

Kevin Rose regrets dropping out of school too early - rockstar9
http://www.inc.com/ss/6-ceos-share-their-biggest-regrets#3

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jmtame
I think the real part of regret comes in the last quote: "Sometimes, I’ll be
sitting around on a weekend and think, it’d be fun if I could just write up a
software app really quickly."

I doubt it was the school that he misses. It was probably the free time to
build whatever he wanted.

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crs
i'm not sure its the free time he is missing. i would guess he assumes that if
he had completed his degree he would have the knowledge base to pick up a
language and build quick utilities.

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maximumwage
According to Professor Neal Roese's research, regrets related to education are
the most common form of regret:
<http://psp.sagepub.com/cgi/content/abstract/31/9/1273>

He also wrote a book about regret and counterfactual thinking titled "If
Only": Delivering a reassuring, groundbreaking message, If Only describes two
types of "counterfactuals," as these thoughts are known in psychology, and
both "if only" thoughts can lead to a better understanding of yourself. One
variety allows us to improve performance and learn from experience by
comparing what we actually did to what might have been better. A second kind
asks how things could have been worse, which makes you feel a whole lot
better. Dr. Roese also reveals Americans' top regrets and shows you how to
avoid them. And he shows how our brains erase regrets of actions (stuff you
did that didn't work out) but let regrets of inaction linger. So his advice?
Just do it.

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ahoyhere
I love that research, but one has to consider whether the people regretting
education-related things are just saying "I should have finished my education"
as an excuse for everything that's wrong with their life.

E.g., if only I had my degree, I wouldn't be stuck in this crappy job --
while, of course, there are many avenues to pursue for people who will make
the effort, degreed or otherwise.

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auston
Why can't he learn how to code?

Instead of Rock Climbing or getting blasted for DiggNation or going to tea
houses/spots he could mess with coding until he "gets" it.

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newacc101
I started skipping school at 13, and left permanently at 14. At first it was
just black and white: I hated school, I didn't want to go, but it soon turned
into severe anxiety (that's another story.) I'm 17 now.

I wish I could say it's not affected me much, overall I think I'm pretty
bright, so I don't fear I'm not going to be technically qualified for the
career I want, however it's the paperwork I'm worried about; I have no exam
results to speak of, and when I finally get over the anxiety, I'm not sure
what I'm going to do. Collage? University? I have no idea where I stand, I
just hope things don't go completely pete tong, and I'm still in the same
situation at 30 or something, when I have far more responsibilities and cannot
afford to complete my education. We'll see... :-)

Btw, this is a new account.

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brandnewlow
Suck it up. Go back to school. Suffer a little to save yourself a big
headache.

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newacc101
I know, but easier said than done...

By "severe anxiety" I mean I've distanced myself from everyone I used to know,
and I never go out much anymore. And a few years ago I woke up to 2 shrinks
and 5 cops in my room at 9am, which ended in me being taken off in hand-cuffs
under a mental health order. Thankfully they concluded after a few days I
wasn't in fact mentally ill, but at that point it struck home, and I started
to loose the weight I put on over the years, which is step 1 to "recovery" (so
far, so good!)

Excuses, I know, trust me, if I could go back in time, I'd go back and "suck
it up" earlier, to save myself a ton of headache thus-far. :-)

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TJensen
Having a teen-ager of my own who has severe anxiety when it comes to school
(so much more than the typical "I hate school."), I can empathize with the
"easier said than done." Honestly, I'd look at talking to a counselor and
making a plan for moving forward. You are obviously bright enough that you can
over come the challenges, but you don't have to do it on your own.

Good luck!

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SteveC
Somtimes I start to regret dropping out of education early, until I really
think about it and realise that dropping out was the best thing I ever did. I
have no student debt, a profitable start up, interesting work, and gave myself
a better education than I would have received had I stayed in fulltime
education. I was also very bored and unhappy with it by the time I left so I
probably kept my sanity too. Yet I still sometimes find myself regreting it.

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jskopek
While Kevin's regret is pretty valid, I think the most interesting is
definitely Gauri Nanda's - regretting going at the business totally alone.

I refrained from applying for YC funding in the past because I couldn't find a
good partner, but now that I'm working on something with a good one I really
notice the difference.

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ahoyhere
Sounds like a confusion of cause and effect, to me.

