

What to do when you love big ideas but hate the actual work/details? - arcadeparade

I hope that title doesnt come across as simple laziness, but im more interested in the big ideas in life, figuring out the basic idea of something and moving on, than working on the details. Is this a common trait?
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cedricd
I don't think there's a good answer for you. The main thing I've learned over
the years is that everything is about the details. Big ideas can't ever come
to fruition without a huge amount of fiddly work. The trick is to find an idea
motivating enough that you'll do whatever grunt work it takes to make it
happen. Generally you'll never get into a position where you can be paid to
think through the basic idea before moving on... unless you've developed
serious expertise, which, again, is all about details.

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frou_dh
I sense that thinking can be mistaken for doing in memory. If we've previously
spent a lot of time superficially orbiting a subject, then when later reminded
of that subject, it's all too easy to think "Been there. Done that. Boring."
even though we never did actually land on the surface.

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EdwardMSmith
You could always become an "architect" or a "lead programmer". Figure out the
big chunks, and the details of the new/innovative little chunks, then delegate
the grunt work to "junior programmers".

Probably means a dull corporate gig, tho.

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arcadeparade
For example programming, I've approached Ruby so many times, but once I spend
a couple of days on it, I abandon it again.

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cedricd
Think of Ruby as a means to an end. Have a project. Rather than learning Ruby
for Ruby's sake, learn it because it'll help you do something you really want
to do. That's the best way for me to ever learn anything -- if the thing I'm
learning doesn't solve a problem I have right now it's less motivating.

