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Thanks for writing this. I've been trying to figure out where I'm going with my career lately, and even if I've got one at all right now. This article really

Thanks for writing this. I've been trying to figure out where I'm going with my career lately, and even if I've got one at all right now. This article really affirmed that the couple of directions I've been thinking of (finally break down and learn webdev, pursue ML/cogsci research) were in the right ballpark. I couldn't have predicted ten years ago, when starting university, where things would be today. Yes, everything that's a Big Deal today existed in infancy then, but it existed in infancy among many competitors. I thought a lot of it was a passing fad, and I've been wrong multiple times over on that. Lessons learned: stop expecting fads to pass, build fundamental skills far stronger and broader than you ever thought you'd need, and overall, stop letting history happen to you. Get out in front and choose which path gets taken for yourself.

jgamman 10y ago
Watch out for selection bias. The question is what are the odds you are going to pick the right fad?
- zdkl 10y ago
  It's not about picking the right fad, it's about not getting sucked into those with no future. That's the hard part.
- eli_gottlieb 10y ago
  I very much agree, hence the two latter items in the list. Fundamentals need to be much stronger to deal with decades worth of passing fads than I thought they needed to be when one set of fads seemed permanent (ie: when I was young and starting out). The best way to not get caught up in fads is to be the one out in front propagating real, effective new technologies or methods and letting other people turn some into fads and some not. "The best way to predict the future is to create it."