Hard question to answer because 17 is such a transitional age. When I was 17, the only things I had passion for was baseball & girls. So, I guess I would have

Hard question to answer because 17 is such a transitional age. When I was 17, the only things I had passion for was baseball & girls. So, I guess I would have worked harder at the first. I can't really say "I would have done X" because that's not who I was then. BUT I do have a 17 year old daughter ... so, if you're asking what I would tell her if she took a year off college, I think it would be: (a) don't get a credit card, (b) pick an art/technology/cooking skill that can be learned in 3 -6 months and do it, (c) then either travel to a 3rd world country and live/volunteer OR volunteer/intern at a startup