Created a plan for the next 5 years that makes sense on 2024／11／20

Life Consideration Series §

A plan for the next 5 years that feels right has been formulated.

Assumptions:

• I believe that engaging in research activities is what truly supports my happiness.

  • (Here, “research activities” refer to a broad range of research, including experimental development.)
  • For instance, while I feel unsatisfied dedicating 100% of my resources to ToC SaaS development, I feel content when investing 100% of my resources in research activities.

• Therefore, the minimum requirement is to have an environment where I can engage in research activities and be recognized, along with having supportive peers.

• Achieving and maintaining this environment brings peace of mind.

• Nevertheless, I also want to explore “things other than research.”

  • For example, I want to release an interesting product that reaches a mass audience.
  • I see this as being driven by my curiosity and various other desires.
  • While not a minimum requirement for happiness, I believe that engaging in such activities will enrich my life.

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Plan for the next 5 years:

• I have decided to focus on advancing to graduate school and building a career as a researcher, accumulating achievements, skills, and social capital.
  • My long-term goal here is to “write a significant critique” like Namiheki.
    • This involves presenting a vision that may not be immediately useful over a few years but will demonstrate value over decades, along with its implementation.
• Additionally, I plan to allocate resources left over during my undergraduate years to “things other than research.”
  • For instance, I feel fairly confident about having spare resources for tasks like applying to graduate school after having a couple of papers accepted at Top Conference; the rest might mostly depend on compatibility.
  • Therefore, I intend to use the surplus resources to explore and engage in activities beyond research.
    • For example, I aim to create interesting products that could turn into ventures.
    • Activities like those with Team Yasuno also fall under this category.
  • This area thrives on uncertainty, which I consider beneficial; the higher, the better.

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Previously, there was a conflict between the idea of “building achievements for a career in graduate school/research” and the desire to pursue various other interests.

• For example, the uncertainty surrounding paths like “joining a BigTech company with a high annual income” or “starting a venture” based on the desire to explore multiple avenues had been causing anxiety.
  • Moreover, my understanding of these options was somewhat limited, leading to heightened uncertainties.

By considering the former as a basic need and the latter as desires to fulfill on top of that, I have come to terms with my current understanding.

• By clearly defining my focus as “advancing to graduate school/researcher career,” I have alleviated the vague anxieties regarding my path.

Furthermore, I believe that these aspects should not be forcefully combined (blu3mo).

• Separating the value felt by oneself as a developer from a bird’s-eye view and the value felt by oneself as a user

  • Perhaps, the “researcher self” should pursue the former, while the “product creator self” should pursue the latter.
    • Instead of trying to merge them, maybe it’s better to treat them as two distinct personalities.
    • There is definitely a part of me that enjoys creating good products and is interested in business ventures, but separating this from my researcher self seems to work better.
      • This detached personality could thrive in Product Geeks.
  • The former should be considered over a span of 30 to 50 years, while the latter should provide immediate value to someone.

• Considering this, I have set a long-term goal for my “researcher self” as ”Writing a considerable amount of criticism“.

  • This involves presenting a vision that may not have immediate benefits over a few years but will demonstrate value over several decades, without focusing on market, business, or customer aspects.

• As for my “non-research self,” which involves higher uncertainty, I feel it’s okay not to have specific goals.

  • I plan to navigate opportunistically and embrace uncertainty while taking risks to explore and enjoy various activities.

I see this approach as being akin to a barbell strategy (blu3mo).Taking this into consideration, one should think about:

• How to strengthen oneself as a researcher
  • Enhancing basic skills
    • This seems to be effective through the compounding effect of habits
  • Social capital
  • Companions
• How to increase uncertainty and enjoy it as the “self doing things other than research”

I currently think that “all the ’worries’ about my future path have been resolved with this,” so I will reread this when I start worrying about something again.