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Ask HN: How to find what I am really good at?

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Re: Ask HN: How to find what I am really good at?

#61

Post by raspberry1337 »

mightybyte wrote: post #50
kthejoker2 wrote: post #38

Separate comment: this question is framed with a fixed mindset and an unhealthy sense of what self-discovery is.l You "are" "good at" nothing. You are not a block of marble with David inside, something to be chipped away at until it is apparent for all to see. You are a ball of clay, malleable, reshapable and shapeless, fluid and formed, able to absorb new bits and grow into something wildly different, day by day if…

I heard someone say once that one of the best things that helped them develop a growth mindset was lifting weights. Consistently doing 3x5 heavy squats, deadlifts, and presses just three days per week will make a visible change in most people's body remarkably quickly. And seeing that change in yourself really helps reinforce that you can change your situation. I thought that was an interesting observation but I'd li…

>Consistently doing 3x5 heavy squats, deadlifts, and presses just three days per week

As an armchair gymmer, this routine lacks pull exercises for back musculature. Add row pulls or pullups!

Re: Ask HN: How to find what I am really good at?

#62

Post by Sakos »

kleiba wrote: post #58
Sakos wrote: post #54

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I've reached a point where I don't think you should be looking for something you enjoy. I don't particularly enjoy programming. I didn't start programming because I think it's fun. I do it because it's satisfying. I like understanding and solving difficult problems. I like doing research. I like writing. I like working with others. Programming was one of a huge number of possibilities that I could've pursued with the…

I have a hard time thinking of an activity that I find satisfying but don't enjoy.

Trying to find a bug for 8 hours isn't fun or enjoyable to me. But it is satisfying and I feel great afterwards and it's exactly what I want to be doing.

Re: Ask HN: How to find what I am really good at?

#63

Post by ambicapter »

mg wrote: post #56
kthejoker2 wrote: post #38

Separate comment: this question is framed with a fixed mindset and an unhealthy sense of what self-discovery is.l You "are" "good at" nothing. You are not a block of marble with David inside, something to be chipped away at until it is apparent for all to see. You are a ball of clay, malleable, reshapable and shapeless, fluid and formed, able to absorb new bits and grow into something wildly different, day by day if…

While I agree with the statements in your answer, they are not the whole story. If the complete answer to "How to find what I am good at?" would be "You are a malleable ball of clay", then what? Go for whatever seems tempting? Go for becoming a rockstar? You might answer "If that is what you really want". Then we are back to OP's question. The shiny rockstar career might seem tempting for a few months or years. And t…

Although it is tough for an individual to find what they click with, it's even harder for a third party. So the only advice people can give you really IS "just try things until you find what works for you". I mean, it's doubtful that if you forced a person to try something new, they try something that they know they will absolutely hate.

Also, "Be a rockstar" is not a smart goal to pursue (in that it has a high probability of failure), but playing an instrument with some level of mastery is. If you base your satisfaction on goals with a strong degree of randomness or innate ability to their achievement, you will probably be unsatisfied. Better to base goals on things you can (almost) fully control.

Re: Ask HN: How to find what I am really good at?

#64

Post by heavenlyblue »

kleiba wrote: post #58
Sakos wrote: post #54

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I've reached a point where I don't think you should be looking for something you enjoy. I don't particularly enjoy programming. I didn't start programming because I think it's fun. I do it because it's satisfying. I like understanding and solving difficult problems. I like doing research. I like writing. I like working with others. Programming was one of a huge number of possibilities that I could've pursued with the…

I have a hard time thinking of an activity that I find satisfying but don't enjoy.

I would find satisfying shooting Putin, but I would not enjoy killing him.

Re: Ask HN: How to find what I am really good at?

#65

Post by hsn915 »

What productive activity do you find yourself naturally gravitating towards?

More concretely, when you're by yourself and without external pressure, what activity do you find yourself pursuing most? Examples: writing, learning a language, reading books, programming, playing music, etc.

In terms of a book teaching this, there's a Japanese book "How to find what you want to do". I'm not aware of an English translation but this Youtube video (by Ruri Omaha) has a decent summary: "how to find out what you want to do in life - watch this if you feel lost"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BUBjPPU9NwQ

Re: Ask HN: How to find what I am really good at?

#66

Post by Tade0 »

fxtentacle wrote: post #49

I spent my free time at university jumping around between projects and working on whatever I liked most that week. Looking back, I believe that was very useful just to memorize all that's possible. Most frontend developers have never seen Haskell, so they don't even know what programming paradigms they are missing out on. Also, there's nothing inherently wrong with cutting your losses and quitting a project that isn'…

Frontend developers are recruited from the same cohort as other developers nowadays, so they've been exposed to functional programming(and Haskell if they went to college) to the same degree as the rest.

Hell, considering that JavaScript has some of it sprinkled on top I would say that on average they had more exposure to some of its concepts than people who never touched frontend.

Re: Ask HN: How to find what I am really good at?

#68

Post by Kooshaba »

I can only say what worked for me. For as long as I can remember I was obsessed with video games. It’s all I thought about. I would play any genre, any platform, didn’t matter. However, I grew up in a very tech-fearing culture. Working on video games, let alone software engineering, was unknown and looked down upon.

I eventually made it into the software industry, but things never felt right. I would force myself to focus, changed jobs many times, and generally found it unrewarding.

I finally realized I should be doing what I already knew I was interested in and started making games. The hard part was peeling away the cultural brainwashing that prevented me from doing it in the first place.

Now I can’t believe I ever needed focus hacks. I can enter a flow state the moment I sit in front of the computer because it _matters_ (to me). There are still times when my inner dialogue starts to pester me with negativity, but I remind myself that in my heart of hearts I love what I do.

Do you have something deep down you know you want but avoid because it’s not “the proper thing”?

Re: Ask HN: How to find what I am really good at?

#70

Post by sun_har »

jasode wrote: post #37
andrewstuart wrote: post #2

You don't "find what you are good at" - that is backwards. Instead, you do what you are interested in, and initially you are not good at it, and with enough time, effort, working at learning and practicing, you will become good at it.

>You don't "find what you are good at" - that is backwards. [...] , working at learning and practicing, you will become good at it. Because of the imprecise way the op phrased his question, I think you've misinterpreted it. I agree with sibling comment (jstx1) that op is not asking about "good" as a skill-level change from beginner to expert. Instead, the op is asking something like... "How do I find the one activity…

I like and agree with the take that OP should look for opportunities that put them in a flow state. I'll give an example from my own experience.

I'm not a naturally great programmer. I mean, I'm not bad - I get the job done. But I know that there are plenty of folks out there for which it comes much more easily.

However - programming very consistently puts me into a flow state. My workdays pass quickly (in a good way), and for the most part I enjoy what I do. As a result I've found myself learning and growing at a consistent rate over the years.

Am I going to be the best programmer in the world? Absolutely not. But I found a career that I enjoy on a day to day basis, and I can well provide for my family.

I think a lot of people, including myself, waste way too much time trying to find the magic spot in the ven diagram between their genetic ability and a career in which they will end up a virtuoso rockstar. For most people, I think this is a waste of time. The key thing is: I don't think you have to be great at something in order for it to be a good conduit for focus.

Try things, if you stumble on something that engages your focus and passes the time, do that thing more. Especially if it pays.

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