
People Who Have “Too Many Interests” More Likely to Be Successful - jxub
https://medium.com/the-mission/modern-polymath-81f882ce52db
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gringoDan
Reminds me of one of my favorite quotes:

"A human being should be able to change a diaper, plan an invasion, butcher a
hog, conn a ship, design a building, write a sonnet, balance accounts, build a
wall, set a bone, comfort the dying, take orders, give orders, cooperate, act
alone, solve equations, analyze a new problem, pitch manure, program a
computer, cook a tasty meal, fight efficiently, die gallantly. Specialization
is for insects."

-Robert A. Heinlein

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mathgladiator
Thanks for this, I've seen it before but lost the link and was unable to find
it.

This is a great to-do list.

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colek42
I am really not that great of a programmer. I am 35 and was not paid to write
code until I was 31. Before I learned to code I spent about 10 years in the
military, infantry to be specific. The leadership and problem solving skills
learned in that domain have served me extremely well in my current position
and pushed me into a project lead position before my first year of employment
was over.

I have found solving problems outside of your normal problem domain allows you
to develop fresh ideas inside of your domain.

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sa46
Nice, I'd like to hear your story if you don't mind sharing. I have a similar
background. Infantry for 6 years and switched to programming about two years
back.

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colek42
I work with a few as well. I have found a lot of nerds live in the Infantry,
most like myself, just needed some direction when we were younger, which Uncle
Sam was willing to provide.

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Arbalest
There is certainly an element of truth, but I feel the life coach formulaic
decomposition is heavily at play here. This to me signifies that there are a
lot of elements which are necessary to execute this effectively which are
either not mentioned, not connected or straight up unknown. The trap is that
this is read, a moment of "I am already interested in loads, I am destined to
be successful" ...when there is a lot more to the story. Given the value of
rarity (as mentioned), even knowing all this is not enough.

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michaeldsimmons
Hey - I'm the author of the article. You bring up some good points.

I agree that being a world-class polymath is difficult just like being world-
class at anything is challenging. Some of the challenges specific to polymaths
are:

1\. Not really any formal training in the school system on how to connect
disciplines.

2\. Sometimes people consider take polymath to mean not having a core area of
expertise. In the article, I make the case that a modern polymath is someone
who learns skills across disciplines and combines them in their core area of
specialty to create a skill set that puts them in the top of their field.

3\. Many environments are not conducive to being a polymath. So, it's
important to find fields, job, companies, etc. that are.

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nubbins
I’d like this to be true as someone who is tempermentally a bit of a polymath
but professionally I’ve seen the returns to specialization go up as the entry
bar gets higher. Nothing in the article convinces me that what applies to a
few rare geniuses whose names we know because they were so exceptional applies
to me. Having multiple skills can give you flexibility, but I still think you
need many years in one discipline to make it worthwhile. It is a golden age
for autodidacts of course so for those willing to put in the time to go deep
maybe it will pay off.

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michaeldsimmons
I'm the author of the article. Good comments. A few quick thoughts.

1\. I agree about being an autodidact. It is hard to imagine someone being a
successful polymath without one.

2\. The article isn't making the case that people should avoid specialization.
It is making the case that people should learn across disciplines and then
apply what they learn in their core area of specialty.

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Blackstone4
As someone with many interests and a mix of work experience. I find this
article encouraging.

I've been a quantitative analyst, software engineer, and investment analyst. I
have a MEng in Mathematical modelling and a CFA Charterholder.

Sometimes I worry my skill set and past experience are too diverse.

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mathgladiator
I have too many interests, and I recently learned how to delegate and use
others to enhance my life and give amazing employment opportunities. For
instance, I have a junior adventurer whose role is to go places in advance,
take photos, tell me a story. This helps me focus my time on the best
experiences when I go so I limit my disappointment.

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vanattab
You pay someone to pre-vacation for you? Let me know when your hiring..

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mathgladiator
I am thinking of turning it into a summer internship for people that work on
my farm during the winter.

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alexpetralia
Shameless plug for my newsletter because I write exclusively about mental
models which transcend disciplines:
[https://alexpetralia.github.io/newsletters](https://alexpetralia.github.io/newsletters)

I have found writing it a fantastic learning resource for myself.

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michaeldsimmons
Hey Alex - I'm the author of the article, and love your site. Is there a good
email to reach you at?

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profalseidol
Define Successful

