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sireattoday at 6:25 PM2 repliesview on HN

I am paraphrasing but I think it was W. Buffett who said:

"Work at the job that you do not hate"

In other words, not all vocations that you are great at and talented and want to pursue are valued by current world.

I love playing chess way more and actually am reasonably good at it, but programming and teaching are valued more and I like those too.

As Jimmy O. Yang's father reportedly said: "Pursuing your dreams is how you become homeless"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GO6ntvIwT2k&t=22s

At the same time you have to be out there in the world, increase your luck surface - if you sit in your cubicle/room/private chatroom all day you are less likely to make a mark on the world despite your brilliance.

Again I forgot which artist said it but that in New York art scene the most successful artists spent most of their working days socializing not painting/sculpting etc.


Replies

v9vtoday at 7:54 PM

I think Kevin Kelly has taken the opposing side before: https://colossus.com/article/flounder-mode/ (discussed https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=44455933)

kingofmentoday at 7:18 PM

What are those artists successful at? Making art, or marketing it? The New York art scene is a curious example in this context, because it is notoriously all about who you know rather than what you do, and that's not usually considered a good thing.