Newsgroups: alt.lang.asm,comp.ai.games,comp.lang.asm.x86,comp.lang.c,comp.lang.c++,comp.lang.java,comp.programming,comp.sys.ibm.pc.programmer,rec.games.programmer
Path: cantaloupe.srv.cs.cmu.edu!rochester!rutgers!venus.sun.com!cs.utexas.edu!howland.erols.net!netcom.com!gmandel
From: gmandel@netcom.com (Glenn Mandelkern)
Subject: Re: QUESTION- JOBS IN COMPUTERS
Message-ID: <gmandelDww2Ew.zo@netcom.com>
Organization: NETCOM On-line Communication Services (408 261-4700 guest)
References: <32201177.359088@metro.ucc.su.OZ.AU> <bronson.841064546@potto>
Distribution: inet
Date: Thu, 29 Aug 1996 07:35:20 GMT
Lines: 350
Sender: gmandel@netcom14.netcom.com
Xref: glinda.oz.cs.cmu.edu comp.ai.games:6095 comp.lang.asm.x86:26286 comp.lang.c:204035 comp.lang.c++:209507 comp.programming:31753

In article <bronson.841064546@potto>,
Bruce J Bronson <bronson@potto.cig.mot.com> wrote:
>bha@extro.ucc.su.OZ.AU (Serpent) writes:
>
>>Hi, Sorry to post this here, but I got a big problem and have to ask
>>you guys something. Any reply is appreciated.
>
>>I'm currently a second year medical student but after 2 years, I find
>>I hate it...
>
>>My real passion is in computers, programming in particular but I find
>>giving up medicine a big decision.
>
>>Everyone tells me what an idiot I am to give it up...think of all the
>>money and privelege betowed upon doctors they say (especially my
>>family) and that programming is hard way to make a living.


And all these experts are both happy at what they're doing and prosperous
as well, right?

I think by publicly asking for help, you will become great at either
medicine or programming, provided that your heart is also into that 
line of work.  It is getting increasingly impossible to do everything
by oneself; Sonny Boy Williamson has a blues song called "Help Me",
something I remember everytime I hit Alt-H.  It takes guts to admit
you do not have the answers to it all, especially in these two fields
where you are expected to at first glance.

A lot of times, I have found the best answer in books.  Most of these
you can read parts of.  If they really answer your current dilemma,
you will be propelled to keep reading them.  Save money by checking your
library first, but it you like them, support the living of the author
by buying his book and/or purchasing a copy for a friend.  Regardless, 
you can read them at your own pace and let the ideas incubate or their
complete opposites if you totally reject them.  For a major decision like 
this, you need some time to evaluate the pros and cons.  But realize that
you can only do so much.  Of all the things that will influence the course
of your life, you only have control over a small fraction of them.  That is 
something that sometimes programmers have a hard time remembering, especially
when being able to rapidly prototype something that seems to work right away,
if not after just spending a few more passes through debugging.  Those, 
however, who learn to adjust without having all the source code available
for a class library they are using are miles ahead of the rest.

At the same time, realize that now the time is ripe with all this uncertainty
to use changing jobs and changing careers to your advantage; hopefully all 
your future supervisors are equally enlightened to know that a person may 
expect to hold 10 to 15 jobs throughout his life and possibly 3 or more
careers.  If anyone hassles you about this, then seriously evaluate what 
you would gain by working for such a close-minded individual.  You may now 
be suspect if you stay way too long in any one career or job.  Having said 
that, one book I would like to recommend is entitled:
	If you want guarantees, buy a toaster

Interestingly, I found the recommendation for this book in the early 1990's
in the pages of EDN (Electronic Design News).  It was very timely since
Silicon Valley was really undergoing some dismal times along with the rest
of California.  According to the rules, we gifted engineers who stayed up
all night studying instead of partying were never supposed to get downsized,
right?  So if we scream "No fair!" who will listen?

Incidentally, since we're talking about medicine, I promised the person
who once told me this story when I found myself in a really down condition
that I would grant his only wish of sharing it with others.  It is known as 
the Indian Doctor Philosophy.  West or East Indian I do not know, and he
did not know.  I'll make it very short:

	In this one town lived a very successful Indian Doctor.  
	Many people looked up to him, the way he was always very happy 
	and how he performed miracles in making even the most decrepit 
	patient come to life.  A kid who wrote an essay in school 
	said he wanted to grow up to be like the Indian Doctor.
	So this kid spied on the Indian Doctor on a daily basis to see 
	if he could learn his secret.

	Every morning the doctor would walk out to the center of his 
	backyard.  After clasping his hands and looking skyward he would say:
		May all my patients die today!

	Then he'd open up his office and begin his day's work.

	The kid was perplexed, so out of frustration the kid pushed through 
	the doctor's bushes.  He said, "Doctor, I have heared you say these 
	words for many days about wanting your patients to die.  But none of 
	them ever do!  Why do you say such a negative thing?"

	The doctor responded, "I am just practicing the law of pleasant 
	disappointments along with my medicine."

	The kid said, "But that's counter to everything I have been told--that 
	we should maintain a positive attitude and that we will become what
	we think about.  Please explain."

	The doctor said, "We become what we think about is my basic rule
	for living too.  But all great rules have exceptions.  It simply 
	means this.  If my patients do die, then I am happy my wish was 
	granted.  But if they do not, I am pleasantly disappointed that 
	I was able to provide them with a cure."

The story goes on to name several times how the kid practiced this and
later tells the doctor about how he got accepted into various medical
schools and married the girl of his dreams.  You are then inspired to
take a problem that is really bugging you and reword it in negative terms.
You lighten up when you hear how ridiculous your negative statement
sounds and consequently, you see you should not take life so seriously.

Someone else I told this story to tells me his approach now to single
life is as follows:
	May I not get a date tonight!

So if he walks out of the bar or dance without a date, he is happy.  
If he does get a date, he is pleasantly disappointed.  Then after 
establishing a good relationship, incorporating as many safeguards 
as needed in the 1990's dating scene barring celibacy he says:
	May I never get laid by this person!

If they never go to bed, okay!  If they do, he is pleasantly disappointed!
You can carry it on to the next step:
	May this person be terrible in bed!

In other words, don't dwell too much on being perfect--perfectionism
breeds procrastination.  Make your choice and later deal with the 
consequences; besides, if you are creative enough, you can tell your
story about trying Choice #1 for 5 years and then seeing that you
had changed for whatever reason and now that you have discovered your
new calling in Choice #2 with the Choice #2 employer who is the leader
in Choice #2 field, you are ready to work.  There will be a Choice #2
employer smart enough (or applying Indian Doctor Philosophy as per
a Flintstones episode where Fred buys a circus, someone "stupid enough") 
to hire you.  Just because you followed all the rules does not mean
you will get success, especially when the rules are being changed
everyday.  Of course take this all with a grain of salt, especially
now that salt has been declared to be good for you after opposing advice
throughout previous years.  

And as countless new self-employed people are discovering, you may have 
to make your own rules because like another book's title says,
	We Are All Self-Employed

If your future employers cannot accept failure and your recovery from it
as part of what makes you a great individual, then the stress on that job
to always be perfect will be what kills you.  When hearing of people in
my age group 25-35 suffer from heart attacks, that is usually the cause.
The company says indirectly you are only worthy if you do things their 
way over 60 to 100 hour work weeks.  They hold award ceremonies where the 
people at the podium talk about how they stayed day after day securing 
accounts from 7:00AM to 2:00AM.  Some can do that since that is their
calling in life, but others either lose their lives or marriages.

Your family is stating that they do not love you just the way you are
because you are stating that part of you involves change.  They may soften
that by stating that they are only acting out of best intentions--it is
true, they may not know any better.  Since you state you are in school, 
another book I would like to recommend has a title along the lines of
	Straight A's never made anybody rich

and be aware that this is coming to you from somebody who always graduated
with honors.  In fact, I find I have to unlearn so much as life goes on.
My favorite example of 'C' not 'A' is Fred Smith, a guy who got a 'C'
in college for his ridiculous idea named Federal Express.

What this Indian Doctor Philosophy lets you do is relieve you of the
burden of feeling that you must do everything perfectly.  Instead,
welcome failure as a possibility and deal with it when it happens.

Incidentally, since this was crossposted to programming groups, the way
I remember this story is through a C++ class:

	//
	// disclaimer:
	// this is just a quick rough sketch,
	// using Indian Doctor Philosophy,
	// 	May my class not compile!
	//
	class IndianDoctor
	{
	     private:
		unsigned int 	level;


		//
		// disable assignment and copy constructor,
		// declare them in the private section
		//
		// you cannot merely duplicate the Indian Doctors
		// by observing -- 
		// you must live through the experience yourself
		// by creating your own instances
		//
		// 
		
		IndianDoctor& operator= (const IndianDoctor&);
		IndianDoctor (const IndianDoctor &);

		//
		// Inspired by Van Halen
		// I get up, and nothing gets me down."
		//
		operator--()
		operator--(int);
		unsigned int operator-= (unsigned int);


	     public:
		IndianDoctor() { level = 0; }	// can't get any lower!
		~IndianDoctor();

		//
		// On the album "Who Are You"
		// a song called "The Music Must Change" says
		// that "the high has to rise from the low"
		//
		operator++() { level++; }
		operator++(int);
		unsigned int operator+= (unsigned int);

		unsigned int getLevel () const { returnLevel; }

	};

Throw and catch many Indian Doctors daily.


>
>>Well, anyway, for those who are willing to help me, please reply and I
>>apologize for posting this once again.
>
>>Regards...
>
>You sound like a lot of Engineers I know in school.  It gets really bad the
>senior year.  Taking classes that are VERY boring.  You will never use them.
>(And I haven't) This society thinks that you have to pay your dues in order
>to get to the fun stuff.
>

A book that has helped me quite a bit with this is the book "Soar with
Your Strengths" by Clifton.  He counters many of these myths including
the approach taken in most schools that you have to produce well-rounded
individuals.  Why then are specialists asked for in so many fields?
Also, if you are indeed capable of becoming superior in one area, 
you will be able to master other areas in similar manners, provided that
it is something that really matters to you and interests you.  It is why 
some technical people have no place in management and would really do their
companies and profession much good to firmly decline management roles
and further refine their strengths.  The only thing they should manage
is their weaknesses.

I remember when playing video games that nobody observed those who played
all the games in the arcade.  Nobody ever looked and said, "Hey, you're a 
well-rounded gamer.  You know how to play all the games fairly decently."  
The old saying about jack-of-all-trades, master of none comes to mind.  
Instead, I observed how crowds would gather around the one guy who would be on
Level 99999 of a given game and that was usually the only game out of
25 others that he would play in the arcade; he was called a natural.
(It is what gave me my reputation of the character I quote below in my .sig)

It is also what helped me say, I want to play this one game so I can see
all its levels.  Admittedly, it helped a lot to see the crowd for inspiration,
but sometimes I would politely ask them to please give me some breathing
room--I would shout it out loud just before I'd get to the last level.


>As far as job satisfication, I received awards from the companies I've worked
>for.  However, my involvement in those projects were minimal.  What I am
>most proud of has never received an award or recognition.  If you create
>a truly intuitive user interface NO ONE CARES, BECAUSE ITS NATURAL.  If you
>try toconfuse everyone, they think is great, you must be brilliant.
>

Practicing the Indian Doctor Philosophy, I would say,
	May nobody like my GUI's!

Awards are nice at times, but who is giving them out and why can tell a lot.
At many companies, awards are not given objectively; you have done something 
for the right person, or your name came up as part of a rotary system where 
everyone gets an award every 9 months.  Consistently presenting an award
to the top performer may demoralize the rest of the staff.  Or your 
boss just says, "Good job!" any time he sees a slight hint of accelerated
performance; but his purpose is similar to that commercial where a guy says, 
"Hey, I gave to charity!  I bought a box of girl scout cookies!"  There are
some genuine rewards, but do heed the quality of most awards.

If you should ever doubt how subjective evaluations at work are, just think 
back to even the one time when you thought that the box checked "Satisfactory" 
should have been filled "Excellent" or "Outstanding"; we all embrace 
performance appraisals, the most objective forms in the world, right?
So why then does one teacher/expert give one student a 'C'
while the next teacher/expert will say it's worth an 'A'?

Another book I'd recommend for this is:
	The Greatest Management Principle in the world

This book talks about the "magic question": ask what is being rewarded.
You may be suprised to find out how meaningless the award may be in
the grand scheme of things, both in terms of life and corporate life.

When the goal has been to please others for the sake of pleasing others, 
it means I am dependent on what others think and say about me in order 
to define myself.  Do I really feel comfortable in giving control over
to so many people who are in essence strangers?  No, and when I have done
so, I have caused myself grand discomfort.

When I have decided to create the best that I can by first pleasing myself, 
knowing that I indeed did the best work possible with what I knew and 
understood at the time, I find that any other praise I get is now truly
delicious, it is icing on the cake, but only when given by somebody who
really knows how to give praise.

That goes counter to religious beliefs and society--pleasing yourself first
sounds so selfish!  But doing that has really been liberating.  The world
will never give a person the kind of recognition and praise that person wants
want in the style he wants it at the time he wants it to the degree he wants 
it.  (If I fully apply the Indian Doctor Philosophy:
	May the world never recognize me!)

So my approach to your dilemma is to say the following:
	I want to learn medicine, because I enjoy it!
	I want to learn programming, because I enjoy it!
because the other choices are:
	I want to learn medicine, so that somebody recognizes how good I am!
	I want to learn programming, so that somebody recognizes how good I am!

It does not mean you have to be yourself 100% firmly and never compromise.
But instead, stop trying to please everybody.  In your breathless attempt
to be so altrustic, by trying to figure out what makes everyone happy and 
accept you and your decisions, you will actually waste so much energy
that you will not be able to serve your primary customer:  you!  If you
are of no use to yourself, how can you be of use to anyone else?

Besides, some people will resent your basic existence and you can never
please them.  One person will tell you that you did not do enough,
another will say you did way too much.  And the funny thing is they
may both work for the same company which has its mission statement
plastered in every cubicle--so where does strength from diversity come from?

[ snip ]


>I would love to create a direct human/computer interface.  I find typing is
>too slow, even though I type faster than I talk.
>
	
May the world never accept your human/computer interface.
(and I mean that constructively!)
-- 
 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Glenn Mandelkern                     "Hee, hee, hee, hee!" -- Questor the Elf
gmandel@netcom.com                   "When passion runs deep,
San Jose, CA                         you're playing for keeps" -- Keith Emerson
Games, GUI's and Entertainment    What does Motif sound like in the key of C++?

