Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI, emphasizes the importance of prioritizing living without regrets by placing a high value on it.

In 2005, Sam Altman took a risk that altered the course of his career, although he may not have realized it at the time.

Before co-founding OpenAI, Altman left Stanford to create Loopt, a social networking app that utilized location-based technology.

Altman, 39, told students during an interview at his alma mater, the St. Louis-area John Burroughs School, that leaving college seemed like a really fun thing to try. However, he added, leaving college was a decision he could go back on if entrepreneurship didn't work out.

""Most things are not a one-way door, which means you can try something, undo it if it doesn't work out, and do something else," he said."

Jeff Bezos, the founder of Amazon, also considers opportunities as a two-way door risk that is easy to take because it is reversible, and one can always come back and pick another door.

A one-way door risk should be made with caution, as Bezos said, because "going through that door means you can't return."

"Going for the risks is crucial, but it's equally important to choose the right ones," Altman said.

Feeling regret, you may reflect on your career after 10, 20, or 30 years and wish you had pursued what you truly wanted. To avoid this, prioritize taking action whenever you feel the urge to do so.

Altman advised students to consider alternative paths to traditional college, job, and career trajectories.

"In previous generations, a guarantee of financial security was often attainable through the traditional path. However, I believe that this path is now facing challenges, and AI is likely to further disrupt it and introduce new variants," he stated.

Younger generations may be starting to embrace the idea of changing careers frequently.

According to Handshake, 43% of the graduating class of 2025 expect to pivot to a new field at least once in their careers, even though they haven't started working full-time yet.

"Christine Cruzvergara, the chief education strategy officer at Handshake, previously stated to Make It that "this generation values flexibility.""

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