This. Listen to Flip.
flipcollar expalined !
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Welcome to the forums
THIS-OP, listen to Flip. Find out what makes YOU happy and not what you think you SHOULD be doing. You’re too inexperienced to really tie yourself to one girl at this time. The more experience you get with other people the more ready and prepared you’ll be when you find the right one.
@pushups50 (directed to you too because you asked)
Was going for Human Performance and Fitness, with plans of possibly going into the medical/health field afterwards (I picked HPF because there was a decent amount of science involved, but not quite as much as bio or chem, and it sounded more “fun”).
Was also gonna minor in social work and American Indian Studies, simply because I wanted to learn more about those areas.
Now I’m thinking of double majoring in history and political science. They both work pretty well with each other, and the amount of work I’d have to do to get both pretty much equals a single major in a lot of other areas (business, HPF/exercise science, education, etc.).
I really like learning about those areas, and I talked about it a bit in my log (which is 95% about my life, with a tiny portion actually dedicated to training, haha) and got some advice from a couple members, and then I spoke with a few professors and advisors I’ve grown to like and respect about it.
One teacher told me that in lots of different fields, people are starting to look for history majors, or English majors, or something similar. He said he personally knew a banker and a computer code guy who liked to hire people from those fields, rather than banking or coding majors. Their reasoning was that anyone can learn to bank, or code, or whatever, and it’s not that hard to teach, but it’s a lot harder to teach someone to write, read, and think. Majors like English, history, and social sciences tend to teach that stuff better. (I’m sure it all varies.)
So since I don’t actually know what I want to do, I just have a bunch of different ideas, I think I will major in history/pol. science because I 1). enjoy those topics and 2). think the skills learned from them will help in a lot of aspects in life. @T3hPwnisher said he did pol. science and though it’s not directly related to his career, it’s helped him a lot just with understanding how things work.
I’ll continue to minor in social work and Indian studies, just because they’re still interesting to me (and the Indian studies will tie in a lot with the history and pol. science) and I also will take some finance classes here and there. I don’t really care to be heavily involved in business or be an accountant or anything, but I want to learn how to be smart with money. I want to invest in stuff, and I’ve thought about owning rental properties, etc. So those classes will just be to help me personally.
So that was a very long answer to your question, but that’s what I’m doing!
GAWD … you seem like a reasonable kid, but I’m dreading the day you venture into PWI to give your hot takes
All joking aside they are a great pairing … just do a bit of research on the post-grad job market. I read a lot of history (breezing through Thucydides “history of the peloponnesian war”) and I enjoy applying a political economic perspective to the happenings.
They’ll both give you perspective for sure. And to your teacher’s point, you can learn on the job - however, you will most likely get a leg up with a different degree depending on what you want to do after you graduate. But these fields will help you tremendously. I can’t tell you how terrible most people are at writing emails.
There’s a reason I stay the hell out of there, outside of opportunities to snipe punchlines, haha.
I think one of the most valuable things I learned with politics is being ok with things not being ideal. Lotta my peers struggle with the notion that, if something isn’t “right”, you shouldn’t have to do it. Meanwhile, I’ve had many sit downs with folks and been like “Let’s all collectively agree that what we’re about to do is stupid, and that we’re going to do it anyway”
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haha … I get sucked into some conversations but a lot of the posters in there are a lot more reasonable than they used to be back in the day.
That being said - You ever read the Book of the Five Rings? I’m starting (and finishing) it right now. Only in the Earth book right now, but it’s a short book so…
I’ve started it, but also not too far in it. Fascinating so far.
So I have 2 translations - I have a kindle copy and I borrowed an audiobook which I’m listening to on the way to/from work. The audiobook was translated by William Scott Wilson and is noticeably better in terms of word choice.
But yea, Miyamoto was a fascinating figure …
I significantly admire the degree to which have absolutely zero f**ks and was unliked for being so good at killing people. Those figures are always interesting.
Ok, allow me to bloviate a bit on temptation here. It’s not a thing. When you make a choice, you make a choice, and temptation can have no impact there. What one experiences is NOT temptation, but instead the experience of discovering that they did not, in fact, make the choice they thought they made.
Small scale example: nutrition. I’ve made the choice to eat the way that supports my goals. Yesterday, someone at work brought in 2 dozen donuts. They put them actually on my desk, because where I work is pretty central to foot traffic. They were within arm’s reach of me. One of my co-workers literally opened the lid of the box and fanned the scent of the donuts toward me multiple times, primarily because he “did not want” to eat the donuts and wanted others to eat them to get rid of his temptation.
I looked at him, smiled and said “those are not my weakness” and got back to work.
That’s not about iron will or anything stupid like that: I made a decision that I wanted to eat the way I wanted to eat so that I could achieve my goals. Achieving those goals was more important than eating those donuts. My decision was NOT “I will eat in a way that suits my goals UNLESS I’m around something really yummy”, it was “I will eat in a way that will support my goals.”
The same is true of relationships. Fidelity is a choice. When one makes that choice, “temptation” is not a thing. It’s when one INSTEAD makes the choice “I will be faithful UNLESS an opportunity presents itself otherwise” that things become difficult.
Make your choices, and make your peace with them. If you cannot, figure out why.
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So true, I’m literally listening to a lecture about self control right now!
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I equate “temptation” as the “pull” to do something which, in or out of moderation, will produce negative results. The opposite virtue to temptation, I believe, is moderation and discipline.
Using your donut example: your co-worker is ‘tempted’ by the donuts, and lacks the virtue (discipline) necessary and gives in to his temptation, knowing the results overtime.
I see temptation as behavior based on emotion that leads to negative, self-destructive results over time, either to oneself or ones responsibilities/relationships. It’s a selfish vice. I disagree that it doesn’t exist - I feel temptation quite a bit, day to day, but have exercised my discipline and self control (virtue) to overcome it almost all of the time. It a struggle between self-mastery and self-indulgence.
You’re right, it boils down to making a decision, this or that. Ration vs emotion. People “feel” tempted, they don’t feel discipline - that’s will to resist the emotional pull of temptation. You have trained your self-discipline over time to the point where you do not noticeably feel the pull of these seemingly trivial temptations (I’m assuming). I’d imagine the folks reading and posting here have developed some inkling of self-discipline to the point where they can resist some of these temptations they see others indulging in (but now I’m speculating and rambling).
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No you weren’t, you were writing that sentence ignoring that lecture on self-control … you failed the test and gave into the temptation to post your thought
As a history major now doing something completely different from that, I strongly suggest you don’t major in history unless you-
-Have connections that will help get you a job somewhere and just need a college degree.
-Plan on going into academia.
-Build up other skill-sets that help get you a job in a different field.
I think your teacher is being misleading. Liberal arts majors tend to be better at writing/reading since that’s their main focus. Thinking depends entirely on what you’re being asked to think about and thus is focused on the discipline.
Yes, bankers/software programmers would prefer to hire people who can write articulately, but that is a secondary concern. The main concern is whether that person can do the job they’re hired to do.
Can you code? Do you want to code? Are you good at arithmetic and reading legalese? Do you want to go into banking and look at numbers and read legalese all day?
I majored in history exactly for the reasons you stated, so I think I understand how you feel about this. I made a huge mistake in not thinking about about what happens after. I got out of it ok because of good family connections/sheer luck/being very good at the technical field I got into/finding that I really enjoy this field.
YMMV.
I tend to disagree on this discussion because I find all action ultimately reduces to people doing what they wanted to do in the first place. We equate certain actions as “virtuous” ones, but in many cases, one just simply wants to do what is considered virtue.
And every time I say this, I realize how very Randian it sounds, but I can’t think my way out of it.
People see me not eating the donuts and go “you have discipline/willpower”, but no: I’m doing what I want to do. That’s not discipline at all: children do what they want to do all the time. I just changed what I want to be something that other people consider virtue, but for me, virtue is now hedonism. I’m indulging myself in activities that make me bigger and stronger. It’s fundamentally self-serving.
If what I wanted to do was shoot drugs into my body, and I did everything I could to make that happen, people would call me a junkie. But when I decide I want to make myself as big and strong as I can and I do whatever it take to get there, people call it discipline. In both cases, it’s just me doing what it is I want to do.
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I’m gearing up to go home - I’ll try to respond later but I’m sure you’re aware I disagree on your main point that it’s “just” reduced to people making choices. I don’t think you’re wrong, per se, but I think there’s more to it than that.
It’s very easy to disagree, because it’s totally reductionist and that’s easy to refute: I just simply can’t think my way out of it. I don’t fault you at all for disagreeing, but I question my own ability to think otherwise on the matter.
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Haha I don’t think I wil. I’ve posted here and there, if I think I have anything to say (usually not anything really worth saying), but I think it’s pretty pointless. I like to read others’ perspectives, but no one’s actually going to change their mind about anything. People just dig their heels in harder to what they believe. So I tend to not waste the energy.
Really, I’d just like to be able to know that I am a smart person, and to have reasons for what I believe that I can explain, if asked. I recently read Tocqueville’s (sp?) piece on despotism (pretty sure it was an abbreviated version) and it made me want to not be easily led astray. I’d like to know what happened (history), how things work (politics) and how to apply it to my life.
I really don’t know what I want to do. There’s a lot that interests me, so we’ll see. I may end up changing my major again, but I’d like to not be someone who switches 5 times and spends a decade just getting their undergrad. So we’ll see. It’d be really nice to just make some genius business decisions and become a millionaire and spend my time pursuing various pursuits that catch my attention. So that’s probably what I’ll do 
.
These were just two examples - I know not all of them feel this way, and I know other people from other fields may or may not feel this way.
This is what I’m thinking will end happening. I’m pretty smart, and learn quickly, and I don’t see myself going into a field that requires really specific knowledge - anything technology related, or something really math or science focused. I live in a somewhat small town (approx. 30k people) and I plan on staying in the area, and there seems to be a decent amount of opportunites to get into different things.
I have some construction experience, and close ties to the masonry company my dad works for, and due to my dad’s length of time in the industry, he knows a lot of people in other fields - carpentry, electrical, plumbing, welding, etc. One of the many things I’ve thought about doing is flipping and selling houses, and building quality (not amazing quality but decent) apartments for fair prices, since we have a growing immigrant population, and lot of people who are just low income, and our housing industry sucks. We’ve got tons of new apartment complexes that are really nice, but super expensive, and we’ve got tons of old houses that have been turned into apartments but are super crappy and still overpriced.
So I want to provide something that’s livable but affordable. So this is one area that I have connections to and people who could help. I’d probably have to get some licenses or something, but it’s just an example.
Anyway, I do think I’ll probably end up in a different field. As I get older and become more sure of what I want to do, I’ll switch my educational focus if I need to.
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School has been tough so far. Last semester I did not pass my electrical engineering class, and that alone brought my GPA to a 2.4. Now I’m on scholarship probation. I need to get my GPA up to get a full ride scholarship. There are so many things that I want to do. I’m a highly ambitious person. My major is electrical engineering but what I really want to do is research on room-temperature Superconductivity. I have lots of books and all that and I’m trying to make this dream a reality.
I’ve recently picked up Russian in addition to my Chinese. Знания-сила.
I had 21 credit hours at first but the scholarship committee kept telling me how it was too much so I just listened to them. In the future though, I want to let myself run wild.
The loss of Kobe Bryant and all those involved in the crash (not to make one more important than the other) was heartbreaking. I found out while I was playing basketball that the crash happened. Kobe Bryant though, he was one of my idols, and, when I used to have that false dream of making it in basketball, it was me trying to be like him that motivated me to get up those countless mornings. The Chinese know him by this one phrase , “ “你见过凌晨四点的洛杉矶吗？” , which is to say “Have you seen Los Angeles at 4AM?” It seriously hasn’t really hit me until just now, he was my idol. Basketball never succeeded for me, but it was the illusion he gave that made me believe anything was possible. Such is life. His work ethic and competitiveness is something I still carry with me.
As I have not been in the gym as much this semester because of homework, a student had asked me if I was going to play basketball that day. I said, “probably not.” He said that I ought to to commemorate Kobe. To me Kobe wasn’t just basketball…I thought to myself “Kobe never knew I existed, and if he was still alive, he surely won’t know I do because of basketball .” So I told him, “I’ll be successful for Kobe.”
I have put on some weight I believe. When I look in the mirror I can see my abs but I don’t really like how my body is nowadays. Also, I want to lose weight also to ease the pressure on my herniated discs. I’d like to cut down to about 160lbs. Skinny is better for me. I want to get back into weightlifting as well, but I’ll need to strengthen my back and core and also increase my flexibility.
What’s the best core and back routines? What are the most effective methods for cutting in your opinion? Say what you’d like.