By Burt Lum

Back in the dawn of time, when I went to high school, there seemed to be a protective buffer that surrounded me called naivete.

Events back then, in the early 1970s, weren't any less tumultuous than they are now. We had the Vietnam War, hippies, Kent State, race riots, even Charles Manson. It was as crazy then as it is now, but I persevered, wrapped in a protective cloak of optimism. So I've concluded that as a teenager, life looks bright no matter what goes on in this world, because it's filtered through the eyes of innocence.

What has changed is that students have many different choices as they consider a career path.

During my day at Iolani, we were given a multiple-choice test to determine our vocational path. No pressure, just a profiler test. My results indicated I would either be a farmer or an astronomer. When I look back on it, the results weren't that far off. I'm looking at the stars, while I try to grow the money tree.

One star Iolani grad who has figured out how to grow the money tree is Guy Kawasaki. What's cool is he's sharing these insights with not only the Hawai'i business community but also, more importantly, Hawai'i high schoolers.

I recently attended the Bootcamp for Entrepreneurs presented by Kawasaki's company, Garage Technology Ventures. Of the 480 attendees, there were schools represented from Wai'anae to Hawai'i Kai. It was an opportunity to glean useful information for anyone looking to venture into entrepreneurship.

The focus was on the business of high tech, and the emphasis was on gaining a firm foundation in science and math. The presentation slides are available for download.

Kawasaki was the inaugural speaker at a lecture series called Kipapa i ke Ala ("Paving the Way"), sponsored by the UH Pacific Asian Center for Entrepreneurship and E-Business. Students who missed this lecture can check it out online.

The choices you make now can make a world of difference. ;-)

Reach Burt Lum at burt@brouhaha.net.