What Problems to Solve (1966)
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What Problems to Solve (1966)
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Re: What Problems to Solve (1966)
#2This was a beautiful letter to read, with a simple piece of wisdom about life, spelled out for the student.
I am grateful that this was submitted to Hacker News, and that I was able to read it.
Re: What Problems to Solve (1966)
#3I read this letter for the first time many years ago when I was in my physics undergrad and thinking about starting grad school. It still crosses my mind pretty often as a postdoc.
Re: What Problems to Solve (1966)
#4You are not nameless to me.
Do not remain nameless to yourself – it is too sad a way to be.
Re: What Problems to Solve (1966)
#5> "...Do not remain nameless to yourself – it is too sad a way to be. now (sic) your place in the world and evaluate yourself fairly, not in terms of your naïve ideals of your own youth, nor in terms of what you erroneously imagine your teacher’s ideals are..."
Wise words
Re: What Problems to Solve (1966)
#6Wow. I didn't know about this letter. It's very inspiring.
Re: What Problems to Solve (1966)
#7[dead]
Re: What Problems to Solve (1966)
#8This echoes what I have thought about my career. What to work on.
I've been blessed to have a good paying career in software engineering, but I've never really felt passionate about the products I work on. At the end of the day, my job is a paycheck. I do feel joy solving problems for others, improve society, be able to answer colleagues questions when they "come to my office". My family is happy that I can provide and that I am a role model for them.
I sometimes think I should work on things that make me happier. Sometimes I think that my career path is a mistake, I should work on problems "closer to god", make more meaningful contributions, build the next Kubernetes/ChatGPT/Google/, advance AI, climate change. I end giving up, I'm not that ambitious or driven.
I'm important to my family and colleagues. That may be good enough.
Re: What Problems to Solve (1966)
#9This echoes what I have thought about my career. What to work on. I've been blessed to have a good paying career in software engineering, but I've never really felt passionate about the products I work on. At the end of the day, my job is a paycheck. I do feel joy solving problems for others, improve society, be able to answer colleagues questions when they "come to my office". My family is happy that I can provide a…
The vast majority of human existence from million years ago to now is toil. I don't spend anytime feeling bad about being well compensated at an air conditioned office working on CRUD.
Re: What Problems to Solve (1966)
#10This echoes what I have thought about my career. What to work on. I've been blessed to have a good paying career in software engineering, but I've never really felt passionate about the products I work on. At the end of the day, my job is a paycheck. I do feel joy solving problems for others, improve society, be able to answer colleagues questions when they "come to my office". My family is happy that I can provide a…
Perhaps it’s not ambition or drive but just curiosity. „I wonder if we can …“ -type of thinking.