Background
 |
| Sebastian Thrun - The man behind Udacity |
It all started on the day when the two of us, Jinish and I, started doing Udacity's CS101 together. The day of the final exam was a particularly memorable one, because it Started with Jinish answering the exam and attempting it in half. After that, it was me who picked up the Baton from there, after which Jinish joined me again (although he had already made up his mind that this much experience was sufficient.) and we went on to work for 11 hours straight on the exam. Discussing, but NOT sharing code.
It was a fun beginning to a lot of amazing things, that COULD have happened. But didn't.
Here's the reality check.
Dharav
 |
| Don't believe such teenage crap. |
As I have explained on a separate blog-post (which is actually a spin-off from my reality check), we tend to view life as a series of deadlines (if you don't, it's debatable whether you do anything worthwhile), rather than viewing them as a landscape of things and choices - a game in which we make choices to do the things which we love the most and enjoy the most, while maintaining our life.
THAT is the problem. I have done several units of a lot of courses, completing none. WHY? Because there has been one or the other commitment that HAD to be dealt with. I was not playing the game of life. I was not living it. Merely letting my life pass me by.
 |
| David Allen's GTD system saves lives. |
I have done a lot of good work, but it has never fetched any results, because the work done has to move upward through a series of events and people to get ground level results. That requires not just a landscape of the battlefield, but also a battle ready soldier who knows where to attack with the sword of his skills.
I was not battle ready. Worse, I kept pushing off the one thing (David Allen's GTD) that could give me that control over my days, waiting for a perfect moment to be in steady state, as if it'll come tomorrow instead of someday else!
Jinish
 |
| "Projectile motion, Shawn, not the football!" |
Most of his work gets done spontaneously. And he somehow manages to get interesting work done when he HAS to do it - for example - a 6.002x deadline or an event together.
 |
| Troubleshooting Google App Engine on FB! |
He is consistently involved in and thinking about the things he has learnt, but he suffers from the lack of upward mobility more than me!
There's one more subtle soft issue here - belief in discipline. One day or the other, it'll come. For me the belief in discipline has come because I know that without it I would never be able to do anythings that I have to do. With him, it would be perhaps even more organic - he'll get involved in doing things and the other undisciplined stuff will just slough off. Just like that. On it's own!
Selecting the courses
Dharav - 6002X, 600X, CS253, CS50, PGM, SaaS, ML, Social Network Analysis, Tissue Engineering, Metabolic Regulation.
TOO MANY courses? No, I'll find a steady state and a way out. I have spent 6 months just being haphazard. I know what doesn't work, and an idea of what works and the calm confidence to make it work.
Jinish - 6002X, CS253, CS50, CS373 - and some other.
What do you get from this Blogpost?
- You could take a look at your own days and see if you are doing all the things that you want to do!
- Take a look at the blogposts and wiki on Getting Things Done, to find a skill to maintain your life
- Think about discipline and find some more sources. Think how you will become disciplined - will you force it on yourself or will you get sucked into it because of passion?
- Use Facebook from something other than either gawking at girls or letting guys gawk at you. (Most of our friends are well, college students, so this is a justified remark.)
