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Ask HN: What's the pathway to working on YC Research-like problems?

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Ask HN: What's the pathway to working on YC Research-like problems?

#1

Post by dynamic99 »

Hi guys!

I'm a rising senior in high school trying to decide what I want to do with my life. I've been looking at these YC Research projects (universal basic income, city building, etc.) and am absolutely fascinated. I've truly never been interested in doing anything more than working on projects like those.

My question is, what is the best path to doing so? What can I do, in college and on my own, that will put me on the path to researching and implementing ideas like those? My plan is to study economics... does that give me the skills to work on problems like these? I'm particularly interested in the two research projects listed above, but I'd love to hear advice concerning how to work on any "big idea" project like that.

Thank you guys in advance.

Re: Ask HN: What's the pathway to working on YC Research-like problems?

#2

Post by Kinnard »

I presume you're inquiring about non-traditional pathways? I bet you know you could attend a University apply for a research job with a lab or professor and go from there?

You could always ask an important question, design several experiments[after researching experimental design], conduct the experiments, collect the data, see wether it confirms your hypothesis and what else it tells you, share that with the world in a meaningful(ideally machine parseable) good-looking way.

Sure, most experiments in the categories you named may be infeasible do to costs and other constraints, but I bet a bunch aren't . . .

Re: Ask HN: What's the pathway to working on YC Research-like problems?

#3

Post by Kinnard »

Kinnard wrote: post #2

I presume you're inquiring about non-traditional pathways? I bet you know you could attend a University apply for a research job with a lab or professor and go from there? You could always ask an important question, design several experiments[after researching experimental design], conduct the experiments, collect the data, see wether it confirms your hypothesis and what else it tells you, share that with the world i…

My high school allowed directed study as well as a month-long coop for seniors . . . perhaps you could propose a program to your high school and get it approved by the start of the school year.

Re: Ask HN: What's the pathway to working on YC Research-like problems?

#4

Post by angersock »

It's important to note that the sort of stuff YC Research is doing--and this is doubtless an unpopular opinion--is basically social whimsy by the investing class. It's perhaps interesting work, but it hinges on having somebody with deep pockets and a willingness to ignore good sense^W^W traditional wisdom.

If you are actually serious about doing this sort of thing, don't go to school for economics. Do civil engineering with a focus on urban planning, or study public health policy, or something similer.

Long after the bubble pops and the money dries up for this sort of humblebrag philanthropic advertising, the cities of the world will still need people to plan roads, organize public transportation, and suggest policies to help cities grow.

Re: Ask HN: What's the pathway to working on YC Research-like problems?

#5

Post by argonaut »

angersock wrote: post #4

It's important to note that the sort of stuff YC Research is doing--and this is doubtless an unpopular opinion--is basically social whimsy by the investing class. It's perhaps interesting work, but it hinges on having somebody with deep pockets and a willingness to ignore good sense^W^W traditional wisdom. If you are actually serious about doing this sort of thing, don't go to school for economics. Do civil engineeri…

If you think about it, YC Research is how academic research used to be funded centuries ago - patronage by wealthy elites.

Re: Ask HN: What's the pathway to working on YC Research-like problems?

#6

Post by jordancampbell »

If you do go to University then most 'analytical' subjects (maths / computer science / engineering) will prepare you well for future work.

The most important thing to do is keep asking questions like you are now. Contact architects, engineers, city planners, entrepreneurs etc and ask them what problems keep them up at night.

Re: Ask HN: What's the pathway to working on YC Research-like problems?

#7

Post by IVDV »

University. Find a professor doing similar work and gain experience alongside them. Academic research has given me opportunities to gain the necessary skills and has allowed me to identify my own research questions while being armed with the tools to investigate thr answers.

Reading sites like Hacker News and other relevant forums also gave me a second opinion on problems and helped prevent me from becoming a thought clone of my academic mentors.

Re: Ask HN: What's the pathway to working on YC Research-like problems?

#8

Post by angersock »

argonaut wrote: post #5
angersock wrote: post #4

It's important to note that the sort of stuff YC Research is doing--and this is doubtless an unpopular opinion--is basically social whimsy by the investing class. It's perhaps interesting work, but it hinges on having somebody with deep pockets and a willingness to ignore good sense^W^W traditional wisdom. If you are actually serious about doing this sort of thing, don't go to school for economics. Do civil engineeri…

If you think about it, YC Research is how academic research used to be funded centuries ago - patronage by wealthy elites.

Quite right!

That being the case, let's dispense with the pretense and just recognize the community for what it is: courtisanship and begging for patrons.

Re: Ask HN: What's the pathway to working on YC Research-like problems?

#9

Post by curuinor »

B. Victor was Caltech EE BS and Berkeley EE MS(http://worrydream.com/#!/cv).

V. Hart did a music BA at Stony Brook, but has lots of mathematics background from many sources(https://www.quora.com/What-is-Vi-Harts-mathematical-educatio...).

D. Ingalls was physics at Harvard and PHD dropout (MS) in EE from Stanford(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daniel_Henry_Holmes_Ingalls,_J...).

Y. Ohshima was BS, MS and PHD at Tokyo Institute of Technology, in information science (http://vpri.org/html/team_bios/yoshiki.htm).

A. Warth was BS in CS at U. Miami, MS and PHD in CS at UCLA (http://tinlizzie.org/~awarth/).

So of the HARC folks, the empirical best way is to go all the way and get a PHD.

The basic income PI, E. Rhodes, is BA. Gov and Economics, Georgetown, and a MSW and a PHD at U. Mich(http://ssw.umich.edu/phdstudents/profiles/political-science/...).

Re: Ask HN: What's the pathway to working on YC Research-like problems?

#10

Post by uola »

Working on anything "merely" requires you to convince other people that you should be able to do so. Meaning most likely a degree of some sort, good communication skills and being ambitious. Actually accomplishing something in a field is a vastly different thing.
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