

HN: What is something you learned way too late in life?  - jasonwilk

Basing this off of what's going on at Reddit: http://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/gd95k/reddit_what_is_something_you_learned_way_too_late/<p>I feel like it'd be interesting to see HN answers
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zerohp
I learned this two days ago, so I'm still embarrassed about it because I
should have known about it 10+ years ago.

In an autotools based project (one with a configure script) you can build it
such that intermediate files aren't created in its source dirs. For example:

    
    
      tar xjvf gcc-4.6.0.tar.bz2
      mkdir gcc-obj
      cd gcc-obj
      ../gcc-4.6.0/configure
      make

~~~
chris_j
That's awesome and is something that I only just discovered myself. Does it
work with any autotools project?

~~~
zerohp
Yes

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hristov
Do the one thing you love doing most and that you do best. Don't chase things
like prestige or supposed higher salaries.

Some of us are lucky to be intelligent enough to be able to be pretty good at
many different professions. That does not mean you should chase the profession
that offers the most prestige or supposedly is the best paid. You should do
the thing that you are absolutely best at and you love the most (and this is
usually the same thing, btw).

Because in the USA we work so hard that your life will be absolutely miserable
if you do not do the thing you love. Also, if you are really good at it, you
should be successful enough regardless of what various magazines say about the
relative prestige or value of various professions.

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andrewstuart
With practice you can become really good at most things.

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spooneybarger
I'm constantly learning things I wish I had learned earlier and I'm sure I
will continue to. My list for now will be supplemented regularly going
forward.

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jackkinsella
I learned this during my second year in college: the secret to reaching out to
people and building a strong social network is to knock on people's doors.

If someone lives in your dorm call over in the evening to chill. Call someone
you've just met up for a beer. Facebook everyone you met at a house party
inviting them to come to your party. You'll soon find yourself very popular.

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triviatise
Im probably older than most of you at 40 and so far there isnt anything that I
havent been able to fix (so nothing is "way too late"). The only thing might
be have kids when you are young because the probabilities drop a lot as you
get older.

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andrewstuart
To write my own code instead of trying to find funding to pay others to do it.

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pokoleo
[http://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/gd95k/reddit_what...](http://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/gd95k/reddit_what_is_something_you_learned_way_too_late/)
clickable

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leahculver
If you fold down the zipper pull, it locks. Your fly won't come undone.

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sharadgopal
Dwelling too much on the past is more often than not a waste of time.

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maushu
No matter how stupid or ludicrous your idea is, there will _always_ be someone
that will want to buy it. (Now a market to support it... that's a whole
'nother thing.)

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fjabre
That it's never too late.

That building is the act of learning.

That past successes should be built upon and not run away from.

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stevetjoa
Investing. And related to that, risk taking.

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michaelpinto
I learned that life is short...

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drkpwn
Just freaking do it! Stop questioning yourself about everything and DO IT!

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bo_Olean
Success : Do one thing, really well. Focus.

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noodle
the only real difference between a child and an adult is that its easier to
take an adult seriously.

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RandyHelzerman
What is morally wrong isn't teenagers having sex, it's teenagers having
babies.

