paper-machine comments on Optimal Employment - Less Wrong

60 Post author: Louie 31 January 2011 12:50PM

You are viewing a comment permalink. View the original post to see all comments and the full post content.

Article Navigation

Comments (267)
Tags: employment finance practical community

Comments (267)

You are viewing a single comment's thread. Show more comments above.

Comment author: Mycroft65536 31 January 2011 02:26:43PM 7 points [-]

I've always been interested in why personal identity was tied up in a career. If you self identified as a mathematician, why couldn't you earn more money being a bartender in Australia while spending your free time doing math and participating in the mathematical community?

I know "scientists", "artists", and "teachers" who identify as such and make their money doing other things. At the extreme end, if you identify as a teacher why not spend 15 hours a week making a very high income doing XYZ and maybe 35 hours a week volunteering/working for low wages at a tutoring center? You're undeniably a teacher, and you likely have more disposable income.

Comment deleted 31 January 2011 03:28:48PM [-]
Comment author: Matt_Simpson 31 January 2011 06:35:22PM *  9 points [-]

I do self-identify as a mathematician. I've worked abroad as well, and the amount of math I was able to do while working full-time abroad was a very small fraction of what I've been able to do while employed as a graduate student. Maybe I didn't have enough discipline, but I was usually exhausted at the end of a day and needed the weekends to recharge.

I think this applies more generally to any intellectual output. There are people who can be intellectually productive even when they have a near full time day job. I'm not one of those people. Academia or a research position it is for me.

Powered by Reddit Powered by Reddit