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Only on YC would I get so thorough and insightful a response. Thank you VERY much for your time. You're exemplary of why I love this tight-knit community. You g

Only on YC would I get so thorough and insightful a response. Thank you VERY much for your time. You're exemplary of why I love this tight-knit community. You guys are great. I'm definitely following up on the real life angle. A second job in the areas you recommended isn't sounding like such a bad idea other than that it'll be hard to balance a full-time job along with a second job and school (in future).

SwellJoe 18y ago
The beauty of this kind of job is that they are throwaways. You don't put them on your resume, and you don't care if the pay sucks, as long as the hours are good for you, and you can leave when you've had enough of it. Since you'd probably be willing to work weekends (since your real job keeps you occupied during the week), you'll likely be able to take your pick...and since everybody is more leisurely and chatty on the weekends, that is likely to work in your favor. If it were me (and I were your age), I think I'd try for a coffee shop, bookstore, or Apple store, around the school. I've heard that bicycle couriers are "swimmin' in women", but it seems like it'd be hard to get enough daily interactions with women your age to make it worthwhile...I think maybe there's some fantasy element at work there. It'd get you in great shape, though, so it's got that going for it. Which is nice. Also, don't rule out non-work type situations that get you into crowds. Volunteering is a great option, for example. If the money isn't a big deal to you, volunteering will crank up your real world karma, at the very least, and that's always a win. In any of these situations, you're expected to be friendly and chatty and you have numerous stock lines that always work and are not considered trite, which helps with the introversion (I'm guessing you're an introvert, since you've made it through high school and some college and don't really know how to meet girls--I've been there). All you then have to do is hone your senses for when the friendliness being returned is greater than the usual. I've always been much better at detecting the cues in face to face conversation than from across the room or in large group situations, perhaps it'll be the same for you. And you'll get better at it every time you meet someone new.
- alnayyir 18y ago
  I can talk to girls just fine, and I can talk to strangers, but I've just ended up dating good friends or random girls from facebook/craigslist in the past. My last ex was a random chick I got into a philosophical argument with about nihilistic value on IRC. I've just kind of had that sort thing "come to me" naturally. I don't know what the "typical" means of meeting people are. As for stock lines, I've never needed them, I just strike up conversation. I had a job in sales a few years ago, it trained me to talk to complete strangers without needing pre-rehearsed lines. Coffeeshop and bookstore are sounding promising. Actually, I'll go do the former now. Thanks for the advice. P.S. I'm terrible at detecting cues, but face to face has generally been better for me.

SwellJoe 18y ago

The beauty of this kind of job is that they are throwaways. You don't put them on your resume, and you don't care if the pay sucks, as long as the hours are good for you, and you can leave when you've had enough of it. Since you'd probably be willing to work weekends (since your real job keeps you occupied during the week), you'll likely be able to take your pick...and since everybody is more leisurely and chatty on the weekends, that is likely to work in your favor. If it were me (and I were your age), I think I'd try for a coffee shop, bookstore, or Apple store, around the school. I've heard that bicycle couriers are "swimmin' in women", but it seems like it'd be hard to get enough daily interactions with women your age to make it worthwhile...I think maybe there's some fantasy element at work there. It'd get you in great shape, though, so it's got that going for it. Which is nice. Also, don't rule out non-work type situations that get you into crowds. Volunteering is a great option, for example. If the money isn't a big deal to you, volunteering will crank up your real world karma, at the very least, and that's always a win. In any of these situations, you're expected to be friendly and chatty and you have numerous stock lines that always work and are not considered trite, which helps with the introversion (I'm guessing you're an introvert, since you've made it through high school and some college and don't really know how to meet girls--I've been there). All you then have to do is hone your senses for when the friendliness being returned is greater than the usual. I've always been much better at detecting the cues in face to face conversation than from across the room or in large group situations, perhaps it'll be the same for you. And you'll get better at it every time you meet someone new.

alnayyir 18y ago
I can talk to girls just fine, and I can talk to strangers, but I've just ended up dating good friends or random girls from facebook/craigslist in the past. My last ex was a random chick I got into a philosophical argument with about nihilistic value on IRC. I've just kind of had that sort thing "come to me" naturally. I don't know what the "typical" means of meeting people are. As for stock lines, I've never needed them, I just strike up conversation. I had a job in sales a few years ago, it trained me to talk to complete strangers without needing pre-rehearsed lines. Coffeeshop and bookstore are sounding promising. Actually, I'll go do the former now. Thanks for the advice. P.S. I'm terrible at detecting cues, but face to face has generally been better for me.