more crazy than google/yahoo?
Re: Ask HN: What has been your biggest mistake?
#37Earlier quoted context omitted.
Almost every sport has a 100% injury rate where you eventually get hurt bad enough you can't play anymore. The trick is choosing a sport where the most common injuries prevent you from playing the sport but don't prevent you from walking. A good percentage of swimmers eventually develop shoulder injuries, but (AFAIK) that doesn't prevent you from doing anything except swimming.
maybe the 100% rate is true, but not 100% career-ending injuries. Most people quit playing a given sport seriously because they have to choose between that and making money. I swam for 4 years in college and I only know 1 person who had a career ending shoulder injury, and that one because it was misdiagnosed for a year. OTOH everyone I know who played football at any level has at least a minor nagging injury.
Yes, football from what I've seen, is far worse than any other common sport. Even rugby is much safer.
Re: Ask HN: What has been your biggest mistake?
#38Not getting it in writing. It doesn't have to be a long drawn out contract, just a short email explaining what the agreement is. Even amongst friends, you will never regret having an email stating your agreement.
Trusting the level of integrity, gratification posed by founders/managers and slogging my ass for their success. Reminds me of Austin Wiltshire's blog on New hire Cannon fodder.
Re: Ask HN: What has been your biggest mistake?
#39Spending the first half of my twenties working my guts out for a big corporation where my efforts went largely unnoticed outside of my immediate sphere. I'm certain that if I put that time into a start-up I would be much better off today -- even if it failed.
Re: Ask HN: What has been your biggest mistake?
#40startup-wise: 1. working as employee #6 at a startup in boston instead of google in 2001. 2. working as employee #6 at a startup in SF instead of youtube in 2005. whoops!
Third time lucky?
At least you had the courage to work at various startups, even if they failed, which is more than most.