Ask HN: What would you tell your 16-year-old self?

#1

Post by ejsaz » Sat, Aug 03, 2013, 8:55 PM UTC

Hi. I turn 16 this month.

I'm not any kind of wünderkind, young entrepreneur, anything like that. I know a few programming languages (but I'm not sure if I know how to program yet, if you know what I mean). There are a lot of questions that one has to ask themselves when they're at this age about their future: where they're going to go for university/college, what to do after education, things like that. I'm currently uncertain of any of the answers. After reading HN for a while, I've become interested in startups and startup culture, though I'm unsure if I want to be an entrepreneur myself, or if I do, what kind.

Being uncertain, it helps if someone who's been through it all could offer even the fewest words of wisdom. Since I find some similarities between myself and the people in the community that I observe here, I figured that I could get something out of answers to the question: if you had a conversation with your 16-year-old self, what'd you say?

Re: Ask HN: What would you tell your 16-year-old self?

#2

Post by tshtf » Sat, Aug 03, 2013, 8:58 PM UTC

I'd be just as interested in what my 16-year-old self says to me now. It would be an interesting conversation.

Re: Ask HN: What would you tell your 16-year-old self?

#3

Post by rayhano » Sat, Aug 03, 2013, 9:01 PM UTC

tshtf wrote: post #2

I'd be just as interested in what my 16-year-old self says to me now. It would be an interesting conversation.

Yes, I've often read through old notes not recognising who that person is. It would be great to see their point of view on many things.

Re: Ask HN: What would you tell your 16-year-old self?

#4

Post by ams6110 » Sat, Aug 03, 2013, 9:04 PM UTC

Do stuff you like. The rest works itself out.

Re: Ask HN: What would you tell your 16-year-old self?

#5

Post by msvan » Sat, Aug 03, 2013, 9:04 PM UTC

I'd say don't sweat it. Make sure to not focus too much on computers. Programming/entrepreneurship is great and interesting, but I know that I spent a lot of my early teens as a loner in front of my computer screen.

Also, I'd say finish. Whatever it is that you do, finish it. Don't let abandoning stuff become a habit.

Re: Ask HN: What would you tell your 16-year-old self?

#6

Post by mindcrime » Sat, Aug 03, 2013, 9:08 PM UTC

I'd tell myself to be a lot more aggressive and to tell anybody who says "good things come to those who wait" to go fuck themselves. I'd give my 16 year old self a copy of The Game as well, along with a stack of Ross Jeffries and David DeAngelo material. I'd tell myself to take the entrepreneurial step a LOT sooner, and I'd hammer on myself to get serious about investing a lot sooner.