I often get asked how I’ve made the career decisions that I’ve made, and I recently realized that these two posts share a significant chunk of the ideas that have shaped my own perspective:
- How to Do What You Love by Paul Graham, 2006
- How to Pick a Career (That Actually Fits You) by Tim Urban, 2018
If you read these pieces, it may be helpful to keep in mind the actual careers that these folks have chosen—Paul as a computer scientist, entrepreneur, and cofounder of a startup accelerator; Tim as a “writer-ish guy”—as well as the privileges that may have allowed these folks to think in the way that they do. Some aspects of their thinking might feel more or less relevant to your circumstances.