I know this isn’t what you were asking for, but would you mind reconsidering going to college at all?
Consider the Lost Purposes article and also the fact that a lot of students acquire debts to go to college. Nowadays there are lots of alternative ways to get an education and network. Have you considered the Singularity Institute as an option?
I went to college and I think it was a waste of time, but this is only my personal view, I’m sure there are lots of people who will disagree.
Two of the top contributors here(Eliezer and lukeprog) never went to college(or at least broke up after a short while) and I’m sure there are more…
I did know that Eliezer never went to college, but I don’t think that would be a viable option for me.
The most important reason for this is that I haven’t figured out how to incentivize myself to get stuff done. Over the summers, I always resolve to teach myself to program, or write a story, or paint, or get a job, but I always just end up reading and sitting around, running my brain, getting excited (and paralyzed) by the endless possibilities.
It’s not that I have an awful work ethic—at least not when the tasks are assigned to me. I work hard in school, because grades in most classes measure conscientiousness.
But as far as I’ve been able to tell, I need a structured schedule and external motivation to tear me away from fun little useless thought experiments. It might not be the best way for me to get things done—I’ve only tried two so far—but it’s the only way that works for now. I thought college would be a nice stepping stone, laxer than high school but not as free-form as self-employment, where I could figure out what my brain needs to make my body work.
The less important (but more inescapable) reason is that my parents couldn’t stand for me not to go to college, and even if I don’t have to obey them as a major, I still want to please them.
I know this isn’t what you were asking for, but would you mind reconsidering going to college at all?
Consider the Lost Purposes article and also the fact that a lot of students acquire debts to go to college. Nowadays there are lots of alternative ways to get an education and network. Have you considered the Singularity Institute as an option?
I went to college and I think it was a waste of time, but this is only my personal view, I’m sure there are lots of people who will disagree.
Two of the top contributors here(Eliezer and lukeprog) never went to college(or at least broke up after a short while) and I’m sure there are more…
I did know that Eliezer never went to college, but I don’t think that would be a viable option for me.
The most important reason for this is that I haven’t figured out how to incentivize myself to get stuff done. Over the summers, I always resolve to teach myself to program, or write a story, or paint, or get a job, but I always just end up reading and sitting around, running my brain, getting excited (and paralyzed) by the endless possibilities.
It’s not that I have an awful work ethic—at least not when the tasks are assigned to me. I work hard in school, because grades in most classes measure conscientiousness. But as far as I’ve been able to tell, I need a structured schedule and external motivation to tear me away from fun little useless thought experiments. It might not be the best way for me to get things done—I’ve only tried two so far—but it’s the only way that works for now. I thought college would be a nice stepping stone, laxer than high school but not as free-form as self-employment, where I could figure out what my brain needs to make my body work.
The less important (but more inescapable) reason is that my parents couldn’t stand for me not to go to college, and even if I don’t have to obey them as a major, I still want to please them.