I often wish I had attended a big-name university.
When I chose a college, I didn't give it much thought. I didn't get much advice or guidance on what a big decision choosing a college was. Plus, I would have been too scared to move very far away from Nebraska, where I was born and raised. I wasn't surrounded by people who encouraged - or even considered - this sort of behavior.
Through a crazy turn of events, I eventually ended up living and working in Silicon Valley. I met many people who went to Stanford, Yale, Carnegie Mellon, and found that I got along with them very well. It was the first time I was surrounded by people I understood, and I was 25 years old.
With my upbringing, I expected them to be God-like, but it seemed like most of them were coastal people with backgrounds through which it seemed natural for them to go to schools like that.
I made some great connections in the valley, but I still think I could have done better if I had college friends there from one of these universities. There was nobody in my social and professional circles that was from my school. Meanwhile, college friends from these schools were starting successful startups.
Everything has turned out pretty well so far, but I often wonder what my life would be like if I had been encouraged to try to go to a better school.
When I chose a college, I didn't give it much thought. I didn't get much advice or guidance on what a big decision choosing a college was. Plus, I would have been too scared to move very far away from Nebraska, where I was born and raised. I wasn't surrounded by people who encouraged - or even considered - this sort of behavior.
Through a crazy turn of events, I eventually ended up living and working in Silicon Valley. I met many people who went to Stanford, Yale, Carnegie Mellon, and found that I got along with them very well. It was the first time I was surrounded by people I understood, and I was 25 years old.
With my upbringing, I expected them to be God-like, but it seemed like most of them were coastal people with backgrounds through which it seemed natural for them to go to schools like that.
I made some great connections in the valley, but I still think I could have done better if I had college friends there from one of these universities. There was nobody in my social and professional circles that was from my school. Meanwhile, college friends from these schools were starting successful startups.
Everything has turned out pretty well so far, but I often wonder what my life would be like if I had been encouraged to try to go to a better school.