4 ms·

I guess the first thing to note is that in a hundred and fifty years, you'll be dead and unless you're one in a million or maybe ten million, nobody alive will

I guess the first thing to note is that in a hundred and fifty years, you'll be dead and unless you're one in a million or maybe ten million, nobody alive will know you existed. So it's not a competition, there's no prize ceremony at the end for the guy who did the most stuff, there's no one way you should be living your life. The second thing is, the past is dead and gone. You can't do anything about it. You can learn to let go of it or you can let it consume your present and deny you whatever future you're trying to make for yourself. There is only now. Third, you've got to make time to do the things that you enjoy; unless studying computer science is the thing that you enjoy most in the world, you're going to be miserable if you don't do some other stuff. Carmack and Romero spent all their spare time writing code because that's what they loved to do. If that's what you loved to do, you'd have been doing the same thing. Finally, you're still very young. You have many years ahead of you and what you think will be fulfilling will change, probably more than once. Your life will not turn out how you think it will. That's fine, that's just the way it goes. That's all I have.

batmanturkey 4y ago
Great comment. The first part really puts everything and everyone into perspective
ianai 4y ago
Dwelling on the past also smacks against the sunk cost fallacy from economics.
noisy_boy 4y ago
I use a somewhat similar perspective when I feel guilty about certain things in life which I have been unable to pass on to my children. I barely know the cultural lineage of my ancestors up to a generation; in a generation or two, my descendants most probably won't know anything about me. We attach way too much importance to things that are emotionally important to us; in the flow of time, very few things are really important.
anoplus 4y ago
> There is only now. > Finally, you're still very young I am 34 and want to say to the 23 yo regretting their high-school/college years: Learn and reflect on your past but don't dwell too much, because there is a hell you can do now. By learning from your past, you turn it into gold.
insightcheck 4y ago
> "The second thing is, the past is dead and gone. You can't do anything about it. You can learn to let go of it or you can let it consume your present and deny you whatever future you're trying to make for yourself. There is only now." This is a valid approach, and a key principle of many worldviews (especially those focused on the present). To provide an alternative approach too, it's also useful to reframe the past, so it's not haunting or negative when it comes to mind. There are many bright spots. Like another commenter akmarinov wrote, the original poster has experience with what makes an engaging game. Social media experience is also useful for future efforts to raise awareness about a service or product. The time spent also gives a much stronger motivation to make the most out of future learning, instead of going through the motions in classes. Someone who really wants to be a great computer scientist and follows through most days in the future, which is completely still possible, can really get the most out of their education.
TedDoesntTalk 4y ago
Most of our waking life is spent dwelling in the past or the future. It’s only through practice that it can be changed. I’ve practiced and can’t say I’m an expert but it helps. Another way of living in the moment but without needing practice is by doing something that is engrossing, that thing we can “flow”.
Trasmatta 4y ago
> Carmack and Romero spent all their spare time writing code because that's what they loved to do. If that's what you loved to do, you'd have been doing the same thing. The problem is when you love programming, but your day job is programming and it begins to suck all the joy out of it, such that you can no longer enjoy doing in your free time anymore. It's not as cut and dried as "if you loved to do it, that's what you would do".
- metadat 4y ago
  Not necessarily true; just because day job programming isn't what you love, you can still do they type you enjoy in your free time if you want to.
  - Trasmatta 4y ago
    Doesn't work for everyone. Burning out from programming in a draining day job can make people completely unable to do the type they would normally enjoy. It's definitely a YMMV thing either way. I just take issue with the idea "oh, if you're not programming during your free time like Romero and Carmack, that must mean you don't actually love it".
    - metadat 4y ago
      Agreed, burnout is a spectrum. It sounds like we're on the same page. If this is something you've struggled with, I feel for you. It sounds terribly frustrating and disappointing. You are not alone. I hope you find a way to get your mojo back and rediscover or recover the joy you previously found in programming!

batmanturkey 4y ago

Great comment. The first part really puts everything and everyone into perspective

ianai 4y ago

Dwelling on the past also smacks against the sunk cost fallacy from economics.

noisy_boy 4y ago

I use a somewhat similar perspective when I feel guilty about certain things in life which I have been unable to pass on to my children. I barely know the cultural lineage of my ancestors up to a generation; in a generation or two, my descendants most probably won't know anything about me. We attach way too much importance to things that are emotionally important to us; in the flow of time, very few things are really important.

anoplus 4y ago

> There is only now. > Finally, you're still very young I am 34 and want to say to the 23 yo regretting their high-school/college years: Learn and reflect on your past but don't dwell too much, because there is a hell you can do now. By learning from your past, you turn it into gold.

insightcheck 4y ago

> "The second thing is, the past is dead and gone. You can't do anything about it. You can learn to let go of it or you can let it consume your present and deny you whatever future you're trying to make for yourself. There is only now." This is a valid approach, and a key principle of many worldviews (especially those focused on the present). To provide an alternative approach too, it's also useful to reframe the past, so it's not haunting or negative when it comes to mind. There are many bright spots. Like another commenter akmarinov wrote, the original poster has experience with what makes an engaging game. Social media experience is also useful for future efforts to raise awareness about a service or product. The time spent also gives a much stronger motivation to make the most out of future learning, instead of going through the motions in classes. Someone who really wants to be a great computer scientist and follows through most days in the future, which is completely still possible, can really get the most out of their education.

TedDoesntTalk 4y ago

Most of our waking life is spent dwelling in the past or the future. It’s only through practice that it can be changed. I’ve practiced and can’t say I’m an expert but it helps. Another way of living in the moment but without needing practice is by doing something that is engrossing, that thing we can “flow”.

Trasmatta 4y ago

> Carmack and Romero spent all their spare time writing code because that's what they loved to do. If that's what you loved to do, you'd have been doing the same thing. The problem is when you love programming, but your day job is programming and it begins to suck all the joy out of it, such that you can no longer enjoy doing in your free time anymore. It's not as cut and dried as "if you loved to do it, that's what you would do".

metadat 4y ago
Not necessarily true; just because day job programming isn't what you love, you can still do they type you enjoy in your free time if you want to.
- Trasmatta 4y ago
  Doesn't work for everyone. Burning out from programming in a draining day job can make people completely unable to do the type they would normally enjoy. It's definitely a YMMV thing either way. I just take issue with the idea "oh, if you're not programming during your free time like Romero and Carmack, that must mean you don't actually love it".
  - metadat 4y ago
    Agreed, burnout is a spectrum. It sounds like we're on the same page. If this is something you've struggled with, I feel for you. It sounds terribly frustrating and disappointing. You are not alone. I hope you find a way to get your mojo back and rediscover or recover the joy you previously found in programming!