How to Do Great Work

Post by mempko » Wed, Jul 05, 2023, 5:28 PM UTC

sheepybloke wrote: post #439

mempko wrote: post #430

My problem with Paul Graham's work is he keeps pushing on nature over nurture. Most work can actually be learned and you don't need a "natural aptitude" for it. This is especially true of knowledge work like programming, but also true of things like 'musical' or 'acting' or anything else. Most things can be learned. I wish Paul Graham would stop pushing that silly outdated concept of "natural aptitude".

IMO this comment goes too far in the other direction. There is a lot of "natural aptitude" in what we can learn, and more specifically, what we can learn to do well . I can theoretically learn ballet, but I have no "natural aptitude" and so I will never be even OK at it. Similarly, my wife could try to learn programming, but her brain isn't able to make sense of how programming works. The big thing is that just becau…

Post by skmurphy » Wed, Jul 05, 2023, 9:16 PM UTC

i_am_a_peasant wrote: post #392

kirso wrote: post #334

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Exactly, I'd reckon you have a better position to do great work when you are older, given you know yourself better and what makes you tick. This is IMO impossible without experimentation and doing stupid stuff during the 20s. I just turned 35 and only starting out on the best work of my life in the shape of offering something of value except for just my time at work prior.

have you got any kids? I'm 30 and one of my biggest worries is that starting a family will mean I will never get the time to do great things. I also got a fair share of skills under my belt and a lot of motivation. My relationship always ends to taking time away from my projects however and that's only going to get worse once there's a kid 5 years down the road. Then again Bach had a lot of kids, and look at the body…

Post by kirso » Fri, Jul 07, 2023, 1:42 PM UTC

i_am_a_peasant wrote: post #392

kirso wrote: post #334

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Exactly, I'd reckon you have a better position to do great work when you are older, given you know yourself better and what makes you tick. This is IMO impossible without experimentation and doing stupid stuff during the 20s. I just turned 35 and only starting out on the best work of my life in the shape of offering something of value except for just my time at work prior.

have you got any kids? I'm 30 and one of my biggest worries is that starting a family will mean I will never get the time to do great things. I also got a fair share of skills under my belt and a lot of motivation. My relationship always ends to taking time away from my projects however and that's only going to get worse once there's a kid 5 years down the road. Then again Bach had a lot of kids, and look at the body…

Post by jaqalopes » Sat, Jul 08, 2023, 2:17 PM UTC

Post by shurane » Sun, Jul 09, 2023, 12:37 PM UTC

matwood wrote: post #370

JohnCurran wrote: post #355

I respect Paul and everything that he writes, even if I don’t agree with it. It takes some serious stones to publish your thoughts on the internet - whether people agree or not. In any case. This seems like a continuation of the never ending quest for people to sacrifice themselves for the betterment of a corporate profit they will never see. I’m not interested in eliminating the ceiling - I want to raise the floor.…

> I am frustrated that the USA’s money advice largely comes from billionaires. One of my big issues with the 'follow your passion' advice is it almost always comes from people who are already rich. And, those people are often trying to leverage worker passion to staff their companies. As a young person, don't follow your passion. Instead, figure out the fastest way to economic security and once there, then figure out…