Tech: Focus on fully completing a concrete web project that touches the full stack. This means it can't be too big/complicated. The idea is to learn what it means to finish something serious under deadline (first day on campus). Finishing serious things under deadline starts in college, and continues for the rest of your career.
Life (from personal experience): Read up hard on personal finance and personal investment (Bogle, MMM, etc.), including predatory credit cards, emergency funds, dangers of "life-style loans", etc. The first days on campus usually include walking by tables for finance vendors that can hurt your long term financial health. Knowledge is power.
Also, if I had dropped my 1K from the summer grocery store job in a market index fund my freshman year, certain later life decisions would have been a lot smoother. Play the long game.
Two things:
Tech: Focus on fully completing a concrete web project that touches the full stack. This means it can't be too big/complicated. The idea is to learn what it means to finish something serious under deadline (first day on campus). Finishing serious things under deadline starts in college, and continues for the rest of your career.
Life (from personal experience): Read up hard on personal finance and personal investment (Bogle, MMM, etc.), including predatory credit cards, emergency funds, dangers of "life-style loans", etc. The first days on campus usually include walking by tables for finance vendors that can hurt your long term financial health. Knowledge is power.
Also, if I had dropped my 1K from the summer grocery store job in a market index fund my freshman year, certain later life decisions would have been a lot smoother. Play the long game.