Illustration courtesy of Chuckle Hut
Underclassmen, I know high school can be rough. Trust me, we have all been there. However, as the street-smarts valedictorian from the Pinewood graduating Class of 2022, I know a thing or two because I’ve seen a thing or two. To make your Pinewood experience as smooth and fun as possible, I am here to tell you some things I learned to make your life a little easier.
For starters, you might want to consider skipping a day here and there. Heck, make it a week. If you are truly going to get the most out of high school and prepare yourself for the harsh realities of the real world, you will need to know how to be independent. Do you really think all these teachers holding your hand and walking you through lessons is going to help you down the line? That’s right, if you want to learn, you need to put yourself through it all. Take a trip to Tahoe and sleep in the snow. Hike the Sierra Nevada. Have a boat drop you in the middle of the ocean and swim to shore. If you want to be able to support yourself after high school or college, this is the bare minimum, so prepare yourself before it is too late.
On a similar note, do your best to set yourself up for failure so you can prove to yourself that you can handle anything. For example, listening in class is for chumps. Instead, try day trading. I have never heard of anyone getting breaded up just by listening in class, but day trading is guaranteed profit with absolutely no downsides. Now chew on this, why are you going to high school? Because the government says so? To go to college? To get a job? Well, you probably want that job so you can make enough money to feed yourself and live happily until you retire. But here’s the kicker, by day trading stocks you can set yourself up to retire by the time you are 25 years old. Another option would be trading NFTs or crypto, which are also highly profitable with almost no risk factor. Whichever route you choose, you are sure to make the big bucks.
Finally, my most important advice. As Taco Bell says, live más. A rule I have for myself is that before I do anything, I ask myself: “Is it hype?” If the answer is no, do not do that thing. If the answer is yes, do it. With all this in mind, truthfully all you need in life is a 12 figure net worth and a can-do attitude, and I’m sure you will be just fine.