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I don’t think yours is a good reading, either. They had already gotten all the negative feedback so there wasn’t much of that left to get. The outburst also did

I don’t think yours is a good reading, either. They had already gotten all the negative feedback so there wasn’t much of that left to get. The outburst also didn’t change the primary outcome (no funding). All it did was open the door to a different set of questions and a potential advisor (in my opinion not very helpful in this case). We’re also relying on the OP to tell us the mood was better when in fact it could have easily been a pity party to the other people there.

PaulDavisThe1st 5y ago
That's a pretty fair reading. I missed out the "wasn't much left to get" part, although mostly because they didn't actually get much more even with the outburst.
indigochill 5y ago
The key point is had the outburst not happened, the author would not have received the insight that "the best ideas address problems with high pain thresholds." By revealing his pain, he learned the lesson which has apparently since served him well. The rest, including the mood, is just background. In other words, if you're weighing two opportunities, one which addresses a minor annoyance or vague concern ("oh no, millenials are withdrawn") and another which fills an agonizing void ("why can't I connect with my niece?"), go with the second one.