“It takes 20 years to build a reputation and five minutes to ruin it. If you think about that, you’ll do things differently.”
Warren Buffett, as quoted in Time Magazine
Buffett may not have been talking about Tweets, Facebook posts, emails, blogs and any of the other ways you can ruin your legacy online. But technology has given us a lot more ways to build—and ruin—our reputations. You don’t have to look very hard to find people who will be answering for their online indiscretions…forever.
The technological version of Buffett’s advice might be, “Google never forgets. If you think about that, you’ll do things differently.”
And yes, college admissions officers will google you. So will future employers and future in-laws.