I came out of school just at the time regional theater was first expanding. All of a sudden, lots of new companies needed actors.
I think being mean to people in high school is healthy. It's sort of like you're in this situation with all these other kids and sometimes you need to get your aggression out. And if you'd had people be mean to you before, it really does build character.
You can't sit on the lid of progress. If you do, you will be blown to pieces.