What did you wish you knew in high school?

Also, stop giving a berkeley about what other people think as soon as possible. It'll make life a lot easier. 

Mndsm said:

You'd be surprised at how few people from your high school career mean absolutely dick in the long term. It's not 0, but it's very close to that. Don't sweat the jackasses, if they're anything like the ones in my school, they go to prison for ponzi schemes.

I dont know a single person from high school.

The value in setting goals that require significant effort and yet are achievable and then pursuing them.  I have learned that I am unproductive without good goals to strive for.  

Find a niche you are good at. 

Start a company and do it for yourself instead of trading hours for dollars. 

SpeedwayFan said:

In reply to Teh E36 M3 :

apparently every time I speak it's annoying someone so I guess that qualifies as a talent

You ever hear of Gilbert Gotfried?  The guy made a career out of it.  

In reply to SpeedwayFan :

To answer your original question:

I wish I had not taken many things too seriously, like relationships/lack of relationships.

I wish I had been more comfortable in my own skin and not felt bad for not fitting in.  

I wish I had let myself have more fun. 

I wish I had pursued my interests with more passion instead of waiting for approval...so I wish I had acted with more confidence. 

 

Advice to my teenage self:

1- If you're shy, try to speak to someone new every day. Social skills are the most valuable asset you can possess.  

2- Don't borrow money.

3- Deposit HALF of what you earn into a brokerage account and invest the money. Start NOW and you won't have to work in your 50's possibly much sooner. (Google the investment recommendations on GRM. It's been discussed a lot). 

4- Eat foods you never tried before.

5- Since you like cars, consider a job in a tire shop or as a valet parking attendant if those exist near you.

6- Everyone is weird.

7- Don't cuss around strangers.

8- Don't sit on the toilet for long periods of time. 

9- Avoid processed foods. 

10- Exercise.

11- Join the golf team in HS. Free golf will never happen again. 

12- Volunteer to be in a school play. You don't have to be the leading role. But you could. It'll allow you to meet people and develop your social skills (see tip #1)

13- spend time with grandparents. They don't live forever. 

14- When you drive, don't run red lights and keep it at MAX 10 Over. Don't street race

15- Treat everyone with respect.

I didn't believe in myself, that I had the intelligence to do Engineering. 

Totally freaking could have; certainly DO have the head for it.

----

I share a LOT of life lessone with my students.

There are two awesomes:

1. Getting out of high school.

2. Moving out of your parents house.

Also: the school system preaches to find your passion, and get a job doing that.  Garbage.  Instead:

1. Find a job that humours you and pays the bills

2. Have a passion outside of work. THAT is what gives you a reason to go to work every day.

3. Ask adults what they want to be when THEY grow up.  Most of us are still looking.

OHSCrifle said:

8- Don't sit on the toilet for long periods of time.

Full on don't sit for long periods of time.

My first job changed me. I was pretty quite and shy, and lacked confidence. Working brought me out of my shell. I made new friends. I gained some independence, earning a paycheck felt good. I saved half of what I made on my summer jobs and still had plenty of spending cash. There has never been a better time to get a job than right now. You will have opportunities that teens don't usually get. When you do get that job, do the best job that you can. Take pride in your work. Show respect to your co-workers and customers by always saying please and thank you. 

 

As others have said- don't worry about what other people think. As you get older, you with realize that it never really mattered what other people think- other than you were polite, courteous, respectful, and trustworthy. Those traits are way more important in your life than those typically valued by teens. Don't try to keep up with the Jones'. They are most likely drowning in dept. Live within your means and invest a portion of everything you make, the younger you start the better. 
 

Your teen years are a blink in the grand scheme of your life. They feel like forever when you go through them, but their significance fades quickly. Enjoy them, don't stress about the little stuff, be optimistic about your future. The majority of people I know who had a rough time in their teens went on to successfully lives that they never would have envisioned. 

Not everyone is going to like me, so stop trying.

Also this:

chandler said:

Mndsm said:

You'd be surprised at how few people from your high school career mean absolutely dick in the long term. It's not 0, but it's very close to that. Don't sweat the jackasses, if they're anything like the ones in my school, they go to prison for ponzi schemes.

I dont know a single person from high school.

Considering I met swmbo in grade school, and we went to hs together, I can't say the same. 

Mndsm said:

chandler said:

Mndsm said:

You'd be surprised at how few people from your high school career mean absolutely dick in the long term. It's not 0, but it's very close to that. Don't sweat the jackasses, if they're anything like the ones in my school, they go to prison for ponzi schemes.

I dont know a single person from high school.

Considering I met swmbo in grade school, and we went to hs together, I can't say the same. 

That worked out for you! We moved a lot so I never made friendships except my brothers and maybe one person at each school. The take away though is that for most people high school is just a stop on the tracks and there are far more important things to worry about.

In reply to chandler :

Exactly. I think I was out of school for a out 24 hours when I realized I'd never see 90% of them ever again. 

I wish I knew that the horseE36 M3 that teachers fed an entire generation of kids, "You have to go college or you'll be flipping burgers for the rest of your life" was in fact complete horseE36 M3.

Those are the only 2 choices? The trades are a viable and respectable profession. Not o e single teacher in high school  ever alluded to that.

I allude to it very directly, but I am a shop teacher.

In reply to Appleseed :

When I went to college (late 90s) even then it was a bit of hype, but I'm very glad I went.  I agree that secondary ed used to be learning a specific track and then getting a job in that field, but that concept died in the 70s.  I received an invaluable education in general "skills of existence."  How to be a human, so to speak.  I have degrees in Biology and Music Theatre, but I have been a bus driver, bartender, car crafter, transmission shop manager, automotive designer, contractor, actor, singer, counselor, court clerk assistant, sales, and everything in between.  It has only been in the last 7 years that I have had a steady position in a theater.

There were still a fair portion of my peers who were getting a degree in education, or nursing, or culinary arts and specifically went into those fields, but there are so few people these days who stay put in the same job.  My dad taught 7th grade life science for 30 years.  Same school (although they built a new middle school while he was there), same classroom, same everything.  The days of that construct being a viable career path are long gone for many professions.  Businesses come and go, hire and fire, and people are always shopping better jobs.  That's not a commentary - I think it's great - just noting how times have changed.

Every fun thing you've ever seen, someone gets paid to do it. It might sound funny, but no one ever explained that it was possible to be a professional monster truck driver. All the cool E36 M3 you see at Disney? Someone gets paid to draw that. Every game and toy you've ever played with? Yup, someone made that E36 M3 up. No one explains this to you. Everyone is stuck on the suit and tie mindset. A lot of people (especially me) that E36 M3 just doesn't work. Also, money isn't everything. Be happy doing what you do. Best job I ever had paid minimum wage. Worst job I ever had was the most profitable. One gave me free beer and time with friends, the other ulcers and a nervous breakdown. 

Also, don't stick your hootus in crazy. That E36 M3 doesn't wash off. 

Curtis73 (Forum Supporter) said:

Also this:

I am amused that this only has two upvotes 

In reply to Pete. (l33t FS) :

That's because at least I don't have the slightest berking clue what it is.

Mndsm said:

Every fun thing you've ever seen, someone gets paid to do it. It might sound funny, but no one ever explained that it was possible to be a professional monster truck driver. All the cool E36 M3 you see at Disney? Someone gets paid to draw that. Every game and toy you've ever played with? Yup, someone made that E36 M3 up. No one explains this to you. Everyone is stuck on the suit and tie mindset. A lot of people (especially me) that E36 M3 just doesn't work. Also, money isn't everything. Be happy doing what you do. Best job I ever had paid minimum wage. Worst job I ever had was the most profitable. One gave me free beer and time with friends, the other ulcers and a nervous breakdown. 

And every dream job is ultimately just a job. I'm "living the dream" as a brewmaster and I'm burnt out. Nothing ruins a good hobby faster than turning it into a job. A good company and a good boss are more important than a fun product. What makes brewing fun isn't the beer but the satisfaction of making *something* that I see value in and the challenges surrounding that. But I can find that in other jobs that pay more and have less stress than the "dream job".

You have to look hard at what you love and pick apart what it is about it that you actually enjoy and will actually be fulfilled by. Then think of all the different ways you can leverage that.

Mentioning loving Nascar and cool cars. That's awesome, but very limited. I wouldn't want to fall in love with Nascar and go to work doing design for Ford designing the tail lights on the next Explorer. I could find it interesting engineering a better waterpump. That's not sexy, but it would be a fun challenge.

Maybe the dream is to be a mechanic on a Nascar team, but you'll probably be more likely to find a job that could be really awesome knowing how to do maintenance on Caterpillar heavy construction equipment. It doesn't go as fast. It's not as obviously sexy, but it's totally awesome in its own way.

If the Excitement of Nascar is the pace and a team working hard in cooperation, get into A/V tech. Work shows. Be part of a road crew. Learn to set up and run audio and lights at stadiums. Or get into food service and learn to work in a kitchen.

Heck, if you're fast paced but detail oriented and not good at social niceties and aren't offended by people shouting at you, nor do you want people to take offense at you saying, "Where the berkeley is my sauce? I need that five minutes ago!" You'd probably thrive in a professional kitchen.

Duke said:

In reply to Pete. (l33t FS) :

That's because at least I don't have the slightest berking clue what it is.

 

Don't feel bad, most dudes don't, and even more think it's a myth. 

The person you are today is the person you will be for the rest of your life, unless you allow the people around you and the books you read to influence your life.

Basic finance is really simple math applied to money and yet most people don't get it. (GRM boards are statistically exceptionally wealthy and experientially more financial literate)

I didn't see an answer to the question of where you live. If you are a Brit the answers change some from a Canadian or somebody from the states. And even state by state the answers will vary a little. But many of the early answers were rebutted by you that your parents handle a lot of that stuff or prevent you from handling that stuff. At 18 you are legally an adult in the US. You can do just about anything. But some people don't ever choose to take that responsibility on themselves. That is one of the reasons you can find 35 year olds living at home with their parents you have never had a real job. Decide how independent you want to be at different life stages, make a plan to get there, and update that plan as life happens. As the great philosopher Mike Tyson said, "Everybody has a plan until they get punched in the face." Ask anybody here and they will tell you that life can and will punch you in the face. Repeatedly.

In reply to SpeedwayFan :

Ask your parents and grandparents about their parents and grandparents.