I do have friends in all those groups, and consider them valuable as learning experiences in addition to the friendship. If you want to know people, cast a wide net. And knowing people has more value than you might think—politics, sales, even picking a neighbourhood to live in are all fields where a better understanding of human nature can be very valuable.
I’m not going to go into politics or selling any sizeable amount of stuff to non-STEM people any time soon. Those are just not my comparative advantage.
even picking a neighbourhood to live in
Why? I pretty much only go back to my place to sleep and shower (or other things that don’t involve interacting with other people in meatspace); the rest of the time, I’m at university or at the canteen or at the bar or in the yoga class or at my girlfriend’s place or in the streets downtown or wherever, so ISTM the only things to care about when choosing where to live (provided it’s sufficiently quiet to sleep) are the cost of rent and the time/money/inconvenience/risk it takes from my place to the aforementioned places and back.
I do have friends in all those groups, and consider them valuable as learning experiences in addition to the friendship. If you want to know people, cast a wide net. And knowing people has more value than you might think—politics, sales, even picking a neighbourhood to live in are all fields where a better understanding of human nature can be very valuable.
Knowing isn’t the same as revelling in; can’t we have Y without X? I already know what a kick in the rationals feels like, so why need I be reminded of that on a daily basis? There are cheaper ways to achieve that.
I’m not going to go into politics or selling any sizeable amount of stuff to non-STEM people any time soon. Those are just not my comparative advantage.
Why? I pretty much only go back to my place to sleep and shower (or other things that don’t involve interacting with other people in meatspace); the rest of the time, I’m at university or at the canteen or at the bar or in the yoga class or at my girlfriend’s place or in the streets downtown or wherever, so ISTM the only things to care about when choosing where to live (provided it’s sufficiently quiet to sleep) are the cost of rent and the time/money/inconvenience/risk it takes from my place to the aforementioned places and back.