Next spring, I will graduate from a great college, single and basically debt free. Right now, I have two options. I can return to the big company where I had a summer internship doing work I sort of liked with people I sort of liked. Or I can join a start-up with three friends, which is a long shot but could be a blast. What should I do?
At age 21, with not a mortgage or tuition in sight, why would you ever, ever sign up to huddle in a corporate cubicle where you will do work you sort of like? To make your parents happy? To look good to your classmates? Don’t do that! In fact, in your situation, don’t even be worried if the people who love you most hear about your new job and react by saying, “You’re doing what?”
Look, if there was ever a time to take chances, explore options, and swing for the fences, it is now. You can be cautious later, when you have an apartment in the city and a house in the country and two kids’ tuitions to pay. And your spouse loves luxury travel, expensive paintings, or most frightening of all, horses.
Right now, you’re as free as you will ever be. Plus you’ve got a very nice credential hanging around your neck in your college degree. So take full advantage of what you’ve got: the open-mindedness to experiment, the capacity to live very cheaply, and the permission most cultures grant young people to take risks and fail a few times.
These gifts probably won’t come your way again. Enjoy them!
This question and answer originally appeared in Business Week magazine on October 28, 2005.
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