If You’re So Damn Smart, Why Aren’t You Rich? | Hacker News Reader

If You’re So Damn Smart, Why Aren’t You Rich?

activevoice.charlesbivona.com

43 pointsgnosis23 comments

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seems like a dup of http://news.ycombinator.org/item?id=1554687 there's a ton of comments already, BTW

Is ycombinator.org an official mirror site?

I followed a couple more links there, and it decided it wanted my login details. This gives me pause...

Both domains are registered to pg

That alone doesn't make it safe though.

DNS returns the same ip to me at least, so two plus points so far.

Still this is a red flag, they should choose a canonical url and stick with it.

Is there no HN filter for previously submitted URLs?

There is. But these two URLs differ, even though they point to the same content.

It's not the usual case of extra fluff in the URL causing the uniqueness check to fail, they are significantly different and only following the link would show them as the same thing.

Looks like this one is the canonical URL vs the one I posted previously, or he's updated his blog software and the URLs have changed. I would have thought I'd have noticed the redirect.

The uniqueness checker could follow links & redirects to check for duplicates, or maybe simply a note on the submission page along the lines of:

  please search Google for 'site:news.ycombinator.com "article title"' 
  to make sure this hasn't already been posted.

We need a content filter.

This article, the blog post on Manhattan tipping the host/hostess for priority seating, the guy who did the driving traffic experiments on the highway, and the guy who built his own computer out of ICs and was an English major, IIRC. Just to name a few...

Smart is such an overloaded word/concept.

To me a smart person would know that the key to getting people to do what you want (such as hire you) is using psychology to manipulate their emotions. Would not require a career consular to tell them that intimidating and threatening employer's ego, superiority and job security is not the way to go.

Also a smart person would know "get rich" to be a vapid goal.

From the comments:

"I don’t find any companies interesting. They’re just companies. They make things, move things, process things, sell things–bleh, no thank you."

Pretty obvious that he's lacking passion for the jobs he's applying for. Not really that suprising that he had such a hard time obtaining one in the end.

Lloyd Dobler: I don't want to sell anything, buy anything, or process anything as a career. I don't want to sell anything bought or processed, or buy anything sold or processed, or process anything sold, bought, or processed, or repair anything sold, bought, or processed. You know, as a career, I don't want to do that. (from Say Anything)

I saw the same . I understand his attitude somewhat - imo, too much of the economy is focused on marketing unnecessary products to people that barely want them. That said, making and moving things is a critical element societal of advancement. The entire reason people can read his blog post is because some companies decided to make some things. I consider myself an academic at the core as well, but the world runs on more than just ideas.

Nothing in the world can take the place of Persistence.

Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent.

Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb.

Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts.

Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent.

The slogan 'Press On' has solved and always will solve the problems of the human race.

--Calvin Coolidge

This was hilarious. It is hard to believe it really happened though.

you're joking, right? what part of it is implausible?

It read a little bit like a story I would have written in a fiction writing class in university. Just a little too smooth of a story for someone recounting what really happened. Even if it is a hoax, though- it's a great story, and I applaud the author either way.

A periodic conversation I have with myself about my career in Silicon Valley, "If you're so smart, how come you're only a thousand-aire, not a millionaire?"

Money != Rich

Smartness and even hard work are not enough. Connections and a luck are required.

You cannot prepare a good dish with only two ingredients. ^_^

Connections and luck with modicum of social skills are sufficient. Cronyism is rampant.

Rampant where? Please expand on your claim.

About half of my employments started because I knew someone. Many of my coworkers, likewise. Almost everyone working for my dept at previous employer is now working for the same new company because their old boss got job at new company and hired most of his old team.

Getting position in your father's, relative, inlaws, etc. company is common in my experience.

Vast majority of political appointments (practically by definition).

Networking events (a couple a month for tech industry in Austin and Seattle) are all about getting the right connections.

Everybody is going to click on this:)

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