NemesisVex
I liked the first 10 years and couldn't stand the last four.
What ultimately forced me to move were seasonal allergies. Once you develop allergies to the cedar and oak pollen in the region, your life will be hell for five months out of the year. They also coincide with the months in the year that are actually tolerable to be outside.
Texas has been in a pretty severe drought for most of the last half decade. In the past, triple-digit days were concentrated in August and part of July. Recently, those triple-digit days start as soon as June, with 90s starting as early as late April. Summer doesn't end till around October.
Austin is the liberal oasis of Texas, but it's still in Texas. It's a lot easier to be a Republican in Austin than in San Francisco or New York City.
Public transportation in Austin SUCKS HARD. You will need a car.
That's my naysayer's perspective on the city. There are more than enough opinions out there about what's good, and I agree with them.
I took an accounting class as an adult, and I wish I had taken it when I was younger. I don't look at my checkbook the same way, and while I haven't really done much with my businesses (record label, music publishing), I know how to keep my books.
I worked at a startup in 2011, and my boss was very forthcoming about the financial health of the company. At one meeting, he showed the staff a lot of positive numbers about income and growth year-over-year. I was the person to ask about debt because I learned that assets equals liabilities plus equity. (He didn't skirt the question, which is why I still admire him today.)
Even if this freshman ends up working for an international conglomerate, he or she will be able to look at the yearly business report and get a sense of what's going on.