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“Do, fail, learn” – You can reap bountiful lessons from the classroom of life.

Contrary to popular belief, your education is only beginning when you graduate from college. Universities don’t always prepare you to succeed in life. Adulthood entails learning from your mistakes. Failure is the world’s greatest teacher – particularly if you plan on creating and innovating. When you choose a livelihood, prioritize maximizing your learning opportunities and doing what you naturally find interesting instead of seeking money, titles or glory. Follow your curiosity, and don’t fret over your mistakes. Bear in mind that the choices you make and the companies you “join or start” during your 20s will most likely not work out. That’s the natural way of things, so don’t be discouraged.

In 1991, Tony Fadell, then 21, drove from his native Michigan to California. He landed a diagnostic engineering job at General Magic, a boldly innovative and largely unknown electronics and software firm. Fadell had been CEO of his own little start-up back home. That company enjoyed modest success and had a promising future, but Fadell felt stuck. He wanted to accelerate...