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Comment by pg | Hacker News Reader

Don't worry about trying to impress people. Just work hard on things you like.

Don't get into debt.

Out of curiosity (I think that's sound advice through-and-through): would you say the same thing to the dramatic socialite?

Most of my friends are part of the theatre circle: for a lot of us, impressing people and seeming really cool doesn't come from a desire to be liked, but from the thrill of getting reactions from crowds. It's more the act of people who specialize in trying to handle crowd emotions. Is that a separate thing, or would you bundle that sort of community attitude as attempted impressing?

That's kind of an edge case. But even within acting there's a distinction between actually wowing audiences and trying to seem impressive. The American Repertory Theater in Cambridge is a good example of what not to do.

I hear ya about the debt. Though my dad told me that and I didn't listen as well as I should have, so it might be a waste even coming from myself. I've just now returned to the good credit category.

Does "don't get into debt" apply to choosing what college to attend, as well?

What if working hard on what I like could potentially get me into debt? Or what if I like to impress people?

I mainly mean you should avoid consumption debt-- you should avoid living beyond your means. Debt incurred as part of a project your'e working on could be ok. (Could.)

If you work hard on things you like, you will impress people.

Before TicketStumbler I at one point had 90k worth of credit card debt to finance my first business. That business was a lot more stressful than TS.

Rephrased for chiasmus double bonus points:

Work hard on what you like, not on what's thought hard work.

Some businesses are impossible to start without debt.

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