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Study as much math and physics as you can. Study business, accounting, finance, and marketing. Study the classics and philosophy. Once school winds down and li

Study as much math and physics as you can. Study business, accounting, finance, and marketing. Study the classics and philosophy. Once school winds down and life picks up, you'll have less time to sit down and deeply read anything. Build your mental toolkit while you have the luxury of time. At least, that's what I'd tell my younger self. I'm not saying not to study computer science, but a lot of it is free and its applied foundations are in the open (free and open-source software). Novel ideas come from the synergy of thinking and implementation. Mathematics is the baseline.

ShouldIPivot 4y ago
This sounds pretty interesting, and not something I'd considered. I've got other interests (geopolitics, military aviation, history) that I've put on hold due to the level of schoolwork. You say to "Build your mental toolkit while you have the luxury of time." What would you say your mental toolkit consists of? Where does classics and philosophy come into it? What do you typically apply that toolkit to, and how does it help you?
- turtleyacht 4y ago
  > What would you say your mental toolkit consists of? Not much! In place of the ideal hard science stuff, for a while it's been Stack Overflow, tenacity, and a nose for useful solutions. I feel if I had educated myself in rigor, I could implement that paper, prove solutions, and have an assortment of physical phenomena at my disposal. All the books I have and not read speak to the need for knowledge, and while applications abound, words can only be consumed one long tape at a time. > Where does classics and philosophy come into it? It's your secret weapon: it's the quote or phrase or context that comes to mind, to flower one's thoughts amid numbers and process, that inspires and renews. > What do you typically apply that toolkit to, and how does it help you? Programming, of course! Mostly in pattern recognition for solving problems. Whatever you decide, I hope you end up owning "something that is yours." It's hard to describe. It could be a business, or a codebase that is maintained a long time.

ShouldIPivot 4y ago

This sounds pretty interesting, and not something I'd considered. I've got other interests (geopolitics, military aviation, history) that I've put on hold due to the level of schoolwork. You say to "Build your mental toolkit while you have the luxury of time." What would you say your mental toolkit consists of? Where does classics and philosophy come into it? What do you typically apply that toolkit to, and how does it help you?

turtleyacht 4y ago
> What would you say your mental toolkit consists of? Not much! In place of the ideal hard science stuff, for a while it's been Stack Overflow, tenacity, and a nose for useful solutions. I feel if I had educated myself in rigor, I could implement that paper, prove solutions, and have an assortment of physical phenomena at my disposal. All the books I have and not read speak to the need for knowledge, and while applications abound, words can only be consumed one long tape at a time. > Where does classics and philosophy come into it? It's your secret weapon: it's the quote or phrase or context that comes to mind, to flower one's thoughts amid numbers and process, that inspires and renews. > What do you typically apply that toolkit to, and how does it help you? Programming, of course! Mostly in pattern recognition for solving problems. Whatever you decide, I hope you end up owning "something that is yours." It's hard to describe. It could be a business, or a codebase that is maintained a long time.