My lessons learned from high school: High school performance is not an indication of real life performance. I graduated class rank 380 out of 386 because my p

My lessons learned from high school: High school performance is not an indication of real life performance. I graduated class rank 380 out of 386 because my personal goal was to see just how close I could cut it without missing the mark. That means I was at that time a risk seeking personality. I also hated high school, because my high school is one of the top high schools in the country and is certainly not a reflection of reality. I was happier isolating myself from the competition politics parents imposed on their children and I achieved that isolation with far too great of success. I still got into college just fine and now I make more money than many of my teenage childrens' friends' parents. This is solely because I pursue my personal interests far more aggressively than most people. Many years ago when I was at Travelocity I was a young senior developer. Somebody I graduated high school with (top ten class rank) came in as a junior vice president. Her education and life goals were centered around management, but she had no product or technical goals. She left the company before I did and is doing very well. It took me later in life to discover my personal goals and I have been less successful as a result. I suspect there is greater demand for me in the marketplace and I likely have greater job security and her though. You are still a child. Your brain has not fully formed and so you lack the observational and emotional stability that comes with being an adult. That said remain calm and don't anything too seriously. Focus on learning all things from academics, inter-personal relationships, technical things, human behavior, and so forth. Don't confuse who you are with who you want to be. Be yourself and do it well. Use your time in high school to prepare the personal behaviors that will carry you through the rest of life. Consider things like self-reflection, work ethic, a lust for learning, written communications, and so forth. Discover your interests and personal passions and have the courage to share your interests with others. Set personal goals. Its ok if you don't achieve your personal goals at that age, because your interests are subject to change. Goals give you something to work towards and what is important is that you are working towards something intentional with great focus. If you do quit your goal prematurely do so deliberately with a great reason that you can speak to out loud. You never get your time back. Don't waste your time on frivolous things. Any activity that contributes to some degree of self-improvement, listening/communication skills, or social behavior is important. Fun is what you make of things. It is a matter of perspective. Beware of people trying to define this for you.