Comments on: The Decline of the Amateur http://www.nehrlich.com/blog/2007/02/28/the-decline-of-the-amateur/ Eric Nehrlich, Unrepentant Generalist Thu, 09 Feb 2012 09:24:42 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.1.3 By: Diigo Update (weekly) « http://www.nehrlich.com/blog/2007/02/28/the-decline-of-the-amateur/comment-page-1/#comment-186605 Diigo Update (weekly) « Sun, 30 Nov 2008 00:33:11 +0000 http://www.nehrlich.com/blog/2007/02/28/the-decline-of-the-amateur/#comment-186605 [...] Eric Nehrlich, Unrepentant Generalist [...] [...] Eric Nehrlich, Unrepentant Generalist [...]

]]> By: Eric Nehrlich, Unrepentant Generalist || Getting results || March || 2007 http://www.nehrlich.com/blog/2007/02/28/the-decline-of-the-amateur/comment-page-1/#comment-21330 Eric Nehrlich, Unrepentant Generalist || Getting results || March || 2007 Sun, 11 Mar 2007 17:24:06 +0000 http://www.nehrlich.com/blog/2007/02/28/the-decline-of-the-amateur/#comment-21330 [...] Wes’s comment on my amateur post started me thinking about the wider implications of this statement. He said “I have also observed that I’m only truly good at things I truly love, because those are the things I enjoy doing even when there’s no one paying me to do them.” That comment helped me make the connection between my observation about management and previous thoughts on passion. We pay attention to the things we love doing, the things that deeply matter to us. For me to get good at something, I have to love doing it. That post from last year explained that part of the reason I was leaving programming was that I didn’t have passion for it, and because of that, I was never going to be great at it. [...] [...] Wes’s comment on my amateur post started me thinking about the wider implications of this statement. He said “I have also observed that I’m only truly good at things I truly love, because those are the things I enjoy doing even when there’s no one paying me to do them.” That comment helped me make the connection between my observation about management and previous thoughts on passion. We pay attention to the things we love doing, the things that deeply matter to us. For me to get good at something, I have to love doing it. That post from last year explained that part of the reason I was leaving programming was that I didn’t have passion for it, and because of that, I was never going to be great at it. [...]

]]> By: Eric Nehrlich, Unrepentant Generalist || The Rise of the Amateur || March || 2007 http://www.nehrlich.com/blog/2007/02/28/the-decline-of-the-amateur/comment-page-1/#comment-19124 Eric Nehrlich, Unrepentant Generalist || The Rise of the Amateur || March || 2007 Sat, 03 Mar 2007 13:00:16 +0000 http://www.nehrlich.com/blog/2007/02/28/the-decline-of-the-amateur/#comment-19124 [...] You convinced me. I think I was just cranky on Wednesday evening because I’d been up until 2am finishing a paper the night before, worked all day, gone to three hours of class, and then wrote that blog post. So consider this a giant retraction and flip-flop on the last post. [...] [...] You convinced me. I think I was just cranky on Wednesday evening because I’d been up until 2am finishing a paper the night before, worked all day, gone to three hours of class, and then wrote that blog post. So consider this a giant retraction and flip-flop on the last post. [...]

]]> By: Wes http://www.nehrlich.com/blog/2007/02/28/the-decline-of-the-amateur/comment-page-1/#comment-18622 Wes Thu, 01 Mar 2007 22:31:09 +0000 http://www.nehrlich.com/blog/2007/02/28/the-decline-of-the-amateur/#comment-18622 Hear, hear. One thing I have noticed is that you make most progress at the very beginning of the learning curve. I find that this is a very handy thing to keep at the top of one's midn when attempting something new: you may not be as good as Expert X, but you are gaining on him or her at a truly prodigious velocity. I have also observed that I'm only truly good at things I truly love, because those are the things I enjoy doing even when there's no one paying me to do them. (That, incidentally, is why I have taken over a tiny piece of the music instruction world and expect to take over other pieces as I continue to get better at understanding -- and thereby better at leveraging -- my passions.) Hear, hear.

One thing I have noticed is that you make most progress at the very beginning of the learning curve. I find that this is a very handy thing to keep at the top of one’s midn when attempting something new: you may not be as good as Expert X, but you are gaining on him or her at a truly prodigious velocity.

I have also observed that I’m only truly good at things I truly love, because those are the things I enjoy doing even when there’s no one paying me to do them. (That, incidentally, is why I have taken over a tiny piece of the music instruction world and expect to take over other pieces as I continue to get better at understanding — and thereby better at leveraging — my passions.)

]]> By: Christy http://www.nehrlich.com/blog/2007/02/28/the-decline-of-the-amateur/comment-page-1/#comment-18551 Christy Thu, 01 Mar 2007 17:56:34 +0000 http://www.nehrlich.com/blog/2007/02/28/the-decline-of-the-amateur/#comment-18551 There's a strong argument in favor of a resurgence of the amateur, at least in some parts of the DIY space. Case in point: <a href="http://www.instructables.com" rel="nofollow">Instructables</a>. I agree that you just hang out with easily dissuaded perfectionists. Move back here and I'll peel the wallpaper off another one of your bathrooms. There’s a strong argument in favor of a resurgence of the amateur, at least in some parts of the DIY space. Case in point: Instructables.

I agree that you just hang out with easily dissuaded perfectionists. Move back here and I’ll peel the wallpaper off another one of your bathrooms.

]]> By: Rif http://www.nehrlich.com/blog/2007/02/28/the-decline-of-the-amateur/comment-page-1/#comment-18487 Rif Thu, 01 Mar 2007 13:30:17 +0000 http://www.nehrlich.com/blog/2007/02/28/the-decline-of-the-amateur/#comment-18487 Wow, I was going to comment, but Richard said it so eloquently, I'm not sure I have much to add. I don't think there's any decline in athletic participation --- certainly as far as I can tell, the gym and the golf course are still full of amateurs. There are tons of people who are blogging just for their friends of course, just to keep them informed. A lot of my friends draw and paint, but with no professional ambitions. People watch the poker on TV, and also play with their friends. On the other hand, I do find myself a bit susceptible to the "Things are only worth doing if you do them excellently" syndrome. Which I consider in some ways a personal character flaw. Wow, I was going to comment, but Richard said it so eloquently, I’m not sure I have much to add.

I don’t think there’s any decline in athletic participation — certainly as far as I can tell, the gym and the golf course are still full of amateurs. There are tons of people who are blogging just for their friends of course, just to keep them informed. A lot of my friends draw and paint, but with no professional ambitions. People watch the poker on TV, and also play with their friends.

On the other hand, I do find myself a bit susceptible to the “Things are only worth doing if you do them excellently” syndrome. Which I consider in some ways a personal character flaw.

]]> By: RichardT http://www.nehrlich.com/blog/2007/02/28/the-decline-of-the-amateur/comment-page-1/#comment-18386 RichardT Thu, 01 Mar 2007 06:44:36 +0000 http://www.nehrlich.com/blog/2007/02/28/the-decline-of-the-amateur/#comment-18386 I think you're flatly wrong about this being a burgeoning trend in society. While *you* may feel that sense of 'I'm nowhere near as good as the people who do it for real,' and in fact many other people do as well, (it's so common that there's a psychiatric name for it, Impostor Syndrome), it's by no mean dominating the culture - well, that, or MySpace and YouTube are figments of our collective imagination. Let me amend that though - it's clearly a strong trend among populations who believe that you either are or aren't good enough to do something. People who were taught that talent mattered more than practice are having a very bad day in the new world, because, as you say, they can see people who are very good at things that they are very bad at up close and very personal, and they may or may not be able to see those people talking about how they got from being bad at what they do to where they are now. I think you’re flatly wrong about this being a burgeoning trend in society.

While *you* may feel that sense of ‘I’m nowhere near as good as the people who do it for real,’ and in fact many other people do as well, (it’s so common that there’s a psychiatric name for it, Impostor Syndrome), it’s by no mean dominating the culture – well, that, or MySpace and YouTube are figments of our collective imagination.

Let me amend that though – it’s clearly a strong trend among populations who believe that you either are or aren’t good enough to do something. People who were taught that talent mattered more than practice are having a very bad day in the new world, because, as you say, they can see people who are very good at things that they are very bad at up close and very personal, and they may or may not be able to see those people talking about how they got from being bad at what they do to where they are now.

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