Reddit IAMA. An ex Google programmer switched to a job in the lumbering industry

Re:Reddit IAMA. An ex Google programmer switched to a job in... by thaumaturgy on Sunday May 09, 2010 @05:18PM (#1332870)

Hah! Uh ... I'm not at all qualified to ever give out advice to anyone else, especially someone I'm not very familiar with. So I have none!

Part of the misfortune with making money early on is that I never learned how to manage it, or save it, so I had no savings within a few months of leaving Florida. Having savings would have made a lot of the struggle much easier, but I don't think I would have learned as much, either.

I honestly would not say I have "immense talent"; that makes me kinda uncomfortable, actually. I'd say I have average talent, and immense determination, if anything.

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Re:Reddit IAMA. An ex Google programmer switched to a job in... by GFischer on Monday May 10, 2010 @08:45AM (#1334212)

Ah, but I'd take immense determination and (supposedly :) ) average talent over immense talent and low determination any time of day.

I had a classmate at high school and then at university that was the brightest student I ever saw at math. He could prove theorems in his sleep, and often did a different proof than the one taught "just for fun" (and giving teachers headaches).

Sadly his parents were quite rich and also a troubled family, so he went into recreational drugs, partying and D&D. Last time I saw him, he still hadn't finished university and had accomplished nothing with his life (well, he'd had a lot of girlfriends and partying AND D&D, so maybe he hadn't "wasted" time from his point of view)

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