I work 40 hours each week. Reading LW is consciously part of my R&R time. Am I in the minority here?
Like HP:MoR though, I consider it to be beneficial R&R. My idea of “fun” consists of solving math problems, having philosophical discussions, etc. It’s a shiny distraction like going for a hike, when you aspire to work in forestry. It doesn’t detract from your ability to study forestry. Just don’t confuse hiking and field work.
That said, I am in the wrong field of work, long-term. That I consider the ideas here so interesting makes them pointers toward future career directions. I really do think I’ve gained ideas here that will play out in my future career.
I should mention also that this site has made me see connections between my current line of work and future paths, and made developing those common skills more enjoyable. To get through the less fun parts of work, you have to connect it with the fun and the big picture, and this site does that for me. Perhaps not for most people. I couldn’t say.
I agree though that this may not be an ideal tool for the express purpose of being more productive (and then more rational in doing your productive activities). Do people view the site as having that purpose?
I fairly strongly suggest that if you are planning to change careers you actually discuss the possibilities with other members of the LW community. Maybe make a post describing your situation and desires and requesting advice.
Thanks, I definitely will do so by the end of the year. I still have some evaluation of goals to do (by experiment right now—doing a couple of small projects, logging my attitude on the work and progress over the course of each). This is almost certainly a community which would act as a good CEV dynamic for me.
I work 40 hours each week. Reading LW is consciously part of my R&R time. Am I in the minority here?
Like HP:MoR though, I consider it to be beneficial R&R. My idea of “fun” consists of solving math problems, having philosophical discussions, etc. It’s a shiny distraction like going for a hike, when you aspire to work in forestry. It doesn’t detract from your ability to study forestry. Just don’t confuse hiking and field work.
That said, I am in the wrong field of work, long-term. That I consider the ideas here so interesting makes them pointers toward future career directions. I really do think I’ve gained ideas here that will play out in my future career.
I should mention also that this site has made me see connections between my current line of work and future paths, and made developing those common skills more enjoyable. To get through the less fun parts of work, you have to connect it with the fun and the big picture, and this site does that for me. Perhaps not for most people. I couldn’t say.
I agree though that this may not be an ideal tool for the express purpose of being more productive (and then more rational in doing your productive activities). Do people view the site as having that purpose?
I fairly strongly suggest that if you are planning to change careers you actually discuss the possibilities with other members of the LW community. Maybe make a post describing your situation and desires and requesting advice.
Would this kind of request be appropriate for a top level post, or in the open thread? I’ve been considering making such a post for a while now.
It depends how in depth you want to be. I’ve made such a top level post myself and found it useful.
I’d say it depends on how valuable you expect the post to be for other people to read.
I’m probably going to post in an open thread when I do so, but if I’m uncertain, I may message a couple of people to see what they think.
Thanks, I definitely will do so by the end of the year. I still have some evaluation of goals to do (by experiment right now—doing a couple of small projects, logging my attitude on the work and progress over the course of each). This is almost certainly a community which would act as a good CEV dynamic for me.
I view it as fun. It is so fun that it DOES sometimes cause me to procrastinate on my work, like right now. I’m going to go do some of that work now.