how can my younger brother who is a junior in high school start preparing for the real world?

plz don’t say SAT prep

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Only a few years older but I'd say put effort into friendships, read more, & relentlessly pursue your interests.

Also, you get back the effort you put in. My top regret is half-assing everything. The one activity I put true effort into I got really good at and had tons of fun.

I half-assed academia but went really hard on extracurriculars / outside ventures 

if i could go back, i’d make the same decision

Yeah, academics are definitely overemphasized.

I also half-assed many extracurriculars just bc I was lazy or didn't care. Definitely regret not shifting my time to the 1-2 activities I really cared about earlier.

But I suppose that's a lesson worth learning through experience.