
Ask HN: Founders, what would you tell yourself at 15? - craigmc
I've been invited to do a talk tomorrow to a group of 15 year olds about startups. This is something I want to commit a lot of time over the coming years to do, and tomorrow is my debut.<p>Scotland, where I live, has an incredible history of invention, but the days of Scottish engineers and inventors changing the world are in the increasingly distant past (even Dolly the Sheep has been dead for 10 years).<p>It has never, for example, produced a software company of note (other than maybe OWL for those who know their hypertext history). I'd like to see this change, and my hunch is that if you can plant some seeds in the minds of enough smart 15 year olds, then by the time these kids are 20-25 they are going to be way better placed to do great things.<p>In some places (i.e. SV) this can happen serendipitously through interactions with cousins, sisters, neighbours, etc. who are in the industry, but when the ecosystem is so well hidden (as it is here), most kids just don't know about this stuff until much later on (i.e during Uni).<p>Anyway, I've got quite a good bunch of slides pulled together and I speak fairly well at these sort of things (its no Steve Jobs commencement address, but it is ok).<p>However, I wanted to round the talk off with a bit of a discussion about ways to put themselves in the best position to do whatever it is they want to do, even if they don't know what it is yet.<p>Any thoughts on this would be most welcome...
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keenahn
Here are my top three pieces of advice I wish I had at 15:

Remember: every website you use, every app on your phone, was built by people
just like you. There is nothing magical or mystical about technology.
Technology is just a tool, and you can learn to master it to solve problems.

If you can see problems in the world, be it not remembering to walk the dog,
or being annoyed with washing your car, you probably have an idea for a
business. It might not be a billion dollar business, but it will get you
thinking.

Get in the habit of starting things. We spend so much of our life planning,
waiting, when we should be trying, iterating.

~~~
ceeK
Further to your advice of getting into the habit of starting things, I think
it's invaluable to also having the habit of finishing what you started.

I'm not saying be incredibly pedantic about it, but finish the things you want
to work on. Started that app that you love? Make sure you specify time to work
on it. Too often when I was 15 I started projects but never got to a
significant stage with them due to wanting to do too much at once or playing
silly games like World of Warcraft.

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lumens
Be biased towards action and interpret 'failure' as education and opportunity.

At 15, you can explore a number of avenues that you consider 'dreams'. Spend
2-year blocks of time focused on an outcome, and then 'pivot' after two years
if you enthusiasm has begun to wane.

In 10 years, by age 25, you will have built a large knowledge base around your
interests. You will be adept at 1 and 5 core areas of expertise. You will have
either discovered an extremely rewarding life/work path, or have created
tremendous employment opportunities for yourself in areas of fair interest.
You will know how to teach yourself.

Best of all, at the tender age of 25, your worst case scenario is having
almost your whole professional life to fumble around like everyone else.

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slyv
As a current student, I think what you are doing is quite wonderful, and
having just read PG's 'What You'll Wish You'd Known' Speech, I think that such
a talk like this could be incredibly powerful and might make a difference in
some lives. What I would stress is the abundance of possibilities available,
just the sheer amount of magical discoveries that they can go on to
accomplish, or discover an hour after your talk (on that point, stressing
action now, what they can do as a student is paramount to reaching them and
getting them to really take you up on your offer). Too many times, speakers
come in and give these lackluster maxim-filled speeches about life, and roads
ahead of them. I would try to really imbue within your audience the fact that
they can act now, and grasp at openings that could propel them to discoveries
10..15 years from now.

I do think it is quite admirable to try to plant the seeds of this career and
of possibilities in these fifteen year olds, and think you could really make a
difference somewhere.

If you need anyone to bounce ideas off from the perspective of a current
student or give any critiques, feel free to shoot me an email (in my profile),
and I would be happy to look it over. Good luck!

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ScottWhigham
I think the Jeff Bezos' speech about how it's harder to be kind than clever is
always good with the young folks:
<http://www.princeton.edu/main/news/archive/S27/52/51O99/>. I'm not suggesting
you copy it but rather talk about the lessons/takeaways.

I wouldn't get hung up with the pressure of thinking that, for you to help
Scottish youth succeed, then you must help this one group succeed. This is a
case, IMO, where a shotgun-approach works better than the rifle approach. You
should do lots of speeches, workshops, groups, etc rather than just one. One
speech - that's just too much pressure. What if you are nervous and come
across geeky/hard to listen to? Too bad - the youth of Scotland will never
succeed. But what if this is just one of 100 events? I'm not suggesting you
"phone it in" but I am pointing out that there is success in numbers.
Influence is a numbers game.

Good luck!

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pasbesoin
Adults lie and manipulate. Often out of ignorance; sometimes out of malice.

To the extent you can, don't waste your time on this.

P.S. (Or, especially) This includes many figures of authority we are taught to
trust. Blanket distrust as a compensation mechanism is not very useful, but
remember that _trust is earned_ is.

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nicholas73
I wish I knew how much I could do at age 15. Once you complete one large
project, it feels like you can just keep trying. Yet you will never have so
much time as you did in your teens. I would tell my younger self to just work
on something, even if not a start up. Work on something just so you can see
yourself improving. That way one day you won't ever think something is
impossible.

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yid
Write down your questions as you're exploring this brave new world of
computers. What excites you? What confuses you? What is the coolest thing
you've learned today? In 20 years, it will help to know what the roots of your
passion were.

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curiousDog
Ask them to read/convey ideas from PG's 'What You'll Wish You'd known' essay:
<http://www.paulgraham.com/hs.html>. It really is a gem, especially for high-
schoolers.

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mansigandhi
Don't get sucked into the "grade race". Life's much more about what you learn
and less about getting the 4.0. In the end, the grades don't matter to the
extent that your parents tell you they do.

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jamesjguthrie
I would tell myself to stop being stupid and dreaming of being a rock star.
Concentrate in your last year at school and make sure you get into a good
University!

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wxm
Btw., Edinburgh-based SkyScanner is a notable Scottish startup.

I would definitely talk about entry-paths into the industry, e.g. Codecademy
et al.

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brandoncapecci
Finish your shitty project before you start your next shitty project.

~~~
TheAntipodean
You seem to be getting downvoted but I found this response hilarious and
probably more in tune with how I would actually speak to myself.
Unfortunately, I am yet to fully learn this lesson. I get distracted by just
about everything and run off into the wild leaving half attempts strewn in my
wake.

Thought you'd like to know not everyone is downvoting you ;)

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GaiaAir
Evolve or die.

Don't let fear make decisions.

Be independent but don't be afraid to ask for help.

