Some 50'ish years ago I concluded (I think, but, memory...) two things: a) set your expectations low enough, and you won't be disappointed, and b) if you can't make a positive contribution, avoid making negative ones. Even so, always kept trying to be "a little different" in my software development career. So, a bit of striving even with an early, conscious, effort not to?
- I’m a subscriber because I want to support the content, not because I want exclusive content.
- I started reading this post thinking I’d leave a comment saying I didn’t find it interesting but then I found it interesting - hah. But I’m at a weird time in my life where I’m soon going to move back to Australia to be closer to family, and possibly giving up my great career in tech to do so. So it’s interesting for me to read about someone else’s grappling with their career, but your other subscribers are likely not in my situation :)
This was great! I'd love to see more personal posts (what switching fields was like, what getting started blogging was like, the ups and downs of teaching and writing a column, etc.). Thanks for the great content as always Noah!
Thanks for pointing to your 2013 post about depression while studying Physics—it’s something I resonated with, having only emerged from years of suffering with it and only by leaving physics, changing careers and starting over could I overcome it. (Although I disagree with the argument made in Lost in Math regarding HEP—separate conversation!)
One question about battery technology: is there a reason that companies will want to license their discoveries to other manufacturers? Bell Labs famously licensed the semiconductor broadly and that beneficence changed the world, I wonder if the same incentives are in place today?
"Maybe the secret to career satisfaction — or satisfaction with any other piece of life — is just being able to spin it all into a heroic tale after the fact."
I think it's a matter of what you value in a good life. I don't know...as I get older, living a quiet, peaceful life and being content seems more important to me than going on some kind of hero's journey or accomplishing great things. The urge to be the best or to make a difference often seems like vanity, and a quintessential American ideal. Perhaps it's better to be a hobbit!
Loving these personal essays, Noah. One of my favorite things about you is that you seem kind and human. Please keep them coming, and thank you for sharing this!
Thanks for sharing this. I'd be interested in more pieces like this if you wanted.
I mostly regret what I did with my higher education and career. I got a Comp Sci degree not so much because I really loved it, it was just something I was mildly interested in and didn't have strong feelings about anything else. Now I do system admin stuff for a mortgage company. I can try to spin things and say I'm making a difference by supporting people making a huge financial investment but I don't really feel that way. Especially since I'm behind the scenes. If I could do things over again my dream job would be to work at a university doing research in some field, or something similar. I subscribe to Scientific American and I would love to be one of the people whose research is being talked about. So I have some regrets, but it's funny because on the other hand I don't care about my career at all and I just want a job where I can make a decent paycheck an come home and not think about the job. I'm not super consistent!
There are also so many other ways to make a difference in the world, namely volunteering. Comparing your impact to others probably most often leads to downard spirals.
Anyway, thanks again for the personal piece. Some deep questions for a Monday!
Some 50'ish years ago I concluded (I think, but, memory...) two things: a) set your expectations low enough, and you won't be disappointed, and b) if you can't make a positive contribution, avoid making negative ones. Even so, always kept trying to be "a little different" in my software development career. So, a bit of striving even with an early, conscious, effort not to?
Two things:
- I’m a subscriber because I want to support the content, not because I want exclusive content.
- I started reading this post thinking I’d leave a comment saying I didn’t find it interesting but then I found it interesting - hah. But I’m at a weird time in my life where I’m soon going to move back to Australia to be closer to family, and possibly giving up my great career in tech to do so. So it’s interesting for me to read about someone else’s grappling with their career, but your other subscribers are likely not in my situation :)
Thanks for writing!
This was great! I'd love to see more personal posts (what switching fields was like, what getting started blogging was like, the ups and downs of teaching and writing a column, etc.). Thanks for the great content as always Noah!
Thanks for pointing to your 2013 post about depression while studying Physics—it’s something I resonated with, having only emerged from years of suffering with it and only by leaving physics, changing careers and starting over could I overcome it. (Although I disagree with the argument made in Lost in Math regarding HEP—separate conversation!)
One question about battery technology: is there a reason that companies will want to license their discoveries to other manufacturers? Bell Labs famously licensed the semiconductor broadly and that beneficence changed the world, I wonder if the same incentives are in place today?
"Maybe the secret to career satisfaction — or satisfaction with any other piece of life — is just being able to spin it all into a heroic tale after the fact."
I think it's a matter of what you value in a good life. I don't know...as I get older, living a quiet, peaceful life and being content seems more important to me than going on some kind of hero's journey or accomplishing great things. The urge to be the best or to make a difference often seems like vanity, and a quintessential American ideal. Perhaps it's better to be a hobbit!
more of these please.
Loving these personal essays, Noah. One of my favorite things about you is that you seem kind and human. Please keep them coming, and thank you for sharing this!
Thanks for sharing this. I'd be interested in more pieces like this if you wanted.
I mostly regret what I did with my higher education and career. I got a Comp Sci degree not so much because I really loved it, it was just something I was mildly interested in and didn't have strong feelings about anything else. Now I do system admin stuff for a mortgage company. I can try to spin things and say I'm making a difference by supporting people making a huge financial investment but I don't really feel that way. Especially since I'm behind the scenes. If I could do things over again my dream job would be to work at a university doing research in some field, or something similar. I subscribe to Scientific American and I would love to be one of the people whose research is being talked about. So I have some regrets, but it's funny because on the other hand I don't care about my career at all and I just want a job where I can make a decent paycheck an come home and not think about the job. I'm not super consistent!
There are also so many other ways to make a difference in the world, namely volunteering. Comparing your impact to others probably most often leads to downard spirals.
Anyway, thanks again for the personal piece. Some deep questions for a Monday!