The HP CEO told the MIT graduates about quitting law school — a gut-wrenching dilemma because her father was a law professor and judge whose guidance meant the world to her. She literally didn't sleep for three months agonizing over whether to risk disappointing him. But while she was intellectually challenged by law, 'the rest of me was left cold.' She made the decision and didn't blink. What seemed random and ill-advised at the time turned out to be the most important life marker on her journey from medieval history major to secretary in a shipping department to CEO.