Without mastery of any particular skill or subject, only interest in many, then you're pretty much limited to writing about it, making Youtube video content about it as someone else said, and stuff like that. If you learn enough about something you may be able to write a book about it one day. But pretty much everything else requires mastery.
Ask HN: I'm interested in so many disciplines, but what can I do with that?
251–260 of 325 posts
Re: Ask HN: I'm interested in so many disciplines, but what can I do with that?
#252Earlier quoted context omitted.
I fall into this group. I've so far found it to be a strength (mostly). R&D/prototype style work benefits highly from having generalists around. Most normal people just don't have a lot of breadth in terms of knowing what else is out there or what's been done outside of a narrowly defined field. 95% of the time you'll be greeted with a "huh...interesting" and no follow up, but in my experience that remaining 5% can b…
"R&D/prototype style work" That sounds great, but it also sounds rare and potentially low paid.
I work embedded so pretty much everything falls into R&D in the field. Like obviously stay away from maintenance projects but most new development is a science project in my experience.
Re: Ask HN: I'm interested in so many disciplines, but what can I do with that?
#253If you don't already, practice consuming zero intellectual content now and then, to give your brain time to synthesize. Let yourself be bored. Instead of swimming in the (highly engaging) sea of ideas, drift in intellectual deprivation awhile, at least breathing, perhaps doing something tangential like walking or physical labor (without music or other distractions from the important work of giving yourself mental space). Also, accept that you'll never learn it all, and that it's okay to keep learning despite that--it's the journey, and you're writing your book, which has a final chapter. Good luck!
Re: Ask HN: I'm interested in so many disciplines, but what can I do with that?
#254Mix things that can be a project/challenge all together.
Many disciplines or research are usually studied from one perspective only by experts in one field.
I thought of these things for a while with questions like: I am a CS by degree but I am interested in biology. How can I apply my skills there at the same time I learn and do something useful? Maybe a research about cancer?
Look at what some people achieved by self-learning: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Augusto,_Michaela,_and_Loren...
Pick something you are interested in. Go with it. I am pretty sure most things are enriched by muti-disciplinary perspectives.
Re: Ask HN: I'm interested in so many disciplines, but what can I do with that?
#255Choose two. Try to mix them.
Always be curious. But realise you only have so much time alive.
Re: Ask HN: I'm interested in so many disciplines, but what can I do with that?
#256I'm very similar and would just give you two pieces of advice: (1) buy books compulsively and don't do your research predominantly online, and (2) make sure you write often, whether or not you publish your work or keep it to yourself. I think the latter is the most important advice for those trying to pursue an intellectual path outside of academia -- if you don't develop a habit of writing, you aren't really synthes…
> In the US, the thought is that if you're doing a PhD, say, it's a full-time professionalized pursuit under the assumption you will be a professor; in the rest of the world, a PhD is essentially an apprenticeship in writing under a mentor for however long it takes you, often with no aim (i.e. career) other than that writing itself. Couldn't disagree more with all of these statements.
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Re: Ask HN: I'm interested in so many disciplines, but what can I do with that?
#257I was going to suggest writing, and I'll go one further: Do write a blog, but don't just write a blog. Write a blog, and then create a video for each blog post, and upload it to YouTube (where the eyeballs willing to consume intellectual material are). Also do livestreams. Start interviewing anyone who will take you seriously. Set a goal for who your dream interviewee is. Do this for a couple years, putting out conte…
> YouTube (where the eyeballs willing to consume intellectual material are). Whyyyyyyyyy?! Seriously I'm curious, what happened? Do intellectuals (whatever that means) really not prefer reading any more? A desire for Podcasts/audiobooks I can understand, as someone who occasionally has to drive places, but video?
Monkey see, monkey do. For physical skills, watching somebody do it while they explain why they are doing it that way is much more illuminating that text alone.
For strictly intellectual skills I find short introductory lectures on YouTube a great way to survey a topic. For a topic I know nothing about I find YT great place to find which direction is most interesting to pursue.
Re: Ask HN: I'm interested in so many disciplines, but what can I do with that?
#258You could try creating a Youtube channel, to share what you have learned with others. Your broader-than-average background should allow you to weave ideas from many fields together in unusual combinations. While there's lots of competition in Youtube (don't do cooking videos!), niche channels still can make a dent.
Re: Ask HN: I'm interested in so many disciplines, but what can I do with that?
#259I was going to suggest writing, and I'll go one further: Do write a blog, but don't just write a blog. Write a blog, and then create a video for each blog post, and upload it to YouTube (where the eyeballs willing to consume intellectual material are). Also do livestreams. Start interviewing anyone who will take you seriously. Set a goal for who your dream interviewee is. Do this for a couple years, putting out conte…
> YouTube (where the eyeballs willing to consume intellectual material are). Whyyyyyyyyy?! Seriously I'm curious, what happened? Do intellectuals (whatever that means) really not prefer reading any more? A desire for Podcasts/audiobooks I can understand, as someone who occasionally has to drive places, but video?
Spoken word was the original form of communication for "intellectuals". (e.g. Sokrates was famously against writting things down).
Re: Ask HN: I'm interested in so many disciplines, but what can I do with that?
#260Earlier quoted context omitted.
I’m interested in these as both a consumer and a contributor. However I haven’t found many interesting markets. Often are just markets on elections. Additionally many seem to have very small max bet size. What markets have more interesting breadth of coverage + have decent betting limits? I had the impression cftc or sec limit this to avoid become a regulated security.
If your goal is making money, then that's different. I personally don't encourage people to get into the betting aspect unless you don't mind paying my rent, know what I mean? It's one of those "if it was easy everyone would be doing it" things. The limits on bet sizes only matter once you can demonstrate long-term profitability, IMHO. Since prediction skills are still applicable to basically everything, you're not 1…
Did you ever get into Augur?