Major life transitions such as leaving the protected environment of school or starting a new career can be daunting. It is scary to face a wall of choices, knowing that no one is going to tell us whether or not we are making the right decision. There is no clearly delineated path or recipe for success. Even figuring out how and where to start can be a challenge. That is, until now. As executive director of the Stanford Technology Ventures Program, Tina Seelig guides her students as they make the difficult transition from the academic environment to the professional world, providing tangible skills and insights that will last a lifetime. Seelig is an entrepreneur, neuroscientist, and popular teacher, and in What I Wish I Knew When I Was 20 she shares with us what she offers her students—provocative stories, inspiring advice, and a big dose of humility and humor. These pages are filled with fascinating examples, from the classroom to the boardroom, of individuals defying expectations, challenging assumptions, and achieving amazing success. Seelig throws out the old rules and provides a new model for reaching our highest potential. We discover how to have a healthy disregard for the impossible, how to recover from failure, and how most problems are remarkable opportunities in disguise. What I Wish I Knew When I Was 20 is a much-needed book for everyone looking to make their mark on the world.

人生的重大转变，如离开学校的保护环境或开始新的职业生涯，可能会令人望而生畏。知道没有人会告诉我们我们是否做出了正确的决定，面对一堵选择之墙是很可怕的。没有明确的成功之路或秘诀。甚至弄清楚如何以及从哪里开始也是一个挑战。就是到现在为止。作为斯坦福科技创业项目的执行董事，Tina Seelig指导她的学生从学术环境艰难地过渡到专业领域，提供持续一生的有形技能和见解。Seelig是一位企业家、神经科学家和受欢迎的教师，在我20岁时我希望知道的事情中，她与我们分享了她为学生们提供的富有挑衅性的故事、鼓舞人心的建议以及大量的谦逊和幽默。从董事会的页面到充满挑战的个人，充满了令人着迷的、挑战性的、挑战性的、成功的例子。Seelig摒弃了旧的规则，为实现我们的最高潜能提供了新的模式。我们发现如何健康地忽视不可能的事情，如何从失败中恢复过来，以及大多数问题如何伪装成巨大的机会。当我20岁的时候，我希望我知道的是一本非常需要的书，对于每个想在这个世界上崭露头角的人来说。