4 ms·

"Do what interests you" is very common and very bad advice. I studied social anthropology for a semester because it "interested" me — but only in theory, not i

by jforman 14y ago

"Do what interests you" is very common and very bad advice. I studied social anthropology for a semester because it "interested" me — but only in theory, not in practice. The computer science degree I eventually received has yielded a far more interesting career than what my friends in psychology/philosophy/sociology have experienced, on average.

commanda 14y ago
I declared a double major of dance and creative writing when I entered college. Nobody discouraged me. It was sheer luck that I stumbled across computer science, fell in love, and never looked back. I shudder to think how my life would have turned out if I had stuck with what had originally interested me.
deleted 14y ago
[deleted]
Homunculiheaded 14y ago
Is it really bad advice? I can't think of a single good software developer I know who chose the field simply out of pragmatics. Any time I've met someone in a field because they felt it was necessary they typically hate what they do are are likewise not very good at it (with some exceptions). It's incredibly myopic for a people who are passionate about something that also happens be a reasonably well paying profession to tell other people that they shouldn't follow their interests. If anything I think people get stuck because they don't follow their interests strongly enough.
- jcdavis 14y ago
  > It's incredibly myopic for a people who are passionate about something that also happens be a reasonably well paying profession to tell other people that they shouldn't follow their interests. Amen. Almost all the programmers I know (myself included) chose it as a career choice primarily because they found it interesting, not because the money was good. It just so turned out that what I (and probably a lot of other people here) wanted to do because they liked it also turns out to be a great career choice. We of all trades are the ones who should definitely not be telling people they need to make the tradeoff between doing something they love and something that will get them a job just because we happen to work in the intersection of both. That I get paid well to do something I love is truly amazing luck, and I (and, it seems, a good portion of the industry) tend to forget that all too often.
- jforman 14y ago
  I suppose I should clarify: people generally interpret "do what interests you" as "study what you think you will enjoy studying" when they should really be asking themselves what they will enjoy doing as a career. Social anthropology was interesting to study, but at some point I realized that actually embarking on a career as a social anthropologist would have been terrible for me. I like learning about different cultures, not studying a few scientifically. I can do that as an amateur. When I sat down to decide what to do instead, I thought, a) I like making ASP pages for our newspaper, b) you can go into a lot of fields with a CS degree, and c) there is a clear path for making a tangible impact on society. It turns out, that was pretty sound reasoning (despite ASP pages being entirely different from CS): I've worked at Microsoft, in computational biology, and now at a publishing startup. I've never lacked for engagement (except toward the end of my time at MSFT), and the problems I'm able to solve in our economy are a larger part of that than the practice of the discipline itself.
- jlarocco 14y ago
  "Any time I've met someone in a field because they felt it was necessary they typically hate what they do are are likewise not very good at it (with some exceptions)." Do they like it more than they'd like waiting tables or serving coffee? "It's incredibly myopic for a people who are passionate about something that also happens be a reasonably well paying profession to tell other people that they shouldn't follow their interests." I don't think anybody is telling them not to follow their interests. But if they're going to do that they should realize and accept that doing what they love may not pay well.
furyofantares 14y ago
Did studying social anthropology for a semester hurt you in any way? And when you figured out you weren't really interested in it, how did you decide to pursue CS if it didn't interest you?
- jforman 14y ago
  a) No, in fact, I benefitted from the semester. I learned interesting things about, for example, the role of gift giving in society and what it means to be a social anthropologist. I don't regret the semester, but I do think I would have regretted a degree. b) I never said CS didn't interest me — that "study what interests you" is bad advice doesn't mean to do the opposite. See my reply above for more explanation and a short description of my thought process.

by jforman 14y ago

commanda 14y ago

I declared a double major of dance and creative writing when I entered college. Nobody discouraged me. It was sheer luck that I stumbled across computer science, fell in love, and never looked back. I shudder to think how my life would have turned out if I had stuck with what had originally interested me.

deleted 14y ago

[deleted]

Homunculiheaded 14y ago

Is it really bad advice? I can't think of a single good software developer I know who chose the field simply out of pragmatics. Any time I've met someone in a field because they felt it was necessary they typically hate what they do are are likewise not very good at it (with some exceptions). It's incredibly myopic for a people who are passionate about something that also happens be a reasonably well paying profession to tell other people that they shouldn't follow their interests. If anything I think people get stuck because they don't follow their interests strongly enough.

jcdavis 14y ago
> It's incredibly myopic for a people who are passionate about something that also happens be a reasonably well paying profession to tell other people that they shouldn't follow their interests. Amen. Almost all the programmers I know (myself included) chose it as a career choice primarily because they found it interesting, not because the money was good. It just so turned out that what I (and probably a lot of other people here) wanted to do because they liked it also turns out to be a great career choice. We of all trades are the ones who should definitely not be telling people they need to make the tradeoff between doing something they love and something that will get them a job just because we happen to work in the intersection of both. That I get paid well to do something I love is truly amazing luck, and I (and, it seems, a good portion of the industry) tend to forget that all too often.
jforman 14y ago
I suppose I should clarify: people generally interpret "do what interests you" as "study what you think you will enjoy studying" when they should really be asking themselves what they will enjoy doing as a career. Social anthropology was interesting to study, but at some point I realized that actually embarking on a career as a social anthropologist would have been terrible for me. I like learning about different cultures, not studying a few scientifically. I can do that as an amateur. When I sat down to decide what to do instead, I thought, a) I like making ASP pages for our newspaper, b) you can go into a lot of fields with a CS degree, and c) there is a clear path for making a tangible impact on society. It turns out, that was pretty sound reasoning (despite ASP pages being entirely different from CS): I've worked at Microsoft, in computational biology, and now at a publishing startup. I've never lacked for engagement (except toward the end of my time at MSFT), and the problems I'm able to solve in our economy are a larger part of that than the practice of the discipline itself.
jlarocco 14y ago
"Any time I've met someone in a field because they felt it was necessary they typically hate what they do are are likewise not very good at it (with some exceptions)." Do they like it more than they'd like waiting tables or serving coffee? "It's incredibly myopic for a people who are passionate about something that also happens be a reasonably well paying profession to tell other people that they shouldn't follow their interests." I don't think anybody is telling them not to follow their interests. But if they're going to do that they should realize and accept that doing what they love may not pay well.

furyofantares 14y ago

Did studying social anthropology for a semester hurt you in any way? And when you figured out you weren't really interested in it, how did you decide to pursue CS if it didn't interest you?

jforman 14y ago
a) No, in fact, I benefitted from the semester. I learned interesting things about, for example, the role of gift giving in society and what it means to be a social anthropologist. I don't regret the semester, but I do think I would have regretted a degree. b) I never said CS didn't interest me — that "study what interests you" is bad advice doesn't mean to do the opposite. See my reply above for more explanation and a short description of my thought process.