Comment by throwaway713

6 years ago

> When people ask me about my life’s ambitions, I often joke that my goal is to become independently wealthy so that I can afford to get some work done. Mainly that’s about being able to do things without having to explain them first, so that the finished product can be the explanation. I think this will be a major labor saving improvement.

This is an excellent explanation that mirrors my own life goals, but I have struggled to put the sentiment into words this well. At the end of the day, I just want to spend (waste?) all of my time doing AI research or working on a cure for cancer, but I want to do it my own way.

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throwaway713

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throwawaynot  6 years ago

Same. Over the years I've become obsessed with becoming financially independent, so that I can work on what I think is important and don't have to explain it to others. In the process, I've completely lost interests in achieving any success in the day job, which is the polar opposite of myself 10 years ago. Everything at work just feels so pointless now. I feel really bad but just can't help it.

baxtr  6 years ago

I recommend the book or the blog posts of JL Collin. His posts are all about how to achieve financial independence

https://jlcollinsnh.com/

  • goblin89  6 years ago

    Websites that aim to help people become wealthier, and yet are sprinkled with ads, inevitably give an impression that their owners consider ad revenue a viable source of income.

    If that is so, I’d be reluctant to follow any advice given on such a site, as I do not want to be in a position where I rely on ads for own financial independence.

contrapunter  6 years ago

>> Mainly that’s about being able to do things without having to explain them first

It seems as good a rational definition of faith as any.

memexy  6 years ago

How is your way different from the current way it's done and what benefits would there be to your way?

  • throwaway713  6 years ago

    My way involves a lot more risk that nothing useful will be produced.

    I basically want a higher risk / reward than what working in this field as an employee would provide. I wouldn’t be able to try far out ideas if I wanted to keep my job, because it may be the case that one avenue of research never goes anywhere for years.

    Peter Higgs has some interesting thoughts on how he would probably not have produced anything valuable if his work had occurred in the current academic environment that prioritizes frequent publications in high impact factor journals (https://www.theguardian.com/science/2013/dec/06/peter-higgs-...)

    • TeMPOraL  6 years ago

      I share your goals.

      I'd put it this way: your way involves a lot more risk of dead ends, but also offers a lot more of focused, productive deep work.

      In general sense, companies are set up to derisk work. It's a trade-off - we get consistency, but also mediocrity.