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Risk aversion, which makes the bar for “great” near impossible to meet.

From everything to career choice to investments, I made/make a statistical and risk minimizing decision.

I ended up a software engineer looking at average outcomes and general failure points for different majors. Don’t get me wrong future employers, I do enjoy the work (as you would see on my resume), but if it had the prospects of a history major, I would not have studied it. There are people who do that they love and expect to figure it out along the way. I am not that person.

I invest in broad based index ETFs as statistically people are proven to underperform with stock picking. I have no reason to believe that I am special there, so I invest in ETFs.

Add in that early career money compounds and is worth 10x at retirement at my age.

So basically my life can be very comfortable as long as I stay the course.

Statistically startups fail. I would be risking a very straightforward and very comfortable for the chance at a yacht. And I don’t dream of the yacht.




You do realize that life does not exist because of money, but because of experiences along the way?


I have this severe addiction to food and shelter and I need money to support my addiction.

Also while I don’t necessarily have an addiction to clothing and I live in a place where I wouldn’t die if I were naked, I would be arrested.

The first “experience” I don’t want is to be homeless, hungry and naked.

I like the experience of waking up, going to my laptop, working eight hours and closing it.

I spend not one hour worrying about the success or failure of the company besides making sure I can contribute my part for 40 hours a week.




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