Taking about twice as long as I could have at the university while it was obvious the entire time that I wasn't putting the necessary work into learning the heavy math I would need if I wanted to be a successful grad student. Should've failed fast with the research career aspirations and graduated as fast as I can. (You pick your own course load and usually work up to a Master's degree in Finnish university. There are grades, but generally only graduate studies programs care about them, so if you know you'll go to industry, you can load up on the courses and treat any passing grade as good enough.)
This is a repository for major, life-altering mistakes that you or others have made. Detailed accounts of specific mistakes are welcome, and so are mentions of general classes of mistakes that people often make. If similar repositories already exist (inside or outside of LW), links are greatly appreciated.
The purpose of this repository is to collect information about serious misjudgements and mistakes in order to help people avoid similar mistakes. (I am posting this repository because I'm trying to conduct a premortem on my life and figure out what catastrophic risks may screw me over in the near or far future.)