I'm not any kind of wünderkind, young entrepreneur, anything like that. I know a few programming languages (but I'm not sure if I know how to program yet, if you know what I mean). There are a lot of questions that one has to ask themselves when they're at this age about their future: where they're going to go for university/college, what to do after education, things like that. I'm currently uncertain of any of the answers. After reading HN for a while, I've become interested in startups and startup culture, though I'm unsure if I want to be an entrepreneur myself, or if I do, what kind.
Being uncertain, it helps if someone who's been through it all could offer even the fewest words of wisdom. Since I find some similarities between myself and the people in the community that I observe here, I figured that I could get something out of answers to the question: if you had a conversation with your 16-year-old self, what'd you say?
-Stay away from python, dynamic typing is a sick joke for anything other than scripts. {controversial}
-Good development tools can increase your productivity by an order of magnitude. I'm looking at you, Resharper.
-You will get banned from world of warcraft for gaming the auction house. This is the best thing that will ever happen to you, so I suggest you expedite it.
-Read "The Mystery Method: How to Get Beautiful Women into Bed". I swear to god you won't figure this shit out in any other way.
-Try to get into a better uni. While the education quality will be identical, you want to get into a good uni because there's a lot of incompetent people who will judge your talent and skills based on the name of the university on your degree.
edit: If you plan on downmodding this post, be sure to reply as to how you think it isn't constructive.
Going to very strongly disagree with this. Learning Python at 16 was what turned me from a guy interested in computers to a serious developer with a pretty good job.
Keeping fit, having hobbies, being knowledgeable and aware, being part of an outgoing social circle, will give you the traits and skills you need to establish genuine relationships.
Wanting a physical relationship is fine, but wearing a pink fuzzy hat, telling a girl she's ugly, playing cat and mouse and bullshitting about your Chevy Camaro is dishonest.
I suggested the mystery method because it answers each of those questions in extreme detail. It explains what women find attractive in men, it explains the stages of a relationship, and it explains all things you shouldn't do or say when you're courting a woman.
The "no friends" part of my social problem was fixed by getting banned from world of warcraft, which is why I didn't suggest other reading for how to make friends.
Instead you should try to find someone worth emulating, in their general attitude towards life.
When people tell you advice, they tell you some useful bits, but they also include everything they wished they'd done, and everything that their friends told them.
Yeah, I'm pretty careful.
Ignore everyone, their standards, and set/pursue your own standards and curiosities.
You will meet many people older than you that are full of their own doubts, and think they can't beat their own doubts so they might get you doubting yourself. Run like hell whenever someone shows this.
Read PG's essay geared to students, it sums up a lot of the great mentoring advice I got when I was 16 and doing things I had no business doing at that age:
http://paulgraham.com/startupideas.html
Ps., the above essay isn't just for any startup ideas, but anything you tinker around with and pursue.
Also, I'd say finish. Whatever it is that you do, finish it. Don't let abandoning stuff become a habit.
Not the most profound thing I suppose, but your eyesight is really important so try not to put more strain on them then necessary.
Some of the most valuable knowledge you'll ever acquire is knowledge of how that black box works.
Are you feeling distracted studying french? Is it because you hate french or because you skipped breakfast?
Once you're able to link up cause and effect, you can take action to minimize things you want less of, and maximize things your want more of.
How do you know what you want? It takes time, and you have to fumble around. I've found that a lot of people who take a super-narrow path in and after college tend to look up one day and find that they're in a place they never wanted to go.
BTW, I would personally suggest that you ignore anybody here who's giving you answers about investing or going to elite schools, etc. Those are means to an end. And it may not be the end you want.
The only important life goals for you are the ones you come up with. And you get to change your mind. :)
ps. Who am I? I'm in my mid 30's. Co-founder of a successful software business (not a funded startup). And I've fumbled around a lot. The one thing that's saved me time and time again has been a modicum of self-knowledge and a willingness to jump in and learn new things, many times outside my comfort zone.
pps. Don't forget to enjoy your life. Be kind to yourself.
Eat more bacon. I was a skinny teenager. After I was 22 I gained a lot of weight. I'm 33 and finally discovered keto/low carb eating and it's working wonders. I recognize that I never really had the interest in doing sports growing up, so if 16 year old me kept to a low carb diet we'd have maintained a low weight through the years.
Finish college. It's a real popular idea to drop out and "do the startup". If you have a side project that gets traction AND MAKES MONEY then that's probably ok. In my case, I did a bit of school and have self-taught myself a lot. I'm really good at what I do (web development), but there are holes in my knowledge. More importantly, I'm regretting now not being exposed to other potential fields of interest like astronomy, solar power, etc. I'll never have that experience unless I show up on campus like those guys in the movie Interns. Kinda akward and I'm not that funny.
Last thing would be to seize opportunities when they come. Always say yes. I don't do that enough. Go to that party, attend that meetup. If you have an opportunity to travel, do it.
Eat real food and learn to cook from raw ingredients. It's the only way to eat healthy and cheap. Produce is much cheaper if you follow seasonal cycles. Comparison shop everything, explore your city. Think ramen is cheap? Find your local asian import store and buy those noodles in bulk; that's cheap.
Don't go on drastic diets or cleanses, you'll just stress your body out. Eating has a big effect on mood and energy level, pay attention to these things.
This is both depressing and liberating, but it doesn't mean you shouldn't work on your plans and have a greater purpose. It means you should enjoy the moment, and enjoy your current situation even while you work on things for your future.
Your body is a temple. Try to work up a proper sweat (intense exercise) every day. Only eat food you cook yourself. Try to get proper sleep always.
Try selling something on the side to teach yourself about business (if that's what you're into). I'm only now investigating selling on Ebay and Amazon (weird to say for someone on HN). I'm only doing this now in my mid-20s, it would've been great discovering this in my mid teens. Dealing with Chinese suppliers & customers is a lot more pleasant than sitting in front of a screen 9-5 in a job you dislike. Plus you can be the best paid 16 year old you know if you're successful! Here's an inspirational post: http://www.reddit.com/r/AMA/comments/1ib1uc/i_run_an_ebay_an...
Don't pay too much attention to the news, blogs, and general information chatter that can consume your day. Read timeless books, get out in the air, and spend time with friends.
And do stuff. Otherwise, unless you are a publicist or salesperson, the knowing people thing creates opportunities but you have no way to capitalize on those opportunities or create your own identity.
Unusual successes is built on emphasizing strengths, not trying to eliminate weakness. People who achieve real success generally do so by being extremely good at at least one thing. If you are truly world class at something useful, you can achieve tremendous success.
The upper limit of a person's success, however, is almost always set by a weakness. This is inevitable, as it is extremely hard to see your true weaknesses, so don't obsess over your failings, therein lies the road to despair. But do keep an eye out for stuff you avoid or are afraid of, and if you get a chance, address it.
@ejsaz is there something you really like doing, or have already a talent for? It doesn't need to be related to programming, but if you do what you like and you're doing it with your heart, then you have much better chances to turn that into a successfull startup than with other ideas. Don't tell yourself that you'll do it tomorrow, always think about this habit as a sickness. Do things you want to do when earlier than you think it needs to be done and don't do a lot of stuff in parallel. Try reducing or stopping to watch TV and all the Media and focus on your own ideas and feelings.
Know that time will only provide additional reasons why you must or cannot do XYZ. Thus your task is to safely and soon go beyond claimed boundaries, before you become convinced that they are non-negotiable.
Read "how to code a secure system": http://catless.ncl.ac.uk/Risks/27.25.html#subj16 . Life offers the challenge of coding a secure self-modifying mind. As the piece above quotes Seneca, "There is a great deal of difference between a person who chooses not to sin and one who doesn't know how".
One answer to your question is another question. What do you want to say now to your 15-year old self? What if all of your possible future selves were each trying to convince you to bring them into existence? How would you choose between their justifications for existence? Do you consider this to be a security, optimization or spiritual question?
As much historical "hardware" becomes software, historical constraints will disappear. What will be the basis of the new software constraints that we (you) will choose for our shared worlds? Should it be the future worlds/startups with the best team, best marketing or largest cluster of peers?
It is harder than it seems to identify when choices lead to divergent futures, or when all official choices lead to equally undesirable futures. Thus the obligation of every startup and teenager is use their imagination to grow the pool of possible choices, future selves and future worlds.
High school matters, to the extent that your performance determines which university you get slotted into. Develop an attitude (as I did) and that guarantees you won't go to MIT. Were I to do it over again, I'd swallow the BS they lavished on us in high school for a shot at Tech. So start working now. All-in. Don't get in the habit of coasting - that's a very hard habit to break.
You have the luxury now of being able to think high risk / high reward. The worst thing you can do is to start a family before you are ready. Security becomes Job One then, which means low risk / low reward.
Surround yourself with the smartest people you can find. Don't be an eagle in a cube farm of turkeys. That's the shortest route to stagnation I can think of (though you'll be well paid).
There's no getting around making your own decisions. And living with them.
TANSTAAFL. Google (Wikipedia) it. Maybe read some Heinlein. Realize that while Heinlein may have some interesting things to say, he too was writing fiction.
Physical health is the foundation of everything else. Don't compromise it lightly.
From Frank Herbert's "Dune": "I must not fear. Fear is the mind-killer. Fear is the little-death that brings total obliteration. I will face my fear. I will permit it to pass over me and through me. And when it has gone past I will turn the inner eye to see its path. Where the fear has gone there will be nothing. Only I will remain."
My qualification: Fear is useful, in the short term. As are anger, and other "negative" emotions. Pay attention, and work to solve/resolve those situations. Left unresolved, they become poison.
There's a lot of good in the world, too. Nurture and trust your instincts. Don't put up with crap. Make it a priority to be in a position where you are not forced to do so.
Don't put other people in the position where they are forced to do so.
A good part of your strength and resilience come from your community (whatever that is -- not necessarily geographically defined). Take care of it, and it will take care of you.
People learn by example. Whether face to face, or in text -- the example has to ring true. Or rather, the example will ring true, whether what that ends up being is what you intended to convey, or not.
This is some random guy's advice. TANSTAAFL.
1) Try out new things on a regular basis. I don't mean technology. Try out running, jogging, swimming, pottery, origami, kickboxing, anything new you haven't tried before (You can do most of this without spending any money). But do this on a regular basis. A new thing every month, and you must spend 2 hour per week.
2) If you want to get good in programming, code for an hour every day.
3) Maintain a journal/diary. It doesn't have to be extensive or good prose. Just a rough outline of your day and a couple of lines on how you feel. I assure you, it will be fun to read it years later.
4) Read books. Learn how to read books. I have a habit of reading fiction and forgetting all about them or starting technical books and never finishing them. I am trying out a new method in which I write a small summary of fiction and a plan to work out all exercises of technical books in second pass.
How I wish I could give this advice to my younger self!
I'm just now coming out of that 10-year streak. I knew when I was 16 that I wanted to do AI for medicine. At 28, I'm finally doing it.
Also, start rock climbing. You'll be such a bad ass at 28 with 12 years of experience. :)
What I'd tell myself at 16: Self, when, in 1993 you get to 22, take that job in California.
Find your community.
Apprentice somewhere.
Take advantage of youth as a time to do and try a lot of things. Get outside your comfort zone.
What you know how to do is much more important than what degrees you have.
Time to go rock climbing, try new stuff every day, and finally get around to finishing my project and starting a new one.
IMO no truer words have been spoken. Much unpleasantness would have been avoided had I known . HTH.
