
The Helsinki Bus Station Theory of Careers - aaronbrethorst
http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2013/feb/23/change-life-helsinki-bus-station-theory
======
smikhanov
...which seems to be completely ignored in the world of tech careers, where
"adopting to change", "constant re-learning" and "pursuit of the next big
thing" seem to be the norm.

I'm being overly dramatic here, of course, but what described in an article is
a very good advice for junior programmers. Don't abandon your accumulated
experience in a pursuit of the newest and shiniest -- today's hottest buzzword
can absolutely stop being relevant tomorrow. Aim for "knowing where to put the
chalk mark" instead ([http://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/charles-proteus-
steinm...](http://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/charles-proteus-steinmetz-
the-wizard-of-schenectady-51912022/)).

~~~
lsc
seems to me like the difference here is that photography (and other artistic
fields) seem to be setup in a 'winner takes all' kind of way; you are the very
best, or you are very little...

Programming seems to be the other way around. Unless you go into the business
side of things, after your first five years, you get better at what you are
doing, sure, but your pay doesn't go up a whole lot. After your first five or
ten years, you are doing pretty okay.

so... I'd argue that because of this, jumping around makes a lot more sense in
software than it does in areas like art where only the top X% or whatever of
people employed in the field make a decent living.

~~~
PhantomGremlin
_setup in a 'winner takes all' kind of way_

Photography is what is known as a scalable profession. A quick search turned
up this good explanation:

[http://casnocha.com/2009/03/scalable-vs-non-scalable-
careers...](http://casnocha.com/2009/03/scalable-vs-non-scalable-careers.html)

It's something I've been thinking about as I try to guide my children into
selecting a college and major.

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_xander
Michael Wolf comes to mind; a photographer that started down the same line of
skyscraper photography but ended up with his own vision [1] through gradual
innovation.

[1]
[http://photomichaelwolf.com/#night/11](http://photomichaelwolf.com/#night/11)

~~~
aaronbrethorst
_Architecture of Density_ is spectacular. I bought a copy of it a couple weeks
ago, and just love it. Such beautiful work.

[http://photomichaelwolf.com/#architecture-of-
densitiy/5](http://photomichaelwolf.com/#architecture-of-densitiy/5)

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krallja
Good Software Takes Ten Years[1], too. You can't just crank out a world-
changing startup in a weekend. You have to stay on the route for O(1 decade)
to see if it turned out good.

[1]
[http://www.joelonsoftware.com/articles/fog0000000017.html](http://www.joelonsoftware.com/articles/fog0000000017.html)

~~~
anonymoushn
Will 5 seconds be enough, since it's O(1 decade)?

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SideburnsOfDoom
There's a very old quote which I can't find a source for right now, but it
goes something like:

"It is better to take a hundred steps down a single path than to take one step
down each of a hundred paths".

So yeah, same thing. Not to say that you should not spend any time at all
identifying a good path for you, just that there are limits to dilettantism.

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klunger
This strongly reminded me of the Ira Glass quote:
[http://www.goodreads.com/quotes/309485-nobody-tells-this-
to-...](http://www.goodreads.com/quotes/309485-nobody-tells-this-to-people-
who-are-beginners-i-wish) "...You’ve just gotta fight your way through."

They were hitting the same idea from different angles. Ira Glass was focusing
on developing skill while the Helsinki Bus station focuses on originality.
But, it all comes to honing your craft and finding your voice through
determination/ persistence. It is good advice for any career, even
(especially?) tech-related ones.

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Chris2048
Maybe a slight complexity to this - Identify when originality will _really_
help, and when lack of it will really hurt. Basic cost vs reward.

