The best way to learn, anything, is by trying, failing and iterating. This is true (for me at least) in programming and otherwise. I generally believe you shoul

The best way to learn, anything, is by trying, failing and iterating. This is true (for me at least) in programming and otherwise. I generally believe you should stay in school, and more importantly stay learning technical stuff (whether undergrad, grad school or in a technically challenging job). It's the best way to get ideas, and more importantly find people to work with (if you want to start a company). So I do harbor doubts about the Thiel Fellowship (though I happen to know quite a few talented kids in the program, and think it's working well for most of them). However, you will not learn how to be a Founder/CEO without being a Founder/CEO. Some have a natural ability at this, but 99% of even the best CEOs probably just have the ability to learn quickly on their feet. By the time their mistakes might be noticed, they've already learned and corrected them. The only thing you'll learn by working your way up the corporate ladder is how to work your way up the corporate ladder. The stuff about learning how to work hard is BS. If you want to do a startup and hope things will happen for you, you probably believe in an all-powerful being that has a plan for you.