Advice for you 17 year old self.

[Booksalemanager]

Originally Posted by the weakonomist

If you're headed off to college, go to an in state public school. Get a part-time job, despite what anyone says, you have time for it.

Get a credit card and use it responsibly. Now is the time to start building credit.

This is almost exactly what I was going to say.

I waited till around 19 to get a credit card. Although it didn't hurt to miss 2 years of credit building, it still would of been nice.

I went to a private college for one year (my parents paid for most of it but still wasn't the best financial choice for anyone) I transferred to a public school shortly after and received a better degree for 1/3 of the cost.

To anyone in college, you can have a part time job and still socialize and get good grades. Actually being involved and working probably made it easier to stay on top of school work. Also there are a lot of on campus jobs that have enough free time where you can do your homework at work. I worked 15 hours a week at a desk. I preferred the weekend shifts (less interruptions at sat/Sunday morning/afternoon) and was able to finish all my homework at work.

[trustno1]

Hmmmm, ok, if I had to toss out two of the most useful suggestions to improve your chances, which will apply at any age...

-develop an creative method of processing information. In other words, view everything as a potential "tool" for whatever it can be used for, rather than seeing things only for their intended use.

(you can still eat yogurt without a spoon. Use a knife, your finger, a handle, a strip of paper, etc. It is amazing how many would not eat it, because they do not have a "spoon".)

The second piece of advice is...

"never argue with an idiot. they will just bring you down to their level...and beat you with experience."

Laugh now, but you will be surprised how much time and frustration you can avoid by following that advice...lol

Good luck, I am still amazed that any of us survive past high school...hehehe

[Charley Forness]

Do what you love, be persistent and patient with it, and it will make you money. Build a life, don't just take a job to finance a lifestyle that you've put together just because you hate your job and need to unwind.

Start investing early and DON'T TOUCH IT! Chances are you will live through five recessions before you retire and one or two will be quite nasty, but if you start young, it will grow.

And finally, NEVER give up your dreams for a guy or a girl. NEVER.

-Charley

[anterastilis]

1. Go to your classes in college, you paid for them!

2. Go on road trip vacations with your friends, you deserve them.

3. For the love of God, don't smoke anything given to you by a guy named Weasel.

[MerchantsBarter]

At 17 I was at my first entrepreneurial turning point. I had a business that I ran part time whilst I was still at school and made almost as much as people around me in full time "jobs". I enjoyed it very much, it was a real passion, but my parents were not business owners (far from it, in fact!) Rather than follow my heart, I took their advice to go to University and get a good looking resume, instead of building my first empire.

If I'd followed my heart at the time and been braver, I'd have retired a multi-millionaire before I was 30. That's no joke and not bragging: during my university years I read about another businessman that did exactly what I had envisioned and sold his company for 10m pounds! Now, I'm not saying that I would have had that kind of success, but since following my entrepreneurial heart since then, I have achieved much more than the vast majority of folks I know that followed the "resume" and employee path.

That would be my only advice to myself: trust in your inner voice, your heart, be prepared to make a fool of yourself, be brave, take risks, and believe you are much more successful than others may want to give you credit for.