ksvanhorn comments on Grad School? - Less Wrong

2 Post author: eggman 27 February 2012 11:49AM

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Comment author: ksvanhorn 27 February 2012 09:21:16PM 7 points [-]

What are your goals? What does the life you want to build for yourself look like? You need to answer these questions, at least approximately, before you can make any reasonable decision about your education. Some things to think about:

  • How important is money (beyond basic living expenses) to you?

  • How important is independence and autonomy?

  • Is discovering the secrets of the universe your deepest desire?

  • Are you one of those people who gets a rush from finding a clever solution to a difficult problem? (In computer science we call this an "algorasm"...)

  • Do you prefer solving problems that can be attacked with science and mathematics or those that require understanding what makes other people tick?

  • Are long work hours OK if the work is interesting, or do you want a 40-hour workweek?

  • Do a spouse and children figure into your vision for your life?

In other words, you need to think about your own utility function... and how that might evolve as you grow older. My suggestion is to try to put together a set of objectives that you could call your life goals, and then use this both to evaluate your education options and to suggest new options.

I would also recommend reading something like Smart Choices. If you decide you want to follow the process described in that book, I'd be glad to help you work through the steps.