Major life transitions such as leaving the protected environment of school or starting a new career can be daunting. It is scary to face a wall of choices, knowing that no one is going to tell us whether or not we are making the right decision. There is no clearly delineated path or recipe for success. Even figuring out how and where to start can be a challenge. That is, until now.

As executive director of the Stanford Technology Ventures Program, Tina Seelig guides her students as they make the difficult transition from the academic environment to the professional world, providing tangible skills and insights that will last a lifetime. Seelig is an entrepreneur, neuroscientist, and popular teacher, and in What I Wish I Knew When I Was 20 she shares with us what she offers her students—provocative stories, inspiring advice, and a big dose of humility and humor.

These pages are filled with fascinating examples, from the classroom to the boardroom, of individuals defying expectations, challenging assumptions, and achieving amazing success. Seelig throws out the old rules and provides a new model for reaching our highest potential. We discover how to have a healthy disregard for the impossible, how to recover from failure, and how most problems are remarkable opportunities in disguise.

What I Wish I Knew When I Was 20 is a much-needed book for everyone looking to make their mark on the world.

蒂娜•齐莉格（Tina Seelig）教授,于1985年获斯坦福大学的神经科学博士学位,曾任职于知名的步兹、艾伦与汉弥顿管理咨询公司（Booz, Allen & Hamilton）,康柏电脑公司（Compaq）,也创办过一家叫做“图书浏览器”的多媒体公司。现任斯坦福科技创业计划（STVP）执行长,STVP致力于高科技创业教育,为不同领域的学生提供创业技巧,鼓励他们以创新方式解决世界的问题。

齐莉格教授在斯坦福设计学院教授创造力、创新和创业精神的课程；也经常为硅谷企业界人士、西点军校、其他政府机构、非赢利性机构提供拓宽思路,帮助职场成功的励志课程,是美国最有魅力和创新力的创业导师！

齐莉格教授对于开发创造力怀抱巨大热情,喜欢和创意团队合作,激发创造性思考。不过她很清楚,徒有创意而无法执行,则一切都是枉然。因此她很重视实现创意的方法。而她自己的事业发展,正是她所提倡的创造性思考的最佳写照。

齐莉格教授小时候上家政课差点不及格,因为她做的巧克力补丁发生爆炸,弄得到处都是,拿到神经科学博士学位后,决定写一本书讨论烹调的化学。她开玩笑说,我对实验室发生的事情了如指掌,但对厨房里发生的事情却不是那么清楚,一旦我了解以后,厨房里发生的灾难就减少许多。

除了这本《科学爆米花：不可思议的厨房实验室》,她总共写过14本科普书籍,此外,齐莉格教授的儿子小时候对魔术和棒球卡很有兴趣,她从中得到灵感,创造出一系列《头脑游戏》,用卡片教导小孩子各种科学观念。

1991年,她对自己著作在市面上促销的方式感到很不满意,于是创办了图书浏览器公司,在书店设立电脑咨询站,协助读者搜索书籍资料。当时亚马逊网路书店尚未诞生,她的做法可说是开风气之先。

孕育了yahoo,google等公司的斯坦福大学素有“硅谷创业摇篮”之称,校内的创业课程几乎成为每个斯坦福人的必修课。齐莉格教授身为斯坦福科技创业计划执行长,她认为在这个步调快速的社会里,理工科学生只接受科技训练绝对不够,应该要具备更多软性技能,了解自己即将面临的商业环境。齐莉格教授以创新的教学方法,教导来自不同科系的学生把问题变成机会,也因为她身具启发性的教学方式,获得学生票选为杰出教师。

齐莉格教授获得的奖项：

2004年纳斯达克年度创业中心STVP

2005年斯坦福卓越教学奖

2008年美国奥林巴斯创新奖

2009年美国国家工程学会戈登奖