My $0.02 for College Seniors
So I know the new school year is just getting started and for those of you who are going to be finishing up college in the next few months I want to give you something to think about:
You should probably allocate the next 4 years of your life to trying to execute on the thing you want to do for the rest of your life.
And the reason for that is because you can just afford it. You can afford the worse case, which is starting at 0 at 26 or 27. You just can. (For the most post. Of course, student loan and family situations need to be taken into account too, and I totally understand that.)
Now you might not be scrappy enough. You might want things. You might want a purse, and that’s cool. If that’s what you want, and that is what will make you happy, then go out and get a job. But if you really want to do the thing that drives you, that is where you’ll get into the space where you think, “Cool, I’ll live a little bit further away.” “Cool, I’ll room with four or five other people and sleep on the couch.” And I think that is why I was personally able to make those trades. Because I know how awesome it feels to do the things that you love. For me the ability to spend a couple of years being practical is just easy. Because at this point, you shouldn't be worried about your next ten years, you should be worried about your last 10 years.
Let me elaborate. Here is something really fucking weird about me: I am obsessed with really old people. Seriously. When I travel, I will very often switch seats so I can sit next to the oldest looking guy on the plane. What’s really fascinating is that you can start figuring out what they’re really focused on, and what I have never heard a SINGLE 70-80-90-year-old person say is that “I wish I’d made more money.” Ever.
Ever. Zero.
And the things I do hear are always very, very similar. I had a conservative looking guy catch me off guard saying “I wish I hadn't worked at that crappy factory for 15 years.” And while it was funny in the moment, you completely understand what he means by that. What so many of these older men and women mean when they say “I wish I’d spent more time with my family.
If these people have already played the game, then why are we not listening to them?
Look, if you’re already savvy enough to be sitting here and reading this on LinkedIn, you've won. You've already won. I mean the opportunities available in most countries are absolutely tremendous. It has never been cheaper or more practical to try and build a career for yourself than it is right now, thanks to the infrastructure of the internet. And here you are, using it to read these words.
This next chapter of your life is unbelievably fertile for you, and what I worry about is that 30 years from now you’re going to look back at moments like these and ask yourself “Why didn't I listen?” Because what you have right now in terms of timing and circumstance, two resources you cannot buy and will not get back, is this 50-month window to not be practical. A 50-month window to not do it the way you've always been told you’re going to do it. A 50-month window where, if you don’t succeed, but you feel good about it, you’re still going to be far less behind than you think.
And that’s the dirty little secret, guys. The scary part where you say “Well if I start my own blog or business, and it doesn't pay off, I don’t want to wake up at 27 and start off with nothing.” is missing the point. The reality is that if you’re good. If you have chops and you have skills, it doesn't matter how everything ends up, because in 24-36 months you’re going to end up exactly where you’re supposed to be.
PS: Also be sure to have a lot of fun during these next 6 months of college, but try to lay down some ground work for your future business plans. Go to a few conferences, network a little on Twitter. 1 less beer pong match wont hurt you.
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I’m an entrepreneur. You can find out more at garyvaynerchuk.com
Wanna do something with me? Check out http://www.garyvaynerchuk.com/jjjrh/ I am bartering and doing bonuses around my new book!
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