Ask HN: What should I try to do while still in college?
I have two more years left here; what should I try to do? What should I bias for? What do you, someone who is no longer in college, wish you did, and found most useful during your time there?
More about me: So far, I've spent most of my time learning how to do work, then how to do hard work, and about myself (ADHD, etc). (In fact, I'm procrastinating right now.) I spent most of my childhood doing what I was interested in (lego, then computers), which doesn't develop the skills needed for college.
I'm a Computer Science and Mathematics double major, but I'm not sure if I'm clever enough for pure math; I am aceing the CS classes, though. I'm vaguely participating in a startup-like venture, but there is little pressure, and hence little actual startup atmosphere - but still good experience. I've thought many times about dropping out (of college), but I seriously don't have a plan, aside from the vague notion of "going to SF and figuring something out". Besides, it seems like a good idea to get a college degree + the CS/Math sophistication alongside it. Nevertheless, I'm quite bored, by the vapid partying (which I refuse to take part in - decimating my social life), the happy-go-lucky attitude of most people, and lectures + homework in general.
My life goals? I want excitement (see ADHD, above). Maybe with computers. The current startup frenzy seems to fit like a glove, but I've only heard about it on the internet.
99 comments
[ 3.4 ms ] story [ 213 ms ] threadBut yeah, I was in a similar boat in terms of the ADHD and not fitting into the general party culture and everything kind of fell into place when I started focusing on doing stuff that was actually fun to do and not so much on stuff I assumed I was supposed to be doing (i.e., my homework).
A lot of publications seem to have problems getting themselves online - collegepublisher is the witness. So you seem to be in a viable area.
Most of the misery was from schoolwork, which is improving slowly. The social side is at a standstill, because I really don't like beer. It's a catch-22 from where I stand. I think I've always just focused on what was fun/interesting and ignored much else, which you can't do in college, at least academically. I want the liberal arts anti-focus, but of course didn't realize it would be this hard.
If you learn nothing else, learn that.
It is perfectly possible to go to a kegger and drink water all night and still have a good time meeting interesting people and talking to them about interesting things.
Find those interesting people. Keep looking at different parties until you do.
I still keep in close contact with friends I met at University, and would not trade that experience for the world.
Do whatever you want, and don't let others stop you. If you enjoy going to parties - go. Someone deciding to get out of control and funnel a pitcher of beer doesn't mean you can't be standing 20 feet away having a great conversation with interesting people.
The same goes with joining a club of any sort. I mildly wish I joined the entrepreneurship club - but didn't since the majority of people there were all talk and no action.
That suggests another point - you will likely regret NOT doing things more than doing things. It is the time to experiment and potentially make some small mistakes.
> My life goals? I want excitement (see ADHD, above).
Interesting article with a twist: [http://articles.moneycentral.msn.com/Investing/StockInvestin...]
Re: fear and finances, this presentation from Ignite Portland might alter your thinking: "Once upon a time, in the midst of war, I went to Afghanistan with one hundred dollars to my name, a one-way airplane ticket and no promise of a job." [http://is.gd/Bvc]
I would recommend doing what you fear. Growth comes from pushing yourself. As a contrived example, if talking to beautiful women scares you.. talk to strangers in controlled situations (art galleries, sporting events). One of the best ways to meet people is where you have continuity - e.g. you see them regularly. Some of the most interesting people I know are interesting because they know people of all interests, vertical groups. Join groups that you have an interest in but are not already skilled in. True networkers connect people who might never meet together.
Sometimes a personality test can help you learn more about who you are. People like to give advice but sometimes don't because it might offend inadvertently.. perhaps you can talk to someone who is known you for a long time and ask them for advice? This one linked below is expensive but better than the Myers-Brigg test. http://www.kolbe.com
I remember a period of my life where I would have to spend hours on a single page of a book because I wasn't able to retain anything. I should have went to the doctors about it.
I seem to do reading fine, but retain very little from the reading, in comparison with classmates. I've mostly been taking math-y classes (cs, math, phys). Physics was very difficult. Writing essays is even more difficult - this is the source of most of my academic troubles.
If you want to have your pick of a quality corporate job and find your excitement elsewhere, build something tangible you can point to during an interview. It doesn't have to be complicated, it just has to indicate that you can accomplish something on your own.
Remember that becoming an expert in anything takes 10 years, so assuming you are around 20, think about what you would like to be an expert at when you are 30 and start working on it regularly.
Edit: One more thing -- college can be one of the last times in your life when it is trivial to make new friends. Make as many as you can, and try to hang onto the good ones after you graduate.
That expert advice is valuable - thank you. I'm currently interested in programming language theory (prompted by steve yegge), we'll see where that takes me.
I'm trying hard with the friends thing, but there are precious few who don't "submit" to the partying culture.
Pull your head out of your ass.
The world works as a social organization.
You don't have to sacrifice beliefs, but you do have to actually socialize.
And yes, that does mean going to parties and learning how they work just like you go to class and learn how to do homework.
But I get your point. Thank you.
Right now I'm using this time to save up some money. I know that I ultimately want to start a company, but I don't know what type (startup, lifestyle) or even in what industry. I do know that I like technology, but I don't think that I would be able to use my skills to compete in that industry, though I may be able to use my knowledge there to give myself an advantage somewhere else. Right now I'm doing what I can to see what my interests are, so that I have a plan after college.
I see college as two things: A way to meet people and build my network, and a plan B should the "own my own business" plans fall through.
If you want to go the startup route, I'd recommend just sending emails to a bunch of startups you like. Most of them probably aren't actively seeking interns, but would be at least intrigued by the opportunity.
Others may tell you to choose an field of study early on and become an expert. I definitely admire that goal, but I don't think college is the place. Most underclassmen have no idea what really interests them; I certainly didn't.
Always consider your personality. My regret may be exactly what you DON'T want to do. Having said that... Being a physics students at very good engineering school, and having participated in student design competitions my only regret is not having taken more pure mathematics. In science and engineering, if it works, there's your evidence. You have shown it can happen. Mathematics I viewed, at the time being so simple minded, as a set of neat tricks for solving physics problems (or engineering problems, which at the time I thought of simplistically as merely applied physics problems). The reason I regret not taking more pure math isn't the theorems or skills I missed getting, it was the mindset. Every profession and field looks at the world in a particularly special way. It's a more abstract version of the saying "If all you have is a hammer, every problem looks like a nail." I'm actually doing research in graduate school now in mathematics and I'm really glad for it. The perspective from being a bit physicist, a bit engineer, and now a bit mathematician really gives one a lot of versatility, and that's where the variety of experience in the "hard subjects" pays off. You see, everyone who has specialized to be only one thing, think university professors, are like shaft mines. The specialists dig deep to get at the really rich seams, but they pass by a lot of pretty good stuff following the very richest dig through their subject. Take a bit more breath in your studies and you will see lots of good stuff, and how it's connected together.
Finally, have fun too. Every day of my undergraduate schooling was a cycle of learn, work, play, build, fight, drink, sleep, and repeat tomorrow. It's the best that could have happened in spite of being exhausting, all consuming, obsessive, and unrelenting. I loved it because to me that is fun.
Best of luck to you.
Might not be theatre for you, obviously. Might be music, might be hiking, might be journalism, might be Ultimate Frisbee playing, whatever. Find something that isn't related to what you'll end up doing 9-to-5 after you get out, and explore that thing.
EDIT: slackerIII's point about making new friends is also spot-on. Luckily, extra-curriculars can make that easier so the two tips go hand-in-hand. ;) The social atmosphere of college is completely unique (at least in American society; I realize you may or may not be US-ian), so open yourself up to it and take advantage.
Use it all up: take extra classes, join a club, make a friend from another race, etc...
To the OP - Just get involved. Start by going to every event and club meeting on campus and stay at it until something sticks.
With this in mind, depending on what metropolitan area you are in/near there should be events... like BarCamp [http://barcamp.org/] or Refresh [http://refreshingcities.org/].
Traveling is definitely something I recommend as well.
Doesn't seem like he may be too interested in this.
I assure you that somewhere, somehow, there are groups of non-vapid people on or near your campus. Find them. Try clubs of all sorts, film societies, drama clubs (cast or crew!), amateur sports, music groups, anime or SF conventions... whatever. Just find them.
Or get one (or a few) good girlfriend(s). Also, make sure one of them is bisexual.
Drop out if you know you have better things to do with your time, and you can spend time around a large group of people with varied interests anyway.
I spent 6 weeks in Scotland for <$1k including airfare.
As a student, you are used to skipping meals, sleeping on couches and sharing a room in Hostels.
When you get older, those things are all out and everything gets much much more expensive (my most recent vacation to SF cost me $2k for a week).
I brought a tent and never used it.
I hacked the hostel sleeping: by being the last one back to the room every night I never had to worry about the drunk asshole waking me up in the middle of the night. by finding hostels that allow you access to the rooms during the day, I took a good 4 hour nap every afternoon when no one was about.
I ate at bakeries for breakfast / lunch. Plus some fruit or cheese. Which you can carry with you and always have available.
One big meal out at a restaurant every day (or cook a big meal with a group)
Hang out in the lobby in the morning and ask if you can tag along as people head out. (I spent 4 days in the very very north by just asking if I could come).
Ask other people what they liked / didn't like about where they've come from.
Hitch hike.
Hike. - I saw Sea Otters in a small cove while just bush walking for the day.
Visit Museums - REally really creepy stuffed animals in dense quantities.
I spent several days with a chap from Canada. We got 10 - 1 pound coins, and proceeded to "place a bet" every block all day long while walking around Aberdeen. We bet on number of women in the next block, number of dogs, color of doors, etc. No duplicates on the bets and alternate making them up. We even bet on kids running around a play ground. At the end of the evening the "big winner" got to buy dinner for both of us at a curry joint.
I actually just got this account as I only discovered this site a few days ago (and I love it!) so I don't know if there is an easy way to get in contact with you, but I think it would be interesting to get your name and maybe an AIM screen name or the like.
My advice? Make friends, and do whatever whenever while you can. Also, I have an internship in a big business now, and I hate it. It's boring, slow and totally uninteresting. Still, I'm glad I did it. It's something worth experiencing and it's given me new motivation to get good at something and start a business. Find out what you want, and don't stop until you get it -- even if you hate it, the experience is good.
Also, try to see as much of the world as possible, and this doesn't just mean traveling. I'm thinking about people like this person at TED: http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/view/id/233 - try to find these people and get connected with what they're doing.
You see, one clever fellow named Steve Jobs did exactly that. He took a calligraphy class that turned him onto design. Later he became pretty well known for his great products.
On a side note, good taste helps even in the small things or the things you do not design yourself but simply choose: clothes, business card designs, and so on.
Take mush (of the psilocybin variety) until you understand the nature of the change in consciousness created by the mary jane.
(you can try mescaline anytime after mush if you so wish, it will likely help you either understand the changes or find the connection, but would likely be counterproductive before mush is taken in a significant dose)
Take LSD until you feel an unshakable connection to the universe (start with a massive dose, theres no time like the first, listen to The Beatles [anything after Help! is best] and The Doors for assistance 'breaking on through to the otherside').
Then smoke DMT until you reach 'DMT hyperspace'. (Do not let fire touch the DMT, only touch the flame to the glass [and even then not /right/ under the DMT] take big hits you gotta take 3 big hits and hold them in before you become unable to smoke [mildly difficult]; keep trying.)
At this point you will understand your consciousness in a way science could never teach you, and you won't have to ask us anything about what you should do, you will already know.
That said, I find people have different biological reactions that determine if they will enjoy a particular chemical experience. If you have no interest in it or don't enjoy it, then don't worry about it. If you do have an interest in it, then do it responsibly.
Hedonism is best served occasionally.
Go with the flow atleast until you understand it.
Some voices are answers, others are questions.
All things are relative.
All things are subjective.
It is only possible to have a bad trip if you convince yourself/believe/decide you are having a bad trip.
Take _nothing_ for granted or as absolute.
Words are unreliable.
Do not be afraid to depreciate the mental monologue.
Do not be afraid.
Seriously, that seems to be the worst side-effect I've noticed of most of these drugs -- they grant an unjustified feeling of the profundity of your own thoughts.
He's clearly formulated his opinions after deep thought, and I find it pretty interesting, personally coming from a rooted Zen and Hindu perspective, how some of his ideas echo the thoughts of great religious thinkers (for example, "All things are subjective" is held as one of the basic axioms in Zen philosophy).
And perhaps he is just simply repeating the ideas of others. At least he appears to understand (or at least is clearly making an effort to) wisdom that has been imparted through the ages and is generally acquired only through deep introspection.
Check your preconceptions at the door-- it's pretty clear that you dismissed his ideas based on your notions of what "these drugs", and the people who use them, must be.
The grandparent has dismissed what I said as 'crap' created by my 'unjustified feeling of the profundity[sic]'. Interestingly, since these words stemed from eastern religion, from philosophy and even from common sense and reasoning (as well as my own personal experiences, and the words and works of psychedelic researchers) all these things too must be 'crap' that could only make sense after the 'delusions of drug use', after all:
"Biggest argument against taking drugs: they'll make you think that crap like that is "wisdom"."
PS: The path of blind rejectionism may be comfortable, it may be culturally encoraged, but as history has shown, it is inevitably a dead-end route.
this site has a feature where your email address is only viewable to admins
Weed is the only one of the four you mentioned that I would have no trouble with doing if it were presented to me, and DMT is the only one that I would definitely not do without more research.
(I do not, of course, recommend anyone go out and try DMT without first experiencing other psychedelics in the order given, or in fact without doing the research.)
I highly recommend you do that research.
http://erowid.org/
http://wikipedia.org/
Psychedelic use is not to be taken lightly. It is not a form of recreation (shouldn't be), it is a method of deep introspection, of breaking down mental barriers, a journey within yourself (among other things which really cannot be explained until you have reached the state of understanding that usually occurs with mush or mescaline use. This too is not an absolute, but is common to most peoples 'route' in this journey.)
Use of entheogens is, of course, not the only route to these states, tantric yoga can perform the same function as cannabis, and years (or decades) of deep meditation can take replace the use of mush, LSD and DMT.
http://www.getkratom.com
http://www.comap.com/undergraduate/contests/mcm/contests/200...
Take a compiler course (or several). This really should be required, but unfortunately it wasn't at my school until after I graduated. Also, lots of algorithms and other "real" CS courses. Now is the time to learn that stuff.
Avoid the "trendy" courses (Stanford Facebook application class, I'm looking at you) and go for the hardcore CS stuff. The rest you can easily learn on your own, but I found having a professor and structured course was invaluable for the CS topics.
Of course everyone is different, but that's my opinion.
Useful values of X: statistics, biology (esp. molecular biology), linguistics, statistics (I mention it twice because it's twice as important), economics, first-year chemistry, physics. Skip organic chemistry unless you want to be an M.D.
Keep practicing the essay writing. If you can get good at that, or at least comfortable with it, it's better than a second major.
Which brings me to my radical suggestion: Drop the double major. Double majors are a waste of valuable time: You could be taking a sprinkling of intro and second-year classes in a bunch of different fields -- including at least one class from every excellent prof on campus -- but instead you're spending time taking boring classes from bad lecturers just to check off boxes for your second major, which will not matter to anyone, ever. [1]
(My school made me have a minor. I minored in history, which was a nice change of pace from physics, and was enjoyable, and made me practice all that writing, and I found an excellent history prof and took three of her classes. All of which was good. And yet... if I hadn't been forced to take the fourth history class, which was required of all history minors, I could have done the econ class instead, from the really good econ professor who was recommended to me. I regret missing that econ class to this day.)
Make a choice: e.g. if you like to program, are leaning toward startups, are aceing CS classes, and are not feeling "clever enough for pure math", major in CS -- that's where the marketability is, anyway. Then dump the math major -- just add math classes to taste. Then, add other classes to taste. If, as you say, you're "quite bored", you need to try something different. Mix it up a little. Archaeology. Japanese. Music Theory 101. Accounting. Something.
[1] There are only two times that double majors make any sense. One is if you're a premed. Another is if you're so hopelessly fascinated by the classes in your second field that as a senior you discover that you've accidentally come within two credits of your second major -- might as well finish it off.
Actually, I'm taking intro to islam this summer quarter, from a really good prof (though some say he's just really arrogant). But the class is extremely well organized and he really knows his stuff. Should be awesome.
And yes, go out with as many women as possible too. I made the mistake of going to an all-male college.. well just about (~30% female at Georgia Tech).
I did during my military service (compulsory between sophomore and junior year at my engineering school in France), and there's nothing better for your ADHD. Seriously, it looks very ballsy from outside, but it actually would fit super well with your craving for learning and discovery - plus it will help solve the women issue, see comment #1 :-) And it's the best way to meet people as crazy as you are but completely outside of your usual circles (kind of saved my life when I moved to MA ;-).