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Why you should take your 20's seriously

jasonevanish.com

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Re: Why you should take your 20's seriously

#171
post #92

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There's more to lifting than counting while sitting down! Strength training that has a focus on powerlifting and Olympic lifting are very different than the bodybuilding focus that tends to pervade most gyms. CrossFit is something to check out if you want more fun strength training.

I apologize, I was being dismissive. I wasn't trying to say that weightlifting/bodybuilding/etc lacked meaning or were inferior, just that the motivations are different, and for me personally the intrinsic motivation of them (this muscle needs to be worked out, then this one, etc...) doesn't work as well for me as the extrinsic motivation (I'm going to finish this problem today) of climbing.

That's my point, though. The mentality of "this muscle needs to be worked, then this one..." is a bodybuilder mentality. It's not shared by strength athletes in powerlifting, Olympic lifting, strong man, and the much newer CrossFit. When I lift, I focus on movements, not muscle groups. I focus on big, compound movements like squats, deadlifts or clean and press, not on specific muscles.

Basically, bodybuilding is concerned with aesthetics, while the strength sports are concerned with performance. When I train, my motivation comes from the challenge. Can I deadlift 405 for 5 reps? Can I hit a new personal record of 435? It's a question of raw capability: what are the limits of what I can do? When you get into high rep rangs with compound movements, it becomes an issue of anaerobic endurance: can I squat 235 for 20 reps, or will the pain and exhaustion be too much?

Re: Why you should take your 20's seriously

#172

The issue I have with seeing life advice posts is that I've begun to see this dichotomy between "follow your heart" advice and "follow your head" advice. And I personally have a split between the two: my degree is in CS and my current job is in programming, but by "pie in the sky" dreams involve writing and performing music. I happen to have more knowledge in the former as a consequence of my degree, but I didn't rea…

You have plenty of time to change your trajectory! Bank some money, and don't give up on software so easily.

That's the idea I have at this point. There are parts of software I enjoy - why the hell else would I stay in a degree program with a ~20% retention rate? - but it's not something I find quite inspiring at this point. But another thing the post and the other comments made me realize is that my 20's as a whole can be an experimentation ground, and I have plenty of time left in that block.

Re: Why you should take your 20's seriously

#173

The issue I have with seeing life advice posts is that I've begun to see this dichotomy between "follow your heart" advice and "follow your head" advice. And I personally have a split between the two: my degree is in CS and my current job is in programming, but by "pie in the sky" dreams involve writing and performing music. I happen to have more knowledge in the former as a consequence of my degree, but I didn't rea…

Have you thought about trying to find the intersection of the two? Is there a company or something you can work on that takes advantage of both skillsets? I think the real challenge in life is to get heart and head in alignment. It's not easy, but who said it would be?

I had put some thought in that direction, and thought about finding companies that made DAWs. However, this space turned up dead ends, at least when I was looking. The other thought I had was indie game dev, which I thought needed a bit more time investment than I had before it would pay off. (I was thinking in terms of when I was finishing college, after which I would have to escape the shadow of my parents, who can only be so nurturing.)

And I like your point there about the challenge of life.

Re: Why you should take your 20's seriously

#174

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You have plenty of time to change your trajectory! Bank some money, and don't give up on software so easily.

That's the idea I have at this point. There are parts of software I enjoy - why the hell else would I stay in a degree program with a ~20% retention rate? - but it's not something I find quite inspiring at this point. But another thing the post and the other comments made me realize is that my 20's as a whole can be an experimentation ground, and I have plenty of time left in that block.

A good friend of mine programs to support her work as an artist.

It's not a perfect setup, but no one said you have to be all-in on your career your whole life.

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