Lessons learned, Part Three: Last thoughts

So what are we to learn (form my mistakes)?

I often told my students that much real learning came from mistakes, more than from successes. Worse, early successes can lead students to hubris or overconfidence in their coming decisions. The good news is that the negative consequences of bad decisions in college are usually mild compared to those that can occur in the 'real world,' after they graduate. It's also important to learn to consider multiple outcomes or scenarios. Optimism or naïveté can produce a real disaster. Any potential decision requires attention to worst case scenarios, and making sure that they don't crash and burn from a bet-the-company strategy.