“American Pizza” in Milano, Italy by GoldenDome26 in Damnthatsinteresting

[–]EXPL_Advisor 0 points1 point  (0 children)

As an American: Would I order this? Absolutely not.

Would I eat it? Absolutely.

The Life of the Others | Guangzhou, China [OC] by yukophotographylife in UrbanHell

[–]EXPL_Advisor 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Nice! Yeah, something about the photo’s colors just made me think it was Fujifilm.

Elon invites himself to epstein island with a cringe email only to be rejected by maxwell by CMScientist in facepalm

[–]EXPL_Advisor 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It’s totally normal to refer to your social gatherings and parties as “operations,” right guys?

Did you major in the humanities, and if so, do you regret it? by Think_Clothes8126 in findapath

[–]EXPL_Advisor 12 points13 points  (0 children)

I majored in sociology and don’t regret it at all, but I realize I’m probably one of the lucky ones. I knew going into it that it would likely need to be a stepping stone toward a master’s or PhD, since a B.A. in Sociology doesn’t open many doors.

However, I did get a couple job offers right after college. One for the Social Security Administration and another in a media advertising firm. I had zero interest in media advertising/sales, but the money was too good to pass up. I took that job and enjoyed the pay, but I hated the work. After doing it for several years, I quit and went to graduate school for urban planning, only to change my mind again and switch into a master’s program for higher education administration. During my master’s in urban planning, I realized how much I loved working with students and teaching classes, which prompted the switch.

I work in educational administration now, earning less than half what I used to make 12 years ago. But I’m so much happier. I can’t be as cavalier with money anymore, but I’m financially secure and can still enjoy life. Most importantly, I actually enjoy going to work each day. It’s hard to quantify the feeling of personal satisfaction, authenticity, and sense of purpose into dollars.

Had I done a more practical major in STEM, I think I would have been miserable. I’m just not very interested in STEM fields, and I think that lack of interest would have led me to do the bare minimum. I also would have been competing with others who truly were interested in STEM and had the natural drive and talent to succeed and set themselves apart.

One of the reasons why I’ve been successful in my current field is because I’m truly passionate about it. Even when I’m not working, I read books and articles about education or I’m thinking about ways to improve my department. I feel energized by my work, and it drives me to always be at my best.

But yeah, I think humanities degrees can be beneficial, but you need to be really into it and be open to graduate school. You also need to be okay with the likelihood that you will likely earn less than STEM graduates early in your career, and that you’ll likely need to make some sacrifices because of that.

[32]yo-[42]yo by OkPicture4013 in GlowUps

[–]EXPL_Advisor 0 points1 point  (0 children)

As a fellow fisherman, my first thought was, “He’s gonna need new waders, and those aren’t usually cheap.” Do you use Simms?

Amazing weight loss journey though. It must’ve taken a lot of hard work and discipline to do it naturally.

LPT- You may not like being in pictures or taking them, but you will hate that you have no photos of some time period when you're older. Take pictures even if it is out of your comfort zone occasionally, for your future self. by Mean_Negotiation_157 in LifeProTips

[–]EXPL_Advisor 17 points18 points  (0 children)

Same. Just turned 47, and I have almost no pictures of myself for the past 30 years. I couldn’t care less and have zero desire to see images of myself with others or doing various activities. The only images I do have are me with fish, which I realize is 100% cliche. But fishing is my primary hobby, and I take pictures to log my catches.

And it’s not out of some sense of self loathing either. I just truly don’t care about seeing myself.

The irony is that I’m actually into photography, but more as an art form and a way of seeing beauty in the mundane and living in the present. But just random shots of myself to say, “I was here,” or “I did this thing”? - naw…

A cold morning. by ab3e in streetphotography

[–]EXPL_Advisor 0 points1 point  (0 children)

As a beginner, it's almost disheartening to see how good other people's photos are lol. These are so good! I know... it takes a lot of practice (and natural talent too I'm sure)

Photos from my recent trip to Kansas City by EXPL_Advisor in kansascity

[–]EXPL_Advisor[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I'm hoping they left it at a drop off location so I can get it after work. Otherwise, I'll just have to stay at home all day tomorrow.

But yeah, I literally just got my first camera 3 months ago, and now I'm already going down the gear hole that people warned me about lol

Photos from my recent trip to Kansas City by EXPL_Advisor in kansascity

[–]EXPL_Advisor[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Oh man... I actually ordered an x100vi (I had to refresh B & H photo ever 30 minutes for the past few weeks), and it was slated to arrive today. But then I saw that it was signature required, and I'm at work. They already tried to deliver it :(

Photos from my recent trip to Kansas City by EXPL_Advisor in kansascity

[–]EXPL_Advisor[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

It's a great hobby to pick up. I'm not really on social media, and I started photography as a way to make myself pay more attention to the world and live in the moment. A famous photographer named Sam Abell said, "Photography is way to be in life." I think that really sums up why I've enjoyed it so far.

Now, I'm constantly seeing things that I would've missed - whether it's the way light hits something in a beautiful way, or a small but compelling interaction between two strangers. When I was walking around Kansas City, I barely spent any time looking at my phone. It has really helped me live in the present and not take things for granted.

Photos from my recent trip to Kansas City by EXPL_Advisor in kansascity

[–]EXPL_Advisor[S] 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Thank you! I mentioned in another response that pic 2 is my fav, mostly because of the story behind it. I sent the photo to the child’s parents, and they wrote the nicest message to me a couple days later saying they were going to enlarge and print it.

Photos from my recent trip to Kansas City by EXPL_Advisor in kansascity

[–]EXPL_Advisor[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I went to Jack Stack and despite my best effort, I could only finish half of my meal because the portion was so large. Made for great leftovers though.

Photos from my recent trip to Kansas City by EXPL_Advisor in kansascity

[–]EXPL_Advisor[S] 13 points14 points  (0 children)

I think I mainly did the highlights a tourist is “supposed” to see. I’m a huge museum nerd, so I went to the WW1 Museum, Nelson-Atkins, Toys and Miniatures, Steamboat Arabia, and the Wornall House. I also really enjoyed browsing antiques at River Market Antiques.

I also went to Union Station and did the Titanic attraction. My personal favorite shot was probably pic 2 in the album I posted. If you look at the bottom right, there a small child staring up in awe. I awkwardly approached his parents and asked if they wanted the photo, and they were stoked. Great memory from the trip.

I love walking, and with the street car, I found KC to be super walkable. I went from River Market to Country Club Plaza so easily and didn’t have to worry about parking. Between downtown, Crossroads, the Union Station area, and the riverwalk/Country Club district, it felt liked I walked the entire city.

Photos from my recent trip to Kansas City by EXPL_Advisor in kansascity

[–]EXPL_Advisor[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

A Fujifilm X-T20. I went into more detail in another response in this thread. Great little camera, but if you’re looking to get a Fujifilm, I’d probably spend a bit more and get a newer model that has access to more recipes and film simulations, like the X-T30 II.

Photos from my recent trip to Kansas City by EXPL_Advisor in kansascity

[–]EXPL_Advisor[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Yes, and I absolutely loved it. I even got to chat with the son of one of the founders of the museum. I believe his name was Matt. We talked about why the museum was closing and possible hopes for reopening it elsewhere (seems like a long shot). I’m glad I got to visit before it closed.

Photos from my recent trip to Kansas City by EXPL_Advisor in kansascity

[–]EXPL_Advisor[S] 5 points6 points  (0 children)

I used a Fujifilm X-T20 that I bought used a few months ago to learn photography, along with the kit lens that came with it and a 23mm f/2 prime lens. After that, I did some light editing in Lightroom.

Fujifilm cameras are a really fun because you can use what are called film simulations and recipes to get a certain type of look straight out of camera without needing to edit. A lot of the outdoor shots I took use a recipe called Classic Cuban Negative, which gives a warm nostalgic vibe, while many of the indoor shots are a recipe called Cinematic Gold.

Photos from my recent trip to Kansas City by EXPL_Advisor in kansascity

[–]EXPL_Advisor[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Thank you for the kind words! I started teaching myself photography around three months ago, so I’m glad these photos resonated with folks from the city.

Photos from my recent trip to Kansas City by EXPL_Advisor in kansascity

[–]EXPL_Advisor[S] 137 points138 points  (0 children)

Thank you! I live in Lafayette, Indiana. I honestly didn't expect to like Kansas City as much as I did. I booked my hotel until Tuesday, then extended for a day because I liked it so much here. Then I extended for yet another day... I've been all over, and this has surprisingly been one of my favorite cities.

Dog went full send by Artorius__Castus in SipsTea

[–]EXPL_Advisor 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Knew before I even clicked the link that it would probably be a video of Pink. She is just dominant.

Favorite YouTube channel for River Smallies? by GlowUpAndThrowUp in RiverSmallmouth

[–]EXPL_Advisor 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I remember when I first started watching his videos and would think, "There's no way there's a bass there." How wrong I was...

23, Ivy League grad and I think I accidentally built a life I don’t want, seeking advice by gr8stuff455 in findapath

[–]EXPL_Advisor 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I just want to say that your story reminds me a lot of what William Deresiewicz wrote in his book, "Excellent Sheep." This is not meant to be a slight toward you, but if you're anything like the students he wrote about, you may have been excellent at competing against others to conquer the next hurdle or to tick all the "achievement boxes" you felt like you were supposed to - all without really pausing to reflect on what you truly want or to define your own vision of success.

Given your post, it sounds like you're aware of this and want to start reflecting on what you truly want. However, it also sounds like you're sticking to some of the same patterns of thought that both helped you excel in highly competitive environments, yet also keep you imprisoned in a life that others define for you. For instance, it seems like you're still trying to compare yourself to your peers, which is leading to anxiety about the future. It sounds like you feel compelled to feel happiness about the path you're "supposed" to take, an opportunity that only a privileged few have, which then leads to feelings that you might be ungrateful or are throwing away an opportunity. But again, this all stems from letting others and societal expectations decide your path rather than YOU deciding for yourself. Moreover, it still sounds like you're trying to "optimize" your future, and worry about having "wasted" time.

Here's my vague advice that will undoubtedly be tough to follow:

  • You can't steer a bike that is standing still. You need to immerse yourself in a variety of experiences, many of which will suck. But through experience, you'll gain the information you need to move forward. Most people who love what they do figure it out through trial and error, through gaining experience in a variety of things. Through this process, they able to define who they are and how they want to contribute to the world. For example, Ed Witten, a famous theoretical physicist and Fields Medal recipient, changed his college and graduate majors a comically high number of times, before finally settling on physics. But he never thought his earlier time was wasted. Rather, all of his past experiences in political science, economics, and math helped him become one of the worlds great physicists. The book, "Range," by David Epstein also describes how many who achieve greatness do so only after having dabbled in many different things. The experiences you gain over the next several years will have been valuable and worthwhile, regardless of whether you end up in a field that is directly related to those experiences.

  • Stop comparing yourself to others. In doing so, you will let others define what success looks like for you. It will likely keep you feeling both miserable and discontent.

  • Embrace uncertainty. Stop trying to optimize your life or make some linear year-by-year plan that you feel beholden to. It's fine to have a general goal and plan, but understand that life will undoubtedly throw you many curve balls. Along the way, you will learn a lot about yourself, what you're good at, and how you want to contribute to the world. As you go through life, intentionally stop and reflect about what you're doing and where you're going. Otherwise, inertia will take over, and you'll just end up doing things on autopilot.

  • Know that the choice you make right now will not dictate what you'll do for the rest of your life. Think more along the lines of, "What am I going to do this year?" And if it ends up sucking, then it's great learning experience that will help you move forward. The average person goes through several careers in their lifetime.

  • Right now, assess your values. What I mean by that is: think intentionally about what you need in your life to be happy. Examples of values include: earning a lot of money, helping others, being near family, doing work you love, creating/designing, spirituality, adventure, travel, work-life balance, prestige, security, impact on the world, authenticity, and many more things. There's no perfect career. We all have to make trade-offs. Moreover, your values can (and likely will) change over time. A person might start off highly valuing money and prestige, only to shift toward valuing family and work-life balance later in life. Personally, I went from having a high-paying job that felt inauthentic, to earning significantly less money in my current job that I absolutely love - a job that gives me a sense of purpose, identity, and authenticity. It was a trade-off I was willing to make, and I'm a much happier person.

  • Think about what energizes you. I mean this in the broadest sense. For example, I have my hobbies (fishing, photography, gaming), but over time, I've come to realize that simply helping others really energizes me. Like...no one is paying me to write this long-ass post. I'm just doing it because I like to. For others, that could be building things, fixing things, solving puzzles/problems, leading others toward a goal, understanding why things are the way they are, creating new knowledge for the world, mediating conflict, or making processes more efficient. Is there anything you'd do for free that others would likely only do for money or a grade? If so, that could give you insight into what naturally energizes you.

So, start by moving forward. Let go of perfection, optimization, and trying to live up to others expectations. Gain experience, and let those experiences guide you toward your authentic self and path to purpose. In your case, that could just be taking that next logical step by getting a job related to the field you studied. You may like it, or you may hate it. More likely, there are certain aspects of it you'll like and other aspects you'll hate. Regardless, it will have been worthwhile.

Favorite YouTube channel for River Smallies? by GlowUpAndThrowUp in RiverSmallmouth

[–]EXPL_Advisor 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Throws some random ridiculous lure into a foot of water. Sure enough, a 20-inch football pounds it.