Data, Dating & Deliberate Practice (Journal)

[Macallik86]

The last thread ended with me quitting my job to decompress & try my hand at trading. My two-year anniversary is coming up in February and I'm still job-free. I haven't been able to achieve consistency in trading, but I have matured/grown so much as a person that I'm eternally grateful that I took the time off, and I'm content w/ this chapter in my life as it comes to a close.

My earmarked 'sabbatical' funds will last up until two-year anniversary in February, so my plan is to focus on trading until then, and then start to transition towards reestablishing my Data Analysis skills and starting my search for a new job. Generally, in this thread I also plan on covering everything from analyzing random datasets, to using Linux, to self-hosting docker containers, and everything in-between.

About an hour ago, a woman I've been seeing for about two years just ended things. We weren't bf/gf since I stubbornly didn't want to settle down, yet she was easily the most consistent person in my life in that time period outside of my best friend, It definitely stings. I've fallen back on being in these streets as much since becoming unemployed, and navigating that territory will also be a point of interest in this journal.

Lastly, there's deliberate practice. It's the popular theory that you can grow faster at anything by targeting your weak points, reflecting on the feedback as well as best practices by the pros, & then making adjustments and repeating that cycle until you're an expert. That's the theme that will tie all of the disparate parts of this journal together.

 

[moorfeus]

The last thread ended with me quitting my job to decompress & try my hand at trading. My two-year anniversary is coming up in February and I'm still job-free. I haven't been able to achieve consistency in trading, but I have matured/grown so much as a person that I'm eternally grateful that I took the time off, and I'm content w/ this chapter in my life as it comes to a close.

My earmarked 'sabbatical' funds will last up until two-year anniversary in February, so my plan is to focus on trading until then, and then start to transition towards reestablishing my Data Analysis skills and starting my search for a new job. Generally, in this thread I also plan on covering everything from analyzing random datasets, to using Linux, to self-hosting docker containers, and everything in-between.

About an hour ago, a woman I've been seeing for about two years just ended things. We weren't bf/gf since I stubbornly didn't want to settle down, yet she was easily the most consistent person in my life in that time period outside of my best friend, It definitely stings. I've fallen back on being in these streets as much since becoming unemployed, and navigating that territory will also be a point of interest in this journal.

Lastly, there's deliberate practice. It's the popular theory that you can grow faster at anything by targeting your weak points, reflecting on the feedback as well as best practices by the pros, & then making adjustments and repeating that cycle until you're an expert. That's the theme that will tie all of the disparate parts of this journal together.

How old are you Bro?

 

[Macallik86]

How old are you Bro?

Late 30s

 

[moorfeus]

Late 30s

Gotcha. As a 44yr old man I would definitely suggest focusing on self, knowing your strengths and building on that. Also building up your finances. With the ladies I would also suggest having a calculated approach to the women you deal with, search for quality, character and someone worth building a legacy with. The right woman can and will help level up everything that you are doing. Especially if she's on point and knows you are about building a legacy together and not just playing around. No desirable woman with her head on straight, 28yrs and up, will want to waste years of her life with a man who is not really committed to building a future with her. Its a lot of goofballs out here too that allow social media and society to fill their heads up with nonsense. If you have a woman that is on point mentally, you would be crazy to push her out the door.

 

[Macallik86]

As my sabbatical from work draws to a close, I am optimistic in the near term and very concerned about the future.

Pandora's box has been opened and the amount of uncertainty it brings will be unprecedented in our lives. Obviously I'm talking about AI, but specifically LLMs.

There are aspects that make me optimistic... There has never been such a strong support system for learning in the history of human civilization. Having an ever-present teacher that can cater to each individual w/ relevant feedback is futuristic AF even if it rarely gets shine. It has been good times bouncing ideas off of it, going off on tangents, or grasping concepts after a great analogy from it. There's a lot less friction when tackling things that used to be outside of my comfort level.

On the other hand, the pace of innovation makes me very nervous. Within the last 4-5 years, LLMs have gone from identifying shapes/images like a toddler... to passing the bar and helping w/ research like a college student. The rate of progress seem very fast and unpredictable, and by extension, what the workforce will look like in 4-5 years seems even shakier.

Data Analysis is my plan B, yet LLMs are such a disruptor that I'm not sure how viable that will be in the next few years. Case in point:



What takes me hours can take the system seconds.

If, during the time when data is increasing exponentially, Data Analysis doesn't have job security, then the future is hazy for a lot of other white collar jobs as well. Society is clearly going to be unprepared with the ensuing upheaval

Right now, I think my best option is to get more and more specialized (or maybe go into Gov't work since they've historically been laggard re: adopting new tech). The high ground right now seems to be gearing myself towards something AI-related, but that's something I can reevaluate at the end of next year. In the interim, I have been working on creating a list of my weak points re: data analysis and will work on that for the time being.

 

[Macallik86]

Tonight is one of those nights where I'm just frustrated.

This moment reminds me of the lead-up to Covid where the experts were sounding the alarms about the ensuing carnage, but Americans were assured that tomorrow would be just like yesterday... Similarly, since we generally have a limited view on (world) history, there's an inability to recognize the descent into chaos and the destruction of our norms.

A part of me wants to just focus on doing me and letting the cards fall where they may, but I realize that redirecting my energy to solely look out for myself is basically how most people Republicans navigate the world. Thanks to the way the economy is set up (and the way America has always been), when AGI/the next recession/a world war/etc happens under Trump, black people are specifically going to be left high and dry.

It seems like an obvious through-line, but that level of critical thinking seems devoid in a lot of electoral choices. I'm an atheist but 'praying' for the future for my people. I have a strong feeling that things are going to get worse. I'm going to make a more concerted effort to my lil part ot offset the ensuing destruction of social services/the education system, etc. I encourage you to think about doing the same.