5 ms·

What do you wish you knew before graduating from college?

coreymaass 13y ago
My assumption in college was that graduating mattered, and my major didn't. Thankfully I was right, but it stressed me out at the time. On a personal level, I wish I'd heard Derek Sivers talk about doing one thing at a time sooner. I spent years trying to be too many things, and I see now how I couldn't help but half-assed all of it.
- losethos 13y ago
  You're not making friends with your new King very well. I worked at Ticketmaster while going to school. I would not have studied more. I am your new king. C:\TAD\Text\BIBLE.TXT brake down the walls of Jerusalem. 39:9 Then Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard carried away captive into Babylon the remnant of the people that remained in the city, and those that fell away, that fell to him, with the rest of the people that remained. 39:10 But Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard left of the poor of the people, which had nothing, in the land of Judah, and gave them vineyards and fields at the same time. 39:11 Now Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon gave charge concerning Jeremiah to Ne ---- College major matters a lot to me if I am hiring. SAT matters to me. You motherfucker scumbag Jew-schemers are trying to do self fulfilling prophecies. GitHub fans say github matters. Shitty-major people say major doesn't matter. Looks don't count is what ugly people say. Electrical engineering is my masters (pretty good, huh!). What I didn't realize is that university rank mattered -- I just didn't realize that.
- nickthemagicman 13y ago
  One thing at a time sooner.... My professors have a different book they read called everything all the time with short deadlines.
- tagabek 13y ago
  It's better to full-ass one thing than to half-ass many things.
alt_ 13y ago
That networking and building contacts is an important part. Being smart and learning the material while skipping all the classes and social events won't give you all the benefits.
yesimahuman 13y ago
That we really were just kids and we'd look back and laugh at how young and, frankly, stupid we were. That it was better to get through it and move on than to let it consume you and get stuck in it. Also that in the programming field grades didn't matter, but having great taste and passion did.
Vosswood 13y ago
That doing something you're good at and love is more important than doing something you're good at, not really passionate about, but makes a crap ton of money. When I was younger, money is all I cared about (I come from fairly modest means). But when my friends and I started making decent money we started to think, what's next? Why are we doing what we're doing right now... And ditto on the connections part (not just for space you're interested in, but also all across everywhere/anywhere. You never know when those connections will come in handy, especially if you're in the startup space.)
- tagabek 13y ago
  What came next for you when money started to be less appealing as you earned more of it?
ACow_Adonis 13y ago
All the staff/counselors said that university would be different from high school: that the tests wouldn't be stupid, that the smart would love it, that it was all about merit and ideas and intellectual curiosity. It wasn't. Its a place where you pay money and show you're willing to waste a few years of your life for a piece of paper that lets you pass a certain firewall in societal hiring practices, shows you largely fit in to corporate and societal norms, and depending on where you went, lets you network with others while excluding those who don't jump through the hoops. Because of that, don't stress about what you're studying. Just get the piece of paper, or network, its what you're there for. And don't get me wrong, the piece of paper does let you earn more money and opens doors. Mines financially paid itself off by now, but I resent the process and society that means I had to get it.
- ACow_Adonis 13y ago
  Oh, and I should add: Life can be better after university. I know many people who would disagree with me, and one thing I do miss is the societal norm of weeks of free-time (which you won't get us much if you're chasing grades/networking), but I've found the financial freedom from being employed, and using one's free time to chase your own intellectual curiosities rather than those set for you much more enjoyable and rewarding.
  - tagabek 13y ago
    I had the same kind of revelation about high school. Programming and the internet allowed me to build a life outside of school that eventually became the source of my livelihood and lifestyle.
JoeAltmaier 13y ago
That it was largely irrelevant to my work. University is for life, not technical knowledge.

My assumption in college was that graduating mattered, and my major didn't. Thankfully I was right, but it stressed me out at the time. On a personal level, I wish I'd heard Derek Sivers talk about doing one thing at a time sooner. I spent years trying to be too many things, and I see now how I couldn't help but half-assed all of it.

losethos 13y ago
You're not making friends with your new King very well. I worked at Ticketmaster while going to school. I would not have studied more. I am your new king. C:\TAD\Text\BIBLE.TXT brake down the walls of Jerusalem. 39:9 Then Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard carried away captive into Babylon the remnant of the people that remained in the city, and those that fell away, that fell to him, with the rest of the people that remained. 39:10 But Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard left of the poor of the people, which had nothing, in the land of Judah, and gave them vineyards and fields at the same time. 39:11 Now Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon gave charge concerning Jeremiah to Ne ---- College major matters a lot to me if I am hiring. SAT matters to me. You motherfucker scumbag Jew-schemers are trying to do self fulfilling prophecies. GitHub fans say github matters. Shitty-major people say major doesn't matter. Looks don't count is what ugly people say. Electrical engineering is my masters (pretty good, huh!). What I didn't realize is that university rank mattered -- I just didn't realize that.
nickthemagicman 13y ago
One thing at a time sooner.... My professors have a different book they read called everything all the time with short deadlines.
tagabek 13y ago
It's better to full-ass one thing than to half-ass many things.

alt_ 13y ago

That networking and building contacts is an important part. Being smart and learning the material while skipping all the classes and social events won't give you all the benefits.

yesimahuman 13y ago

That we really were just kids and we'd look back and laugh at how young and, frankly, stupid we were. That it was better to get through it and move on than to let it consume you and get stuck in it. Also that in the programming field grades didn't matter, but having great taste and passion did.

Vosswood 13y ago

That doing something you're good at and love is more important than doing something you're good at, not really passionate about, but makes a crap ton of money. When I was younger, money is all I cared about (I come from fairly modest means). But when my friends and I started making decent money we started to think, what's next? Why are we doing what we're doing right now... And ditto on the connections part (not just for space you're interested in, but also all across everywhere/anywhere. You never know when those connections will come in handy, especially if you're in the startup space.)

tagabek 13y ago
What came next for you when money started to be less appealing as you earned more of it?

ACow_Adonis 13y ago

All the staff/counselors said that university would be different from high school: that the tests wouldn't be stupid, that the smart would love it, that it was all about merit and ideas and intellectual curiosity. It wasn't. Its a place where you pay money and show you're willing to waste a few years of your life for a piece of paper that lets you pass a certain firewall in societal hiring practices, shows you largely fit in to corporate and societal norms, and depending on where you went, lets you network with others while excluding those who don't jump through the hoops. Because of that, don't stress about what you're studying. Just get the piece of paper, or network, its what you're there for. And don't get me wrong, the piece of paper does let you earn more money and opens doors. Mines financially paid itself off by now, but I resent the process and society that means I had to get it.

ACow_Adonis 13y ago
Oh, and I should add: Life can be better after university. I know many people who would disagree with me, and one thing I do miss is the societal norm of weeks of free-time (which you won't get us much if you're chasing grades/networking), but I've found the financial freedom from being employed, and using one's free time to chase your own intellectual curiosities rather than those set for you much more enjoyable and rewarding.
- tagabek 13y ago
  I had the same kind of revelation about high school. Programming and the internet allowed me to build a life outside of school that eventually became the source of my livelihood and lifestyle.

JoeAltmaier 13y ago

That it was largely irrelevant to my work. University is for life, not technical knowledge.