Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

I'm 20, brilliant and totally lost

salon.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

31–40 of 134 posts

Re: I'm 20, brilliant and totally lost

#31

Post by joeythibault »

Mongoose wrote: post #22

This article is a good in conjunction with last week's "I Was Told I Was Very Smart." http://theferrett.livejournal.com/1346357.html An interesting trend in those labeled remarkably intelligent is a tendency toward stymied feeling of self-worth.

There's a lot of research available now in education that says that positive reinforcement works, but not when it's talking about intelligence.

For example, students are much better off when you say, "you worked so hard on that project, it really shows that you cared about what you were doing" as opposed to "your project was great, you are so smart".

Children understand the difference between hard work and smarts (where smarts are natural ability and hard work is a virtue).

Later in life those students that were positively reinforced for working hard are better off than those that were simply told they were smart. Which is a nice reference to what it takes to be a startup founder (smarts are great, but only when paired with strong work ethic. However a strong work ethic and tenacity could overcome a natural gap in ability).

Re: I'm 20, brilliant and totally lost

#33

Post by 10ren »

I think his advice is: find facts. You can't make decisions without facts - at least, not well-informed ones. Facts about the world and facts about you. Facts that aren't written anywhere. Things you can only learn by experiencing them. Know thyself.

Re: I'm 20, brilliant and totally lost

#34

Post by sokoloff »

joeythibault wrote: post #24

Cary should have saved his time and just said "join the navy". I'm not advocating military service. But if this student doesn't want to stay where he is, doesn't know what he wants to do and doesn't have the means to relocate, it's probably the most stable situation to let him think about his/her own future. Just saying... 3 years on a boat or sub and he'll know EXACTLY what he wants to do (and will have a lot more m…

The disaster of that plan is you may very well figure it out 3 months in, and then have a multi-year effectively prison sentence to serve out.

I have deep respect for those who do serve. I just don't think that recommending it as some kind of default "until you figure it out" is remotely a good idea.

Re: I'm 20, brilliant and totally lost

#35

Post by aswanson »

Tichy wrote: post #8

What good are video games? Since I also always wanted to create them (and still haven't created a great one, just small ones): for me I think they are part of a greater quest against loneliness. Sure, creating a vaccine would be nice, but loneliness is also a killer (I don't have numbers, but it is not only suicides - also older people who just die when their spouses die and so on). Maybe they are not for everyone, b…

Well said. I've stated before that in the end, life is a series of aesthetic choices.

Re: I'm 20, brilliant and totally lost

#36

Post by jimmyrcom »

The 'I want to make video games' for a living is like hearing a teen girl enthusiastically brag about having great style sense and wanting to be a fashion designer or a poet because the things she writes are 'deep'(depressed with loaded words). These statements are so common it can feel disgusting. The counterstrike neckbeards of my generation would always go into CS half assed, learn java and usually not do it as a hobby. The new WOW generation are doing the same thing now. If someone wants to be a game programmer I think it's better to have a passion for programming and math first rather than a passion of games. As far as programming the internet is a better resource than any school could be. As far as game companies hiring people I think there's a better chance in getting a job if you're really great at art and creating environments. People have always been full of shit, but the only one you can blame for letting it affect you is you.

Re: I'm 20, brilliant and totally lost

#39

Post by req2 »

dschobel wrote: post #30
bmj wrote: post #26

Earlier quoted context omitted.

On the other hand, we have John Milton lamenting his 23rd birthday ( http://www.luminarium.org/sevenlit/milton/sonnet7.htm ): HOW soon hath time, the subtle thief of youth, Stolen on his wing my three and twentieth year! My hasting days fly on with full career, But my late spring no bud or blossom sheweth. Perhaps my semblance might deceive the truth, That I to manhood am arrived so near, And inward ripeness doth muc…

23 could be a bona fide mid-life crisis in the 17th century :)

A 23 year old in the 17th century would expect to live nearly as long as a 23 year old today- the depressed life expectancy statistics are largely due to the fact that 3 out of 4 children died before they hit the age of five.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Life_expectancy

Re: I'm 20, brilliant and totally lost

#40

Post by unalone »

joe_the_user wrote: post #16
ax0n wrote: post #9

At least he recognizes he's lost now, when there's plenty of time ahead to fix it. A lot of people won't see it for another 30 years.

Oh, but he also "recognizes" that he's brilliant, the two realization should exactly cancel each other out...

Brilliance isn't particularly difficult. A lot more people could be brilliant than are brilliant now, if they only put a little work into it.
Post reply on HN