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A Project of One’s Own

paulgraham.com

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Re: A Project of One’s Own

#301

Post by nickthemagicman »

UncleMeat wrote: post #87
nickthemagicman wrote: post #81

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think PG's argument is that having your own projects is joyful and is more akin to play than work. Not everyone wants to do this and being idle in that case is great as well. I get extremely bored If I'm idle for too long.

Yes, but also no. PG is not just saying that this is good for people, but also should be sought by their employers. The former is fine. Go find a thing that brings you joy and pay. The problem is when employers seek people who find joy in their work so they can abuse them by cutting other benefits.

Well those are two separate things.

Not saying that Paul Graham is or is not a ruthless capitalist who is trying to exploit people no matter what.

But I think Paul Graham is referring to the first thing in the context of this article.

Re: A Project of One’s Own

#302

Post by dtnewman »

throwawayboise wrote: post #161
opportune wrote: post #141

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Grades still matter for the vast majority of people who aren’t born into mega rich families. Most people don’t become Silicon Valley entrepreneurs and even those that do benefit greatly from the pedigrees that academic achievement opens up (going to top colleges, working at desirable employers, although grades matter little there unless you’re right out of college). For everyone else grades are still used for trackin…

You've hit on it, grades matter right up until you're out of school. For most people, they matter for getting a first job (because there usually isn't much else to serve as a filter). After that, nobody will ever ask for or look at them again.

Yeah where you got your degree from still matters. And you get in to the best schools by getting good grades.

Re: A Project of One’s Own

#303

Post by matmatmatmat »

rel2thr wrote: post #254
brhsagain wrote: post #131

Good essay overall, but this footnote in particular stood out to me: > [2] Tiger parents, as parents so often do, are fighting the last war. Grades mattered more in the old days when the route to success was to acquire credentials while ascending some predefined ladder. But it's just as well that their tactics are focused on grades. How awful it would be if they invaded the territory of projects, and thereby gave the…

Tiger parents are already evolving on this, every elite high school student is now starting non profits or micro startups to put on their resumes .

Or "volunteering" at an animal sanctuary at the base of Mt. Kilimanjaro, which they happen to have climbed while there over the summer.

Re: A Project of One’s Own

#304

Post by borroka »

Lammy wrote: post #300
borroka wrote: post #296

"This is why it is a mistake to insist dogmatically on the 'work/life balance'. In fact, the phrase 'work/life' alone embodies an error: it assumes that work and life are distinct." A beaten horse if there is one. It's not a matter of being dogmatic or seeing the 6 sides of a die. It's that, as PG says between the lines, for most people there is no particular excitement about work. For some it depends on the working…

> It's that, as PG says between the lines, for most people there is no particular excitement about work. It's because "most people" earn money by selling their labor out of a finite 24-hour day, but PG is a Venture Capitalist whose capital works 24/7.

But it's not just PG, who at this point I doubt cares much about ROI, the work/balance debate has been going on since the dawn of time.

Every time after one of the surgeries I had, my main concern was not how long it would take to get back to work, but how long it would take to get back to training. And I don't get paid to work out, but I absolutely love it. I like looking good, feeling good, feeling capable. When I miss a workout, I feel guilty. The other guys at the gym show up once every 3 weeks and probably think I'm crazy. And I instinctively think they are slackers with no self-respect. But upon further reflection, I say that we are just different people.

And on the work side, some people like to work or be a part of something bigger than themselves (Apple, Steve Jobs, Coinbase!), or interestingly enough, just be busy with paperwork.

Re: A Project of One’s Own

#305

Post by quartesixte »

roland35 wrote: post #162
punnerud wrote: post #159

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Called “Tiger parents” because this is common in China? Coined by Yale Law School professor Amy Chua who have Chinese parents.

The term "Tiger Mom" became popular when Amy Chua (Chinese American) wrote a book about how she pushed her kids hard. I am sure the term existed before but I am not sure! https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amy_Chua

As an aside, it’s really strange how this book picked up so much steam at its time of publication.

The book mostly centers around the mom pushing her two kids to be world-class violinists and her pushing causes one of her daughters to abandon the instrument. [1]

If, anything, it’s a cautionary tale.

[1] the violin is an incredibly difficult instrument to begin with and becoming a world-class violinist requires a metric fuckton of effort...Amy Chua’s experiences w/r/t raising her children are hardly unique in the classical music world.

Re: A Project of One’s Own

#306

Post by hypertele-Xii »

yatz wrote: post #195
brhsagain wrote: post #131

Good essay overall, but this footnote in particular stood out to me: > [2] Tiger parents, as parents so often do, are fighting the last war. Grades mattered more in the old days when the route to success was to acquire credentials while ascending some predefined ladder. But it's just as well that their tactics are focused on grades. How awful it would be if they invaded the territory of projects, and thereby gave the…

Very true, I opened up all electronics or electrical or mechanical things at home, from wrist watches to air conditioners just to see how they work - some I could not put back together like my watch, my parents never bought me a wrist watch ever again - haha

My grandpa donated a whole bunch of mechanical watches for me to dissasemble. :)

Sifting through garbage for discarded electronics was another favorite hobby of mine.

Re: A Project of One’s Own

#307

Post by eloff »

nindalf wrote: post #19

> That's why it's a mistake to insist dogmatically on "work/life balance." Indeed, the mere expression "work/life" embodies a mistake: it assumes work and life are distinct. For those to whom the word "work" automatically implies the dutiful plodding kind, they are. But for the skaters, the relationship between work and life would be better represented by a dash than a slash. So I guess this is what I'll be told the…

Probably, but they'd be missing the point. The kind of plodding work at a company rarely overlaps this sort of passion work PG is talking about.

So if they give you that speech, you can turn around and demand proper skin in the game plus a huge amount of freedom and autonomy. Fair is fair. No company will affect my work life balance unless they've made it worth my while.

Re: A Project of One’s Own

#308

Post by hrishi »

brhsagain wrote: post #131

Good essay overall, but this footnote in particular stood out to me: > [2] Tiger parents, as parents so often do, are fighting the last war. Grades mattered more in the old days when the route to success was to acquire credentials while ascending some predefined ladder. But it's just as well that their tactics are focused on grades. How awful it would be if they invaded the territory of projects, and thereby gave the…

I hate the obsession with grades as much as anyone, but most parents are often mirroring the importance we place on them as a society. Disagree with a number of the sub-comments here, grades matter. Not eventually and not on their own, but they provide optionality the same way race and wealth and other factors do: you can succeed without them, but it definitely helps your chances.

Re: A Project of One’s Own

#310

Post by hrishi »

borroka wrote: post #304
Lammy wrote: post #300

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> It's that, as PG says between the lines, for most people there is no particular excitement about work. It's because "most people" earn money by selling their labor out of a finite 24-hour day, but PG is a Venture Capitalist whose capital works 24/7.

But it's not just PG, who at this point I doubt cares much about ROI, the work/balance debate has been going on since the dawn of time. Every time after one of the surgeries I had, my main concern was not how long it would take to get back to work, but how long it would take to get back to training. And I don't get paid to work out, but I absolutely love it. I like looking good, feeling good, feeling capable. When I…

Good point, and it makes me wonder if it's just a personality thing. Some of the best people I know are never obsessed with anything, and try to maintain things in moderation, while I (and many others) find it easier to be obsessed and driven in a few things, often to the exclusion of other things.
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