Comment by brockf | Hacker News Reader

Comment by brockf | Hacker News Reader

Anecdote: I'm 22, have a successful web application business that earns more than any of those median earnings, and am scaling my involvement (and earnings) down to begin my PhD in cognitive science (under the umbrella of psychology, for most).

Why would I leave the "path to riches" to earn - at best - the same as I've made as a teenager? Meaning. Research and teaching give meaning to an otherwise dull life of emailing people I've never met about issues that no one will remember in a few years time. It's fun to work with people, fun to talk about issues that no one quite understands (language acquisition, in my case), and exhilarating to teach students who will hopefully outperform me in every way.

This community is largely driven by money. People ask "How hard is it to make an app that makes $XXXX in revenue?" at least once per week. But there are other things that provide meaning and drive in people's lives. I've forgotten it on a fair share of occasions, but I hope I never look down on someone who dedicates four years (or more) of their time to studying the arts/humanities as opposed to the "hard" sciences or engineering.

Aah. I am doing a PhD and always feel that I should leave PhD to start a company to build something more meaningful than systems that nobody uses. I guess the grass is always greener on the other side.

Totally. To some people, being independent with their own business - regardless of what the do - is meaningful enough. I find some meaning there too. But in 25 years, for me, I'd rather say I teach students about the developing mind than help build websites. To each their own, for sure.

I actually disagree that this community is largely driven by money. I think this community is driven by people who want to make an impact. The startup-minded folks have decided that they can make the most impact through a startup. Personally, I recently finished my PhD and I do research in industry because I feel that's where I will make the most impact. I'm tired of making solutions-looking-for-problems. But that's less of an issue in science - my field is more "exploratory engineering" as I explained in a comment last week.

Be warned, though. The path to being a tenured professor is littered with brilliant people. Another reason why I did not want to go into academia is that the tenure process at a research university is grueling, and you aren't given much to bootstrap it with.

Thank you for the warning. I know it's brutal, and it's far from a guarantee. However, if all else fails, I'll just come back to this... or so I keep telling myself :)

I'm telling myself not to be nervous about all the brilliant people, but to try and learn from them along the way.

Then perhaps you'll permit me another warning, which I think is even more important: don't fall in love with the idea of being a professor.

What I mean is, don't feel obligated to be become an academic. I use the term "love" deliberately, because you may end up feeling a similar kind of commitment to academia that people feel to their lovers. That is, the relationship isn't doing you any good right now, but you want to continue based on how you used to feel and commitments you made to yourself based on those feelings.

A lot will happen in the ~5 years it will take for you to get your PhD - just as a lot can happen in a serious relationship. You may come out at the other side not wanting what you did when you started, and that's okay.

Thank you. This isn't the first time I've heard this, but it's going to be something I will have to keep reminding myself of, I'm sure.

It's a lot easier to go look for meaning once you have a solid financial base.

And less likely you'll actually find it.

Why would that be?

A lot of people can't resist the temptation to live at higher-and-higher means, so the quest for a "solid financial base" converges to the standard rat race.

It's hard to realize that happiness is everywhere, even in abject poverty, when you are financially comfortable.

It takes a lot of effort and a unique mindset to change momentum when you're on a successful trajectory; you're less likely to take a risk to discover a more meaningful life.

You will make connections and develop a lifestyle that keep you happy and comfortable enough that you will not want to make a change, even when that change would eventually be for the better.

Life will happen. If there's something you're curious about or otherwise want to do, why wait?

The trouble is defining "solid".

I will agree - if you are having trouble making rent and keeping food in the fridge, you're probably not having a very good time looking for meaning in life.

But do you really need to maximize your income? Do you need a $300K job in finance or a $120K job writing code?

Right. I should clarify that in my own case, that meant getting the computer science degree, working for three years to pay off my debt, and then feeling quite comfortable taking a few years off to go backpacking around the world. I knew I could come back to my trade.

I also have a degree in history, so I did pursue liberal arts at the same time. But I knew that wasn't enough for a complete life, in my case.

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