51–60 of 78 posts
Does anyone who wants to do great work have to live in a great city? No; all great cities inspire some sort of ambition, but they aren't the only places that do. For some kinds of work, all you need is a handful of talented colleagues.
Paul Graham had it right in his "Cities and Ambition" note: Does anyone who wants to do great work have to live in a great city? No; all great cities inspire some sort of ambition, but they aren't the only places that do. For some kinds of work, all you need is a handful of talented colleagues. http://www.paulgraham.com/cities.html
You don't have to live in a great city your whole life to benefit from it. The critical years seem to be the early and middle ones of your career. Clearly you don't have to grow up in a great city. Nor does it seem to matter if you go to college in one.
The Impressionists show the typical pattern: they were born all over France (Pissarro was born in the Carribbean) and died all over France, but what defined them were the years they spent together in Paris.
This stood out: > So why do I hate to admit this? > Because I love how the internet has made it possible for anyone to get successful, anywhere. I love the idea of living in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by nature, yet being connected to the world. > But still, when I look at the facts, it’s impossible to deny. Living in the big city, and being where everything is happening, will help your career the most. Being…
You don't get a call saying "hi xxxx we need a guitarist for seals new album can you be at Abbey Road this afternoon" if your living in a cabin in Montana.
Btw I used to work with a polymath developer who had a Phd in music and also had been a side musician on top 40 hits.
I think in terms of learning it's true up to a point. I don't think it makes sense to move to a big city for financial reasons though. You'd think it creates a competitive environment where the best talent rises to the top but this is not the case. What I've found instead is that the environment is competitive to the point that everyone is focused on politics and social manipulation; for example trying to claim credi…
Earlier quoted context omitted.
> Ideally I think I'd want a remote cabin in Montana with a high speed internet connection That's a fantasy unless you consider 3mbps DSL to be 'high speed'. And that's not even remote, that's often the highest speed available not even an hour outside of many major US cities out west.
3 Mbps should be plenty for many jobs I think? I work remotely with a 3 Mbps connection and it's fine for me. For mobile dev it seems fine most of the time.
I think in terms of learning it's true up to a point. I don't think it makes sense to move to a big city for financial reasons though. You'd think it creates a competitive environment where the best talent rises to the top but this is not the case. What I've found instead is that the environment is competitive to the point that everyone is focused on politics and social manipulation; for example trying to claim credi…
Sorry, but nepotism, politics and connections are even more important in the cryptocurrency/blockchain industry than in traditional tech or even finance. In crypto/blockchain it's ALL about who you know. And the lack of good regulation means that good contacts can get your firm advantages that would literally be illegal in the traditional finance world. I guess the only real distinction is that the industry is spread…
This stood out: > So why do I hate to admit this? > Because I love how the internet has made it possible for anyone to get successful, anywhere. I love the idea of living in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by nature, yet being connected to the world. > But still, when I look at the facts, it’s impossible to deny. Living in the big city, and being where everything is happening, will help your career the most. Being…
This stood out: > So why do I hate to admit this? > Because I love how the internet has made it possible for anyone to get successful, anywhere. I love the idea of living in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by nature, yet being connected to the world. > But still, when I look at the facts, it’s impossible to deny. Living in the big city, and being where everything is happening, will help your career the most. Being…
It's interesting. I never really wanted to live in NYC until I ended up here and now after 20 years I am absolutely never going for leave. I'm raising my kids here. Especially since it means I never have to drive.
What are the secrets to building connections out here?