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Being OK with not being extraordinary

tiffanymatthe.com

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Re: Being OK with not being extraordinary

#291

Post by SCAQTony »

RussianCow wrote: post #260
ZephyrBlu wrote: post #232

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If your definition of "fairly common" is something like a ~1% chance, then sure.

Certainly more common than Michelangelo-level artists! I think the OP's point was that you don't need to be the absolute best in your field, or even that close, to be rewarded handsomely.

There are artist all over instagram that can do anatomy better than Michelangelo. In fact Michelangelo never painted a portrait because he couldn't do it. Leonardo could but Leonardo could not sculpt.

Re: Being OK with not being extraordinary

#292

Post by arvinsim »

umvi wrote: post #2

> Climbing to a higher vantage point can also unlock new forms of extraordinary that you might have never noticed before. I read an article once about how the amount of work to get into the top tier in a single area is astronomical, but the amount of work to become top tier in a combination of 2-3 fields is attainable by almost anyone. For example, becoming a top tier statistician is hard. But becoming a top tier sta…

Been wondering about this. I built my career on focusing on the technical aspects of programming only.

I feel that people who got domain knowledge were always better contributors even if their technical programming knowledge is not that great.

Been contemplating on getting a masters on an interesting field but current economic climate is still uncertain.

Re: Being OK with not being extraordinary

#293

Post by verall »

mywittyname wrote: post #240
ZainRiz wrote: post #33

Earlier quoted context omitted.

+1 And as patio11 says, combining engineering with good writing skills makes it very easy to be one of the top with your combined skills I’ve been trying to lean more into that advice the past couple months by publishing on my blog :) Surprisingly enough, just this morning I woke up to realize someone had shared an article I wrote and it was on the HN front page! https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=24251068#24262190

I'm not convinced that writing and engineering are a rare, yet sought-after combination. I'm a pretty good writer; good enough that I had several professors in college asked me to use my work as examples for future classes. It's been recognized by my peers and managers. Not much has ever really come from it. I've been given opportunities to draft "bad news" copy to be sent to clients, and I'm the point person for edi…

I think you are underselling yourself. As far as I can tell, at a globally distributed engineering org, clear written communication is probably more important than the code you write, because it has more impact - it has an effect on how everyone else writes their code.

It might come easily to you, but me and other people I know often draft emails and such 3-4 times, asking for proofreading from trusted friends.

Yea, the proofreading for docs and writing client copies isn't fun, but the skills to do these well help all of your written communication immensely.

Your org could be very different, but I feel like I am recognized in large part because I care about communicating, and put a lot of effort into clear emails and docs. Part of your recognition could be because you have great writing skills.

Re: Being OK with not being extraordinary

#294

Post by jackcosgrove »

> But real extraordinary is nothing like this. Yes, it's exciting, but it also comes with sacrifices, limitations, and constraints.

Being extraordinary is a public label, and with that comes a target on your back.

If your measures of success are internal you can be happy with your achievements as well as maintain some privacy.

Re: Being OK with not being extraordinary

#295

Post by [deleted] »

mattbillenstein wrote: post #249
tmatthe wrote: post #223

Earlier quoted context omitted.

HostPapa. I contacted them and they said it was a problem with their server, so I can't do anything about it sadly.

Yeah, imho, make something that generates static pages and then you have any host of options with (nearly) infinite scale -- s3/cloudfront, etc. And it's still pretty simple.

[deleted]

Re: Being OK with not being extraordinary

#296

Post by rochak »

SeerKlein wrote: post #196
neves wrote: post #105

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I prefer Call Newport's point o view: Beyond Passion: The Science of Loving What You Do https://www.calnewport.com/blog/2010/01/23/beyond-passion-th...

Excellent read! I enrolled in my second bachelors for Computer Science because of Cal Newport's influence on me: Choose something that is valuable and get good at it (competence). Then, use the career capital to get autonomy and relatedness. It also reminds me of why I want to become a part time software developer instead of full time, because I want to have the autonomy associated with being part time!

That’s a great insight. There have been times when I asked myself if I made the right choice by entering CS given the sad state of hiring process and all. Also, time and time again, I have been pushed into situations and circumstances where I don’t get to work on what I want to. All of these forced me to think about how I work and what I work on. Maybe I just need to sail the waters and find something new. The world is big and so are the opportunities. There is no reason to limit ourselves to certain well received means of earning a livelihood.

Re: Being OK with not being extraordinary

#297

Post by rochak »

CM30 wrote: post #184
rvn1045 wrote: post #86

The internet has made everyone feel inadequate as it's easy to compare yourself to people you see on the internet. Couple of things to keep in mind if your comparing yourself: 1. There aren't as many uber successful people out there as the internet makes it seem. It's far fewer than you think. Lets take a simple example of dudes who go to the gym and are strong. Instagram makes it seem like all dudes bench press 400…

100% agreed with this, with a few more items to add to the list: 3. The people you hear about most are heard about most because they're newsworthy in some way. That tends to mean someone who's extraordinary good at something, or at least has the marketing skill to make it seem that way. They'll also be the types who'll get a lot of attention on social media, since people are more likely to share extraordinary stories…

Isn’t this true for everything? If anything is normal, which is most of the times, it is not worth posting as it is common and won’t generate the buzz. So, only the extremes get posted and make everyone feel either good or bad and not just content. Maybe there needs to be a place where people can just post normal everyday stuff that speaks to everyone and neither provokes good nor bad feelings - just a feeling of content.

Re: Being OK with not being extraordinary

#298

Post by rochak »

pmohun wrote: post #115

I wrote this for myself when considering a big career move a few years ago: It’s easy to focus on the next promotion or the completion of a big project that will elevate your career. By succumbing to the natural instinct of mimicry, we rarely ask ourselves the question: are we climbing the right hill? In this analogy, the hills represent any long-term goal: career, fulfillment, financial security. Our natural instinc…

That’s an amazing viewpoint. Thanks for sharing. It inspired me to change my mindset.

Re: Being OK with not being extraordinary

#299

Post by lowiqengineer »

MaximumYComb wrote: post #210
georgeecollins wrote: post #204

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If that were true, everyone with a very high IQ would be a great poker player, a great negotiator, a great writer, a great leader, a great investor.. etc. IQ is as proxy for problem solving if the problems look like a standardized test. The problems people face in the real world require more specialization and a more complex combination of skills and traits.

IQ is one of the strongest predictors we have for many life outcomes, such as career success, wealth, lower risk of death. This doesn't mean "everyone with a very high IQ will blah blah blah" but it does mean that those with high IQs are more likely to achieve certain things.

What should I do if I know i have a low IQ?

Re: Being OK with not being extraordinary

#300

Post by DoreenMichele »

lowiqengineer wrote: post #299
MaximumYComb wrote: post #210

Earlier quoted context omitted.

IQ is one of the strongest predictors we have for many life outcomes, such as career success, wealth, lower risk of death. This doesn't mean "everyone with a very high IQ will blah blah blah" but it does mean that those with high IQs are more likely to achieve certain things.

What should I do if I know i have a low IQ?

First, understand that IQ tests can be biased and can shaft minorities. Second, they are tools and are only as good as the person making use of them.

Third, eat right, exercise, live right, etc. Performance is impacted by health and even supposedly high IQ people will perform worse if they are sick, short of sleep, etc.

IQ isn't a useless concept, but I'm somewhat well versed in the history of IQ tests, etc, and it's got a lot of issues with it.

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