how i lost myself for 2 years building

being a student and building is hard.

my fourth semester, i was in three ML research labs, part time interning at NCR, and taking 21 credit hours (do not recommend this).

it was out of pure curiosity and a burning desire to become cracked.

for context i came into college knowing only basic java and had always tried to code since 7th grade. i wasn’t one of those child prodigies or stacked with experience in high school. in fact most of what i did was hoop and play 2k in high school.

but what i always did want to do is build.

whether it was because i was homesick being away from home or impostor syndrome, i made it my mission to be able to build fast and do ml research.

my past four years, i’m thankful for the friends and family that stuck with me.

i wasn’t myself. my days consisted of me waking up, grinding, grinding, grinding, and sleeping (with meals in between). i would occasionally spend time with friends out of work but rarely. i was reactive and not proactive in my relationships. most importantly, i stopped helping people.

my dream since high school was to be able to teach people (right now it’s cs + early stage building). i’d always stretched myself thin for people. i worked for people.

instead, it became focused on building and what i needed. this may sound odd to many people, but an integral part of life is people. in fact i would argue it’s the most important thing in life.

people keep you happy. people lead you to success. people are the reason you are where you are today.

so although you need to put your soul into building, if you lose out on people you’ll end up feeling a void. especially as a young person.

so if you’re reading this as a young builder, remember to be proactive in your relationships and do not measure everything in terms of time. people are how you’ll live the lifestyle you’re dreaming of :)