Personal Development for Smart People Forums - View Single Post - Recovering grad student, budding entrepreneur

Ben · 11-06-2006, 04:26 AM

Hi everybody, I thought I'd introduce myself. I'm Ben and I just finished grad school and am slowly re-adjusting to civilian life. Steve's blog and, potentially these forums, are part of my ongoing convalescense.

I discovered the blog in the Spring of '05, when Steve was writing his series about the meaning of life. I was struck by how different it was from the other blogs I was reading, and I've been reading it ever since. Many blogs have come and gone from my feed reader in the intervening months, but Steve's has remained. No matter how busy I am, I alway find time Steve's latest post.

I think what keeps me reading is his technical approach to personal development. Before finding his blog, I had never heard anyone describe growth and spirituality using metaphors from computer science. It's a minor point, but I found the blog to be a more comfortable environment to learn about these subjects than your average new age bookstore, or blog for that matter. At the first sign of doubt, I could always say to myself, "It's cool, he can write code. He knows his trig identities."

Anyway, my grad school experience became increasingly unpleasant towards the end and Steve's blog provided me with some comfort during those dark days in the lab. A lot of my colleagues, when faced with similar pressures, look to high paying jobs and other material posessions as the reward for their sacrifices. Instead, I asked myself what was at the root of my unhappiness; what was the core problem with the direction I was choosing?

Well, I don't have a complete answer to that question yet. But I know that happiness for me most likely involves working towards something more meaningful than a large paycheck, and more fulfilling than being a cog in a corporate machine. I've since graduated and am in the process of rearranging my prorities to better reflect who I am. I decided not to take a corporate job and am trying to start a company with some friends. I'm also trying to live a more healthy and productive lifestyle. In the coming months, I hope to share some of my experiences and learn from this community.

Ben

11-06-2006, 04:26 AM	#1 (permalink)
Ben Junior Member Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Somerville, MA Posts: 5	Recovering grad student, budding entrepreneur Hi everybody, I thought I'd introduce myself. I'm Ben and I just finished grad school and am slowly re-adjusting to civilian life. Steve's blog and, potentially these forums, are part of my ongoing convalescense. I discovered the blog in the Spring of '05, when Steve was writing his series about the meaning of life. I was struck by how different it was from the other blogs I was reading, and I've been reading it ever since. Many blogs have come and gone from my feed reader in the intervening months, but Steve's has remained. No matter how busy I am, I alway find time Steve's latest post. I think what keeps me reading is his technical approach to personal development. Before finding his blog, I had never heard anyone describe growth and spirituality using metaphors from computer science. It's a minor point, but I found the blog to be a more comfortable environment to learn about these subjects than your average new age bookstore, or blog for that matter. At the first sign of doubt, I could always say to myself, "It's cool, he can write code. He knows his trig identities." Anyway, my grad school experience became increasingly unpleasant towards the end and Steve's blog provided me with some comfort during those dark days in the lab. A lot of my colleagues, when faced with similar pressures, look to high paying jobs and other material posessions as the reward for their sacrifices. Instead, I asked myself what was at the root of my unhappiness; what was the core problem with the direction I was choosing? Well, I don't have a complete answer to that question yet. But I know that happiness for me most likely involves working towards something more meaningful than a large paycheck, and more fulfilling than being a cog in a corporate machine. I've since graduated and am in the process of rearranging my prorities to better reflect who I am. I decided not to take a corporate job and am trying to start a company with some friends. I'm also trying to live a more healthy and productive lifestyle. In the coming months, I hope to share some of my experiences and learn from this community. Ben