2. Sheryl Sandberg, COO of Facebook

There is no straight path to where you are going.

3. Tony Hsieh, CEO of Zappos

Be unapologetically true to yourself, both in business, and in life in general… if you do, and broadcast that to the world, over time, the right people will find you.

4. Mark Zuckerberg, founder and CEO of Facebook

You’re going to make mistakes no matter what you do. People spend a lot of time focusing on not making mistakes or regretting them, but you shouldn’t strive to be right about everything.

5. Peter Thiel, entrepreneur

Before getting swept up in the competitions that define so much of life, ask yourself whether you even want the prize on offer.

6. Tim Cook, CEO of Apple

The joy is in the journey.

7. Mark Cuban, entrepreneur

You’ve got to know where you are good and where you are not good.

8. Jordan Ritter, co-founder of Napster

Spend deliberate, intentional time thinking about what you value most, what’s truly important to you.

9. Joel Spolsky, co-founder of Trello

It gets better. It’s important to learn new things and expand your horizons.

10. Jimmy Wales, co-founder of Wikipedia

Whether it is a change of job, or an entrepreneurial dream, the less you NEED to spend each month, the easier it is to follow those dreams.

11. Justin Rosenstein, co-founder of Asana

Problems happen. Plans fail. Don’t be disheartened when things don’t go as you’d hoped.

12. Jason Fried, co-founder and CEO of Basecamp

Most of the things you’ll worry about aren’t worth worrying about.

Kathryn Minshew, co-founder and CEO of The Muse

“No” is often just the starting point.

Matt Mullenweg, co-founder of WordPress

Be okay with things building up over time.

Tim Westergren, founder of Pandora

Be sure to “notice” ideas when you have them. Stop. Take the time to consider them seriously. And if your gut tells you they’re compelling, be fearless in their pursuit.

Aicha Evans, chief strategy officer of Intel

Enjoy failing fast rather than spending so much time figuring out how to be perfect, or even worse, being paralyzed by fear of being perfect.

Katie Moussouris, founder and CEO of Luta Security

Actively listen with empathy, especially when it comes to those you don’t agree with.

Stuart McClure, founder and CEO, Cylance

tTrusting someone before it is earned is a painful way to live, but the only way to truly feel free.

Also see

• Interview tips: How to land your next tech job (free PDF) (TechRepublic)
• Where the tech jobs are — and will be in the future (ZDNet)
• Cheat sheet: How to become a data scientist (TechRepublic)
• The best job in America is, oh, software developer (CNET)
• The 20 most important IT jobs for the future economy (TechRepublic)