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> I’m proud of this but realistically this is primarily down to luck. I don't buy this trend of looking at everything through the myopic lens of privilege. Lo
by csdvrx 5y ago
> I’m proud of this but realistically this is primarily down to luck.
I don't buy this trend of looking at everything through the myopic lens of privilege.
Lots of people have had the same luck as you and I, yet have achieved nothing
> Compared to all the luck, my actual hard work is almost inconsequential.
There are necessary and sufficient conditions. As the saying does, "Luck favors the prepared mind."
Some of the "lucks" you have listed are necessary conditions ("Lucky to be born reasonably healthy. Lucky to be human." If you're born a dolphin or with a disease that kills you before you turn 15, you won't get to be a "successful software engineer)
Some are neither necessary not sufficient (money to pursue education + work ethic: I know very lazy yet very successful coders that don't have a single diploma in their name)
> Compared to all the luck, my actual hard work is almost inconsequential.
And yet, it's the one you have control with (you can decide to work more or less or not at all).
By extension, I can't understand taking pride in something totally outside of your control ("I'm proud to be human!") or non sensical ("I'm proud to be lucky!")
- dpark 5y agoI’m curious what you see as responsible for success as a software engineer. You assert that the “luck” is an uninteresting factor because it’s outside of our control. But you also assert that hard work isn’t necessary. So are you saying it’s just intelligence? Because that’s certainly not something we actually control.
- csdvrx 5y agoI don't think I have any good explanation for the causality. Some people only need their intelligence. Other people need hard work. You can't control some factors, but you can control others. I think we should focus on the later, as they're more actionable.
- dpark 5y agoAlmost sounds like you’re saying it’s mostly just luck…
- csdvrx 5y agoAnd it seems you want to make me say it's just luck, so you can feel good about yourself. Maybe that's because the opposite would imply some didn't get what they deserved? Most people want to impose human values like fairness on something like life, that isn't even human but mostly random. So think whatever you want.
- dpark 5y agoYou entered the conversation to dispute my assertion that it’s mostly luck and you landed in a place where you are unable to identify a relevant element that isn’t luck. Maybe you should reflect a bit here. I engaged with you in good faith and you end the conversation by essentially attacking my ego because your point fell apart.