[gosu]

1) Math is way more than calculus. Writing proofs is the best way to train the general skills that will get you recognized as smart.

2) Stop being a coward. Always push yourself to do embarrassing, uncomfortable, or hard things, or you'll still be 16 when you're 21.

3) Gaming and computing is addictive. Don't waste precious life on it.

4) You're an idiot, and your unexamined decisions make you a bad person, though you don't intend to harm anyone. Find values to believe in, and use them to make hard or painful decisions with dignity. Foremost of those should be: treat your people well, even at your own expense.

5) Examine, accept, and embrace your feelings and your past, for better and worse.

6) Read more fiction to learn more about life.

7) You're a social animal. You'll never grow as much, or be as happy, as when you're surrounded by people.

8) Don't stop doubting yourself.

Very little of this has to do with programming or careers. But I don't regret not knowing C at 16 nearly as much as I regret all of the above. Learning to live well is so much more important.