Listening to the well-intended advice of (unqualified) adults who told me there was little opportunity in pursuing the one subject I'd cared about all of the time I was growing up. Instead, find the people who are already doing it, wherever that takes you.
Probably not networking or trying out different activities in university. Basically just took on the classes and got my degree, and that was that.
Unfortunately, I realised afterwards that who you know is a lot more important than what you know, as well as that university is one of the best times to both meet interesting new people and get involved in new hobbies. Not knowing anyone afterwards probably made it much more difficult to get my first job afterwards, as well as to find startup cofounders and what not.
Also regret shutting down my first major internet community/forum site, since it was pretty damn popular at the time (about 300,000 posts/a few thousand users), and when merged with my later ones, could have become the base for a much larger community.
Also regret not jumping on a few internet bandwagons/gold rush scenarios too. Seeing how successful some channels became on YouTube/Twitch/whatever kinda makes me wish I'd made the investment and gone all in on one of these platforms back when they were starting out. Writing doesn't exactly pay anymore, and those who made the transition to video earlier have sometimes built entire careers out of it.
Had the #1 selling product in the majority of the 450 doors I was in. Customers always raved about our flavors which was a direct result of having the strictest QC standards around our distillate manufacturing. We made sure to distill our oils so that there were no residual terpenes that could contribute to off flavors through oxidation. We were militant about it. Every other brand sourced oil from the open market. A side effect of having the most pure distillate oil is that it's also the most potent.
Listening to the customer feedback I never heard anyone compliment our potency. Later on the hardware for vape carts evolved and new carts came out that could provide higher doses. Our oil did not taste good in those carts so we didn't make the switch. Then when the feedback started rolling in that our cartridges weren't strong enough (they just didn't vaporize as much oil..) we finally made the switch. By then we had lost our market position. Turns out customers liked our flavor but the reason they were really purchasing was the potency.
When you're on top you think it's your brand or your QC that's carrying you...when really it was just a potency game all along.
If the side project could bring in money maybe it’s too harsh to regret it. It could have meant spending less time in a job and more time with the kids.
Not transitioning into a non-binary gender in my teens and instead in my mid-to-late-twenties where I am now.
I internalized a lot of rhetoric from other people that I simply had to accept myself or feel comfortable with a narrative of being "natural". Ultimately, after having a breakdown and taking effort to change my body/appearance did that prescribed self-acceptance finally happen. It just didn't happen on other people's terms.
The biggest takeaway I learned was not to lie to myself and not to accept other people's convictions too much. It was a lesson in individualism and boundaries.
In hindsight, concentrating on finding a side hustle or a business of my own instead of just trying to be a better engineer. 90% of new ventures fail, but everyone thinks they will be the exception. I was basically broke with no savings and no job when I was 32. I'm 40 and bounced back a bit, but I feel so behind in my career and saving for retirement.
- I said a hurtful thing to someone a decade ago (she lost a son and I said something insensitive). The sort of thing you say when you don't have a good "filter" between your brain and your mouth.
- That back then, nobody told me I didn't have a good "filter".
I concentrated too much on minimizing long-term interest expense. I didn't think about how the money I was using to pay-down principal could have returned income over the long term. The real estate asset I was paying on hasn't appreciated at all in 20 years. I could have seen major investment returns on that money which would far exceed the interest expense I alleviated.
re: investment, one reasonable place to start might be Bernstein's free ebook "if you can", which also has some pointers to further reading. some of the advice in there, re: tax-advantaged retirement savings plan, is specific to the USA
The bogleheads community is really good for advice on just about any financial topic you can think of. Tell them your situation and they will set up a solid plan for you https://www.bogleheads.org/
Listening to the well-intended advice of (unqualified) adults who told me there was little opportunity in pursuing the one subject I'd cared about all of the time I was growing up. Instead, find the people who are already doing it, wherever that takes you.
Probably not networking or trying out different activities in university. Basically just took on the classes and got my degree, and that was that.
Unfortunately, I realised afterwards that who you know is a lot more important than what you know, as well as that university is one of the best times to both meet interesting new people and get involved in new hobbies. Not knowing anyone afterwards probably made it much more difficult to get my first job afterwards, as well as to find startup cofounders and what not.
Also regret shutting down my first major internet community/forum site, since it was pretty damn popular at the time (about 300,000 posts/a few thousand users), and when merged with my later ones, could have become the base for a much larger community.
Also regret not jumping on a few internet bandwagons/gold rush scenarios too. Seeing how successful some channels became on YouTube/Twitch/whatever kinda makes me wish I'd made the investment and gone all in on one of these platforms back when they were starting out. Writing doesn't exactly pay anymore, and those who made the transition to video earlier have sometimes built entire careers out of it.
Not getting divorced sooner. Too much misery for too long.
Not raising capital when it would've been easy.
Not understanding my customer despite having a #1 market position.
Not spending enough time with my daughter when she was younger.
Hi, Can you share more details about #1 market position ?
Had the #1 selling product in the majority of the 450 doors I was in. Customers always raved about our flavors which was a direct result of having the strictest QC standards around our distillate manufacturing. We made sure to distill our oils so that there were no residual terpenes that could contribute to off flavors through oxidation. We were militant about it. Every other brand sourced oil from the open market. A side effect of having the most pure distillate oil is that it's also the most potent.
Listening to the customer feedback I never heard anyone compliment our potency. Later on the hardware for vape carts evolved and new carts came out that could provide higher doses. Our oil did not taste good in those carts so we didn't make the switch. Then when the feedback started rolling in that our cartridges weren't strong enough (they just didn't vaporize as much oil..) we finally made the switch. By then we had lost our market position. Turns out customers liked our flavor but the reason they were really purchasing was the potency.
When you're on top you think it's your brand or your QC that's carrying you...when really it was just a potency game all along.
Pouring into a side project time and attention that I should have given to my kids.
If the side project could bring in money maybe it’s too harsh to regret it. It could have meant spending less time in a job and more time with the kids.
^^^ Someone who doesn't understand what it's like to have to support kids or others that depend on you, which requires job stability.
Ad hominem aside, OP was talking about a side project. I didn’t take that as quitting a job / startup type of thing.
I’ve only regretted what I’ve held back, never what I’ve done.
Be kind, but also be bold. Don’t live in fear, we’re all dead eventually.
What a lovely thought!
Spending too much time with computers.
Not transitioning into a non-binary gender in my teens and instead in my mid-to-late-twenties where I am now.
I internalized a lot of rhetoric from other people that I simply had to accept myself or feel comfortable with a narrative of being "natural". Ultimately, after having a breakdown and taking effort to change my body/appearance did that prescribed self-acceptance finally happen. It just didn't happen on other people's terms.
The biggest takeaway I learned was not to lie to myself and not to accept other people's convictions too much. It was a lesson in individualism and boundaries.
Not marrying my high school sweetheart and having kids right out of high school. Now I'm 38, never married and it's increasingly unlikely I ever will.
> Not marrying my high school sweetheart and having kids right out of high school.
You really dodged a bullet with this one. Kids right after high school? Not in this day and age.
I wish people like you would stop spreading this fud.
Put Tinder on Africa.
Getting a dog. It's been two years now and she's a lovable dog but the reward has not been worth the effort for me and I regret it.
I love my dog. But I also love to travel. And I just feel so bad leaving her with someone else or alone during the day sometimes.
You're probably overlooking something. These little creatures give us way more than we give them <3
Is there any relative that could keep her?
It's not that bad. Just like 5-10% less enjoyment of life? She loves me so it's not worth making her unhappy for that.
Using personal time to work for my employer instead of investing it in myself.
In hindsight, concentrating on finding a side hustle or a business of my own instead of just trying to be a better engineer. 90% of new ventures fail, but everyone thinks they will be the exception. I was basically broke with no savings and no job when I was 32. I'm 40 and bounced back a bit, but I feel so behind in my career and saving for retirement.
- Took some big decisions purely based on emotions, not my brain.
- Wasted a hell lot of time doing nothing meaningful.
- Held back myself, when I should not have.
Didn’t buy 1000btc @ $5 times. I’d have probably sold at $100 though!
You still have an opportunity buy at $8.5K and sell at $85K
I’ll buy at 85k and sell at 850k instead, thx.
A few months after it came out I installed a miner out of interest but never ran it, that one I regret.
Would probably have lost the wallet details anyway.
At 0x39 I regret:
- I never had a honeymoon.
- I said a hurtful thing to someone a decade ago (she lost a son and I said something insensitive). The sort of thing you say when you don't have a good "filter" between your brain and your mouth.
- That back then, nobody told me I didn't have a good "filter".
All of the actions I didn't take.
Not getting vasectomy sooner!
Not studying enough to get tuition or to short the duration of college. Now I have a substantial debt because it took me too long to finish.
Not understanding time-value of money in my early 20's and paying-down low interest debt instead of investing.
I'm in my early 20s now :) Do you have any concrete tips/things you wished you did differently?
Run numbers. Do simulations. Have a plan.
I concentrated too much on minimizing long-term interest expense. I didn't think about how the money I was using to pay-down principal could have returned income over the long term. The real estate asset I was paying on hasn't appreciated at all in 20 years. I could have seen major investment returns on that money which would far exceed the interest expense I alleviated.
re: investment, one reasonable place to start might be Bernstein's free ebook "if you can", which also has some pointers to further reading. some of the advice in there, re: tax-advantaged retirement savings plan, is specific to the USA
http://efficientfrontier.com/ef/0adhoc/2books.htm
The bogleheads community is really good for advice on just about any financial topic you can think of. Tell them your situation and they will set up a solid plan for you https://www.bogleheads.org/
Spending time trying to convince investors of what I already know and just building the damn thing without them.
Wasting time on browsing Internet without purpose.
wasting years at an outsourcing firm
Being born.
It gets better, I promise. Hope you can find that help and healing.
There is no choice to stay inutero.
There is a fix for that.
Not going to school, not doing anything for most of my late teenage years, going into software engineering.
What do you regret about software engineering?