You'll be dead soon - Carpe Diem
I think this is where proper mentorship is extremely valuable. If the student was consistently coached from the get-go he might have pulled it off.On that note, is there a community online where one can seek out mentorship. It doesn;t have to be a community of who's who  - just some decent nice people with common sense and desire to succeed should suffice. I am at a stage where I could use some advice as well.