Very cringey stuff.
I Wasn’t Prepared for Work (2013)
21–30 of 82 posts
Re: I Wasn’t Prepared for Work (2013)
#22I read this article and while it's sad the author doesn't pursue passions anymore, I also can't help think that maybe they just aren't as hungry as they once were. I was diagnosed with cancer 4 years ago and it changed my perspective on life. I'm mid 30's now and more productive than ever. I also work full time and am a single father to two little kids. The way I describe it is that I am hungry. I didn't expect it to…
+1. I don't know about cancer, but having kids just makes you more productive for a given amount of time. Not necessarily at a coding level, but at the meta/self-management level where you decide what really needs to be done. It's probably aligned with the "ask the busiest person you know" type of thing. And yes I am more passionate about coding now, but that came from boredom. I learned Ruby then Haskell because I w…
what is the "ask the busiest person you know" thing?
Re: I Wasn’t Prepared for Work (2013)
#23Very cringey stuff.
why do you say that?
Re: I Wasn’t Prepared for Work (2013)
#24Earlier quoted context omitted.
+1. I don't know about cancer, but having kids just makes you more productive for a given amount of time. Not necessarily at a coding level, but at the meta/self-management level where you decide what really needs to be done. It's probably aligned with the "ask the busiest person you know" type of thing. And yes I am more passionate about coding now, but that came from boredom. I learned Ruby then Haskell because I w…
what is the "ask the busiest person you know" thing?
"If you want something done, ask the busiest person you know."
Re: I Wasn’t Prepared for Work (2013)
#25The guy sounds like Stephen Wolfram with how casually he strokes his ego by going on and on about all his wonderful intellectual pursuits.
His account does bring up the awful-but-rarely-discussed issue how to keep even somewhat "mentally sharp" amidst all the demands of life.
Re: I Wasn’t Prepared for Work (2013)
#26Re: I Wasn’t Prepared for Work (2013)
#27My advice would be: rigorously eliminate everything from your life which doesn't fit inside your top X critical priorities. Where X is as small as possible, and seek to cull it further by combining equivalents and trying to identify why some 'important' things might actually be utter wastes of time in the first place. The world generally uses a ratchet approach to conquer your attention. Use a ratchet to take it back…
that sounds like a depressing existence
Re: I Wasn’t Prepared for Work (2013)
#28Best bet would be to find a corporate job that best matched his interests. Back in the day, major corporate labs could manage a limited number of "sheltered workshop" situations for particularly talented people. Academia wouldn't work because of academic politics and the funding mechanisms. Both academia and government are also too "credential" oriented to hire him.
Re: I Wasn’t Prepared for Work (2013)
#29My advice would be: rigorously eliminate everything from your life which doesn't fit inside your top X critical priorities. Where X is as small as possible, and seek to cull it further by combining equivalents and trying to identify why some 'important' things might actually be utter wastes of time in the first place. The world generally uses a ratchet approach to conquer your attention. Use a ratchet to take it back…
that sounds like a depressing existence
It depends. You could optimize for having a chill life as one of your top priorities. I think the advice is about consciously and explicitly managing the tradeoffs of your choices.
Re: I Wasn’t Prepared for Work (2013)
#30> How has this affected me? I’ve mentally atrophied. I now feel like I can’t talk about any subject with more than a centimeter of depth. A half a decade ago, I could dive with you to the penetralia of convergence theorems of hypergeometric series, but now I cannot. Even my programming has taken a toll even though I do it every day. I find myself abstaining from studying advanced topics in programming and computer sc…
I think people fail to deeply reflect on what they want from life. I'll share my list, because maybe it will help someone else to figure out theirs: • Maintain my body • Maintain a sense of mental tranquility • Work on projects and learn things I find meaningful and interesting • Visit my friends and family in my hometown regularly • Have a good home life with my wife and someday children • Have a job that keeps me i…
Exactly. And understand that for leaders or extraordinary people, it’s a very different list. Figure out YOUR list.