College has begun for many, and New Haven is now filled with bright eyed, optimistic freshmen.  I’ve wondered whether I know any better now than I did a few years ago when I was one of them, and what I would tell a freshman as a result.

Pausing at the light

Everybody typically spends their four years thinking about the next step.  I did.

But, college is really the one chance you may get to think about your whole life and not just your job (or career as in your series of jobs).

Most students won’t stop to think about it.  They probably didn’t even think about why they even are going to college since that is what everyone does.  Consequently, between stops, everyone will keep going down the same one way road.  They will always feel pressured and forced into a life decision as if there is no other way.  This really just commits you to a narrower and more routinized life down the road — which shouldn’t sound exciting to anyone.

There are plenty of turns and roads off the beaten path that you can only begin to notice if you stop.  Going with the flow of traffic will only lead you to where everyone is — and if your goal is to be exceptional, then you’ll never succeed.

Changing Course

It is never to late to do what you want.

I remember at the end of 2007 when I was planning to accept a summer internship at a top tier investment bank.  That was what everyone wanted.  I thought about it, and I realized I didn’t know why I wanted it even if I could enjoy it.

I thought back in my life to what I wanted to be “when I grow up” and investment banker or consultant didn’t come up in my list.  After growing up with all the stories about Bill Gates, Jerry Yang, and Sergey Brin, I wanted to be an entrepreneur and take on some ambiguity — do something different even if not well defined.  I realized I wanted to lead my life a certain way and not follow a certain way to a life.

Good thing I did because that company that gave me an offer ran into financial difficulty a year later.

I hope freshmen can remember that whether it is changing your classes or changing your career path, you can always choose.  Leadership is the choice to do something.  No body ever asks you how you follow your life … so how will you lead your life?