5 ms·

Advice from Harvard Business School's Class of 1963

89 points by brianliou91 13y ago

thoughtexps 13y ago
This might be interesting as well to those who admire this article: https://medium.com/p/1b1cde25627a https://medium.com/p/1b1cde25627a
- vdaniuk 13y ago
  The quality of the linked article is very low. Comparing Facebook and Apple to ponzi scheme? Check. Comparing founders and VCs to blood-suckers? Check. Comparing Facebook and Apple employees to slaves? Check. Zero useful information, 100% linkbaiting by stirring controversy.
brisance 13y ago
Thank you for sharing this! I internalized some of these lessons from my own life and it has made me feel a bit better about similar conclusions reached.
meisterbrendan 13y ago
"Have fun. You'll be dead a long time." Love this.
- maaku 13y ago
  I don't plan on it.
  - derleth 13y ago
    > I don't plan on it. Think about it game-theoretically: If you live as if you'll die, and you don't, you'll have a much more interesting life, because you took advantage of it thinking you're living under the Sword of Damocles. If you live as if life extension will keep you going, and it fails, you'll have a short, boring life, full of things you put off until it was too late. Those are the extreme values of the matrix; if you work through the rest, I think you'll find that the most utility is always gained by living as if you'll die eventually. (Living as if you'll die tomorrow is romantic and all, but it would prevent you from working towards any goal which takes more than less than a day to complete. It could also land you in prison, deported to a less-pleasant foreign country, or both.)
    - maaku 13y ago
      I reject the premise entirely. Death does not give life meaning. Life gives life meaning. Procrastination is a human error. You can choose to live each day to the fullest without embracing deathism.
      - melling 13y ago
        I guess first we'd have to define "fullest." Your meaning and mine are probably completely different. If all you want is to be in that happy place, well, ... good luck. I bet Elon Musk, Steve Jobs, Jeff Bezos, and Bill Gates have a different idea about what they want/wanted to accomplish with their lives.
      - derleth 13y ago
        > Death does not give life meaning. Life gives life meaning. I never disagreed with this. > You can choose to live each day to the fullest without embracing deathism. I almost disagreed with this. My point is that procrastination has its payoff as well, but, even if you don't die, the payoff from doing as much as you can is higher.
  - melling 13y ago
    Death is going to happen whether you plan on it, or you don't. Sorry...
fvrghl 13y ago
I think Paul Rosenbaum's advice for careers is particularly relevant for programmers: "Keep re-inventing yourself through self-education, because industries change quickly."
GFischer 13y ago
Most of the advice is good, but I disagree with some generalizations: "My one big mistake in life has been providing a trust fund for my five children. I’m very comfortable paying for an education for as long as they want to study in a reputable university. However, providing additional funds so they could have a lifestyle beyond what they have achieved on their own was a mistake." - DICK RESCH I don't know how big that fund was, and it might have been a mistake in his particular case - but I can tell you that the opposite (not providing any financial help under the "you must get ahead on your own" mantra) creates a lot of bitterness - missing U$ 10.000 for a down payment to buy a house (which I wouldn't mind having loaned, not a giveaway) and having to keep on paying rent and toiling at an awful company, while your parent inherits several millions, hurts. So does not having the possibility of asking for seed money for a startup, and having other people deny you by saying "your wealthy father doesn't invest in you, so why would I?". (note: I'm 32, I know I should have some money saved away by now, but I did make mistakes - actually I think I prove my point, not giving money doesn't guarantee your children won't make mistakes :P )
- loceng 13y ago
  Making money after a college education back when your father went through school is much different than today - total apple and orange comparison based on how the world has shifted to global economy and economies of scale and automation are at an all-time efficient high (and it's not all benefit).
- sneak 13y ago
  > which I wouldn't mind having loaned, not a giveaway It is fraudulent to make a down payment for a mortgage with borrowed money according to most mortgage contracts. IIRC even gifts from parents for down payments generally need to come with documentation clearly stating that it is a gift and not a loan.
  - cowsandmilk 13y ago
    as someone going through the mortgage process currently, I can specify that some of my down payment is a loan. Not sure what you are talking about. If you hide the fact that it is a loan, maybe it is fraudulent? But it very clearly is allowed as I can specify it in the paperwork.
goshx 13y ago
"Work hard. Be honest. Help others." - PHILIP B. SMITH
normloman 13y ago
Great advice. "Recognize opportunities and see trends before everyone else" Sounds easy enough. "Choose work you enjoy" No kidding! "One mistake is to stick with a highly profitable business model too long when the world is changing. Another is to abandon the old for the next new thing, particularly if the path to profitability is not clear." So change is good. Unless it's bad. "Happiness is the best measure of success." So my Reddit Karma is worthless? "The greatest gift you can give your children is to love one another." AWWWWWWWWWW <3

89 points by brianliou91 13y ago

This might be interesting as well to those who admire this article: https://medium.com/p/1b1cde25627a https://medium.com/p/1b1cde25627a

vdaniuk 13y ago
The quality of the linked article is very low. Comparing Facebook and Apple to ponzi scheme? Check. Comparing founders and VCs to blood-suckers? Check. Comparing Facebook and Apple employees to slaves? Check. Zero useful information, 100% linkbaiting by stirring controversy.

brisance 13y ago

Thank you for sharing this! I internalized some of these lessons from my own life and it has made me feel a bit better about similar conclusions reached.

meisterbrendan 13y ago

"Have fun. You'll be dead a long time." Love this.

maaku 13y ago
I don't plan on it.
- derleth 13y ago
  > I don't plan on it. Think about it game-theoretically: If you live as if you'll die, and you don't, you'll have a much more interesting life, because you took advantage of it thinking you're living under the Sword of Damocles. If you live as if life extension will keep you going, and it fails, you'll have a short, boring life, full of things you put off until it was too late. Those are the extreme values of the matrix; if you work through the rest, I think you'll find that the most utility is always gained by living as if you'll die eventually. (Living as if you'll die tomorrow is romantic and all, but it would prevent you from working towards any goal which takes more than less than a day to complete. It could also land you in prison, deported to a less-pleasant foreign country, or both.)
  - maaku 13y ago
    I reject the premise entirely. Death does not give life meaning. Life gives life meaning. Procrastination is a human error. You can choose to live each day to the fullest without embracing deathism.
    - melling 13y ago
      I guess first we'd have to define "fullest." Your meaning and mine are probably completely different. If all you want is to be in that happy place, well, ... good luck. I bet Elon Musk, Steve Jobs, Jeff Bezos, and Bill Gates have a different idea about what they want/wanted to accomplish with their lives.
    - derleth 13y ago
      > Death does not give life meaning. Life gives life meaning. I never disagreed with this. > You can choose to live each day to the fullest without embracing deathism. I almost disagreed with this. My point is that procrastination has its payoff as well, but, even if you don't die, the payoff from doing as much as you can is higher.
- melling 13y ago
  Death is going to happen whether you plan on it, or you don't. Sorry...

fvrghl 13y ago

I think Paul Rosenbaum's advice for careers is particularly relevant for programmers: "Keep re-inventing yourself through self-education, because industries change quickly."

GFischer 13y ago

Most of the advice is good, but I disagree with some generalizations: "My one big mistake in life has been providing a trust fund for my five children. I’m very comfortable paying for an education for as long as they want to study in a reputable university. However, providing additional funds so they could have a lifestyle beyond what they have achieved on their own was a mistake." - DICK RESCH I don't know how big that fund was, and it might have been a mistake in his particular case - but I can tell you that the opposite (not providing any financial help under the "you must get ahead on your own" mantra) creates a lot of bitterness - missing U$ 10.000 for a down payment to buy a house (which I wouldn't mind having loaned, not a giveaway) and having to keep on paying rent and toiling at an awful company, while your parent inherits several millions, hurts. So does not having the possibility of asking for seed money for a startup, and having other people deny you by saying "your wealthy father doesn't invest in you, so why would I?". (note: I'm 32, I know I should have some money saved away by now, but I did make mistakes - actually I think I prove my point, not giving money doesn't guarantee your children won't make mistakes :P )

loceng 13y ago
Making money after a college education back when your father went through school is much different than today - total apple and orange comparison based on how the world has shifted to global economy and economies of scale and automation are at an all-time efficient high (and it's not all benefit).
sneak 13y ago
> which I wouldn't mind having loaned, not a giveaway It is fraudulent to make a down payment for a mortgage with borrowed money according to most mortgage contracts. IIRC even gifts from parents for down payments generally need to come with documentation clearly stating that it is a gift and not a loan.
- cowsandmilk 13y ago
  as someone going through the mortgage process currently, I can specify that some of my down payment is a loan. Not sure what you are talking about. If you hide the fact that it is a loan, maybe it is fraudulent? But it very clearly is allowed as I can specify it in the paperwork.

goshx 13y ago

"Work hard. Be honest. Help others." - PHILIP B. SMITH

normloman 13y ago

Great advice. "Recognize opportunities and see trends before everyone else" Sounds easy enough. "Choose work you enjoy" No kidding! "One mistake is to stick with a highly profitable business model too long when the world is changing. Another is to abandon the old for the next new thing, particularly if the path to profitability is not clear." So change is good. Unless it's bad. "Happiness is the best measure of success." So my Reddit Karma is worthless? "The greatest gift you can give your children is to love one another." AWWWWWWWWWW <3