I declare this post the first of many where I'll explore what I need to do in life. It's a pretty big topic, but it should be approachable as long as I keep focused on little bits here and there.
Career direction: Long and short-termI read an interesting post about being a programmer. It reminded me that while I may be decent in a very narrow region of the programming space, I just don't have the (physics/math) background to tackle problems efficiently. Interestingly, the author mentioned that chemistry didn't seem to mesh with programming because it involved a lot of memorization and trial and error. Maybe I need to seek a career/skill set that requires strong rote memorization abilities... (
article)
I need to make sure that I don't commit myself too deeply to something that I won't necessarily pursue as a long term skill. If my next job is to work as a specialized PHP developer, will I begin to close doors to other opportunities? Will I be able to jump to the correct field when the time comes to enter grad school?
Maybe being a developer is a viable option as a short-term position, but I think it would be best to leverage my web skills to help me jump into the areas/companies that I
really want to explore. If I exploit the demand for web development, I can get my foot in the door and start making the next, and hopefully final, transition into my ideal position.
This leads to the biggest, cloudiest problem of all: what do I want to be?
I have this rampant desire to "affect positive change," but I can't seem to make a choice about what I will change. Particularly, I want to maximize my effectiveness in whatever it is I choose to do. Perhaps media reporting of explosive successes has shifted my attention towards big, sexy projects that make huge change with (comparatively) very little initial resource input. Am I just being childish? Too determined to do something that requires minimal cooperation from external sources?
My reluctance to accept a more conventional position with a change-making company (like an NGO) takes root in my lack of experience in the field, as well as lack of a professional network. I'm "doing my homework," but progress is slow. I'm developing the connections, but progress is slow. As a result I have come to two conclusions: I need to work in some sort of changemaking position for a bit to learn what's really needed of me, and I need to go back to school to get a particular focus.
What to do?The problem with my goal is that it's far too vague. Almost any right-oriented activity can result in a positive change. What I really need is to define my personal system for evaluating a given result, as well as clearly define what sort of everyday work I think I would be most effective at. In the end, I'd like to make as much change as possible in an area where a given amount of change gives the greatest improvement in quality of life. (another post on
values to come soon)
As David often reminds me, there's a need to think outside of the box when discussing change. Simply because activist organizations like Greenpeace make a lot of noise doesn't mean that by joining them I'd be accomplishing as much as someone working diligently on the inside of an inefficient institution, especially one that is desperately in need of improvement. (Not that I want to join Greenpeace....)
To put it into a programming perspective, what "level of abstraction" do I want to work at? Do I want to work at the very fine level, contributing to a very small segment in a scientific area towards the result of a better (group-developed) product? Or, do I take the higher view and handle the most generalized "objects" -- organizations, people, governments....
Then, there's the matter of entrepreneurialism vs traditional (established) organizations. Do I have the skills and network necessary to affect a disruptive change somewhere? Or, am I more suited towards the patient, steady progress created by working in a proven organization? For the entrepreneurial route, possibilities might include the creation of a novel product that the end user desperately needs, or using the internet to connect those in need (poor people) with those who want to help (comparatively rich people) in ways that were previously impossible. The point will be if I'm able to identify a problem that isn't being adequately addressed by currently existing systems or organizations, and if I'll be able to execute the solution satisfactorily, with consideration to what I might accomplish over a lifetime by contributing at an existing organization.
A lot to think about. A lot of mind-wandering. More to come...
some additional things i learned today:
"growth" intelligence - the mindset that you can continue to improve
very good place to learn about
povertya nice post on
to-do liststhe key points:
- add tasks to the "today" list at the beginning of each day
- review what was accomplished at the end of each day (don't just delete)
- don't interrupt with batch tasks (email, phone etc) -- group into distinct time periods
- keep the larger "someday" list tidy
