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I noticed that whenever something like this gets posted (in a nutshell: the advice is to be practical in what you work on) - a common response is that not every
by xyzelement 4y ago
I noticed that whenever something like this gets posted (in a nutshell: the advice is to be practical in what you work on) - a common response is that not everything must have utility, you can enjoy things just for their own sake.
This is true, but the reason this is advice (ie, suggestions of the best course of action) is that if you can get your enjoyment to line up with what's useful, your life gets better than if you keep it separate.
Like, if you hate your job and come home to work on something fun but impractical, you still hate your job where you spend most of your day. If you can "tune" your mind to enjoy something practical, potentially that thing can grow and you can do it full time (ie also enjoy your job)
Another example is people who taught themselves to love working out or studying. They win twice - from doing something they enjoy and from engaging in something that bears fruit for themselves.
- topaz0 4y agoI noticed those comments as well and would make a slightly different point, which is that part of the reason it is good advice is that having a practical goal can be both motivating and directly helpful in the learning process. Motivating because you are more likely to finish a project that you want to use the result of. Directly helpful because it's easier to learn something when you see its utility at work.