4 ms·

I rarely comment on HN, but this is incredibly wise advice. To anyone who is graduating soon and being told by everyone to "find a job, any job" listen to this

by FD3SA 15y ago

I rarely comment on HN, but this is incredibly wise advice. To anyone who is graduating soon and being told by everyone to "find a job, any job" listen to this man's words VERY CAREFULLY. Parse each statement individually and then contemplate the entire message. For those of us who do not believe in an afterlife, we must realize that the opportunity costs of doing things that we don't enjoy for extended periods of time are INCREDIBLY high. Personally, I would rather be poor with a lot of leisure time, or extremely wealthy with a lot of leisure time. I am willing to endure the transition period from one to the other (startup binge for 2-3 yrs), but with strict adherence to the PG startup methods (fail/iterate quickly) so that I am not wasting my precious time. Life is far too short to spend completing a checklist that your parents put in front of you. Make your own goals, and follow your own passions. The best embodiment of this philosophy is probably Elon Musk. Got rich and immediately followed his passions. He continues to inspire me to this day.

deleted 15y ago
[deleted]
pasbesoin 15y ago
Beware, also, of arguments to the effect: "This is the way it worked for us." Millions of young and middle-aged (and a good fraction of older) people particularly in the U.S. are getting a lesson in this right now. "Pay your dues." In one way, there's still wisdom in this. You don't know as much as you think you know. Don't just charge off the cliff. On the other hand, if this means consistently, persistently doing less than you could, kowtowing to bores/boors who even you can see are not part of the solution. Well, I'll just warn you: The atrophy becomes self-perpetuating. The trouble is, when you're young, you do have a lack of perspective. And sometimes such people are very influential, controlling figures in one's life. And emotions are deep-seated, tricky buggers once established.

by FD3SA 15y ago

deleted 15y ago

[deleted]

pasbesoin 15y ago

Beware, also, of arguments to the effect: "This is the way it worked for us." Millions of young and middle-aged (and a good fraction of older) people particularly in the U.S. are getting a lesson in this right now. "Pay your dues." In one way, there's still wisdom in this. You don't know as much as you think you know. Don't just charge off the cliff. On the other hand, if this means consistently, persistently doing less than you could, kowtowing to bores/boors who even you can see are not part of the solution. Well, I'll just warn you: The atrophy becomes self-perpetuating. The trouble is, when you're young, you do have a lack of perspective. And sometimes such people are very influential, controlling figures in one's life. And emotions are deep-seated, tricky buggers once established.