I think it's time to face up to the fact that the guiding advice for 30? 50? years of, "keep your head down, go to college, get good grades, you'll get a good j

I think it's time to face up to the fact that the guiding advice for 30? 50? years of, "keep your head down, go to college, get good grades, you'll get a good job" is practically dead. Now, I advise these things: * go to college - you need to go to college because it's the best way to get a wide education. * get a degree - this needs to be in something very difficult for people to do. Math. Engineering. Accounting. * expect that your future job will not make you happy. Presume you'll hate it a bit. Concurrently, realize that your life is more than your job. * go to internships and find local networking events. Learn to drink responsibly. * save money. You probably have to take out student loans. Don't be afraid to put money by from them, because you will need to do things like move, buy a car, pay for car bills. * assume you have to move to get a job. Most jobs are going to be a place not in your college town. Get used to the idea. (Aside: I've known many people who go to college near their parents, and don't want to leave the area, just because they want to be near their family. That's not a productive idea. You are your own person. Invest into your future by finding a job you like, even if it's a country away). * grades matter to some people. I've been turned down solely on the basis of my GPA. Accept that if you don't have a 3.9+, you didn't jump high enough for some people, and there's no way to get around that. Either get the high GPA or find hiring people who don't obsess about that single metric. * learn business. Business is what pays your bills, if you know something about it, you'll understand the 'why' into seemingly irrational decisions.