What a High School Student Learned from Paul Graham

"If a bunch of actual adults suddenly found themselves trapped in high school, the first thing they'd do is form a union and renegotiate all the rules with the administration."<p>My father went to MIT on the GI bill after serving in combat in WW2. His class was the first to go after the war, and they were all combat vets several years older than the sophomore class.<p>When the fraternity hazing started, one of the vets told the kid with the paddle "you ain't gonna touch me with that". Hazing was suspended for the next 4 years.<p>I get a chuckle every time I think of some kids trying to haze a combat veteran.

&#62;Nothing used to terrify me more than the question: “Well, what do you want to do with your life?”<p>Life is unpredictable, and this include careers. Thus a better question is:<p>"So, what have you been doing lately?"

<i>"What you need to do is discover what you like. You have to work on stuff you like if you want to be good at what you do."</i><p>Isn't it after working quite a bit on stuff we don't quite like that we start to like them? Maybe it's hard to discover what we like before we have given it a chance practiced or worked on it a bit. My bet would be that most people who thought they liked violin, math or hacking at 1st sight, already had worked on it without knowing before. Their parents listened to music, went to concert with them, a teacher showed them how to build a Turing machine with paper and tape...<p>I like that post, I would dare edit last sentence to "Go out, work, practice, and learn"

There's too much pressure these days to know what you want to do with your life. How can a 15 year old know anything about his future, when he's just trying to get through the next midterm? I'm not excusing mediocrity and laziness. For as the saying goes, if you don't know where you are going, any road can take you there. But, in the grand scheme of things, not enough attention is placed on discovery and growth. And, too much is place on fitting into some category.

Brilliant! Just cleared so many thoughts going on in my mind about college - should I go or not? what should I take up (too many to choose from).<p>Now I know what to do - go learn and do something. It will make things clearer.<p>Not only for college but life at general.<p>Any chance PG said anything about college? Any talk? Essay? Links please.

Wow! What an amazing feeling it must be to know that one of your essays has had a positive impact on a young kid. Nice going PG!

Sweet!