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Prerequisite reading: Being the (Pareto) Best in the World.

A summary of Being the (Pareto) Best in the World: Being the world's best mathematician is hard. Being the world's best musician is hard. Being the world's best mathematician/musician is much easier, especially since there are multiple slots; an amazing mathematician who is also a competent musician, someone who is good at both, and a competent mathematician who is also an amazing musician can all find a niche.

I like this concept, and have kept it in my back pocket ever since I read it. I have sometimes described myself as a software engineer who was competent at public speaking and project management. That particular overlapping skillset is, it turns out, fairly valuable. While I was attempting to become a better software engineer, I was also trying to add competence at corporate budgets and accounting to that skillset.

These [...]

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First published:
February 21st, 2024

Source:
https://www.lesswrong.com/posts/eD5g9sCiZCEcdQXS6/the-pareto-best-and-the-curse-of-doom

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Narrated by TYPE III AUDIO.

“The Pareto Best and the Curse of Doom” by Screwtape

LessWrong (30+ Karma)

“The Pareto Best and the Curse of Doom” by Screwtape