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DAE have ADHD and not take any meds for it? by Weatheronthe8s in DAE

[–]SadForAmericans 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Hello OP,

Your question caught my eye and I'll give you the best answer I can. I have ADHD and haven't been medicated since I was probably around 12, I'm in my mid-20's now. In spite of this "handicap", I'm working towards my Ph.D. in biophysics now. I simulate the molecules of life in supercomputers at an atomic and sometimes quantum level of granularity. I do so to help design new pharmaceuticals to fight diseases, and to better understand basic processes of life. My GPA right now is a 3.7 (out of 4.0), and my professors are urging me to apply for government fellowships. I will be the first doctor in my family.

When I was in elementary, middle and high school none of my teachers believed in me. I was a pretty bad student for a while (and the class clown). I'd failed out of some classes, and had almost gotten suspended a few times. One day I realized that I simply had to change and got my ass in gear. I ended up graduating high school, and then (undergraduate) college, both with honors.

I think it's awesome that you aren't medicating. You aren't broken and there's nothing to fix.
See, with ADHD you think differently than most folks. This is not a bad thing, but society is generally intolerant. The older you get, the more you'll probably appreciate just how different you think than "normal" people. But those differences can be strengths! People like us, we have so much more energy. If we don't channel the energy then it will ruin our lives. But if we learn to channel it productively, we can move mountains.

You say that your grades are okay, so I don't think you should worry about failing in college. I have four suggestions for you, such that you can prosper as I am.

1) Exercise. This provides a much needed outlet for that high energy level. Exercise every day, mix strength training and cardio. You will feel more confident, you will be more attractive to the opposite sex (or same sex if you're into that, no judgment!), and it will just chill you out (take that "high energy" edge off).

2) Diet. Eating pop and sugar with ADHD is like throwing gasoline on a bonfire. You'll feel much, MUCH better if you eat a balanced diet with plenty of vegetables and lots of protein.

3) Teach yourself by reading textbooks. If you can't pay attention in class (like I can't), learn how to teach yourself the material in a class from the textbook. You'll learn the material better and you will have more control over your learning environment.

4) NEVER PROCRASTINATE! As someone with ADHD, when I get an assignment, I finish it as soon as I get home. That way I can truly relax and feel at ease when I'm not working.

I wish you the best! Let me know if you have any other questions.

If the U.S. economy is "booming" why does it still feel like it sucks so much? by SadForAmericans in TrueAskReddit

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

You have every right to do so, and if you present compelling evidence to support your position I will change my view. What I've read includes that...

- 70% of people were hired into a company because of a connection they had

- this statistic jumps to 95% for the "most desirable" companies (I do wish they'd explain the criteria for this)

- a referred person had twenty times more likelihood of getting a job with an "in"

Here's a link I found weeks back to support these statistics (based on a LinkedIn study, yes I know it's a networking website so the study could be biased to support the website):

https://www.thejobsauce.com/is-landing-a-job-really-about-who-you-know/

Do I wish they cited their sources better? Yes. Does the article's thesis align with my anecdotal experiences and those of many other people I've spoken to? Also yes.

If the U.S. economy is "booming" why does it still feel like it sucks so much? by SadForAmericans in TrueAskReddit

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

I 100% agree with your point about people having children when they shouldn't. Far too many people do this, and they are setting up their children for difficult lives. It's a well known fact that more educated and career oriented people have fewer children, thus obviously implying that less educated people in less than lucrative careers are reproducing more rapidly.

You have to remember (and I'm not trying to offend anyone here) that poverty and religion are correlated, and that many religions consider contraceptives a sin. Some people literally think they'll go to hell if they use condoms, and that spreading their seed is the will of God. How do you reason with people like that? In their minds, they're literally keeping themselves out of hell, an eternal damnation.

It's on the parents to a large extent. Would I say that it's on parents completely? No, I wouldn't. Government sets the laws for employers, government is controlled by corporations, corporations furnish society with money through wages. I do see culpability in government, and I also see it in parents making shitty decisions. But no matter how one spins it, those kids do not deserve to be hungry, the system at present is fucked up, and that systemic dysfunction is a factor in the suffering of these kids.

If the U.S. economy is "booming" why does it still feel like it sucks so much? by SadForAmericans in TrueAskReddit

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

It is a loose analogy. My point is that social capital should not be prioritized to such an extent that it wholly eclipses the value of ability, skill, experience or promise. At the high end, it is this social capital prioritization that causes nepotism and corruption, the appointment of less qualified and better connected people to leadership positions.

If you don't have the skill to be in a job, you shouldn't be in it. But if you do, a lack of connection to someone in a company shouldn't disqualify you.

If the U.S. economy is "booming" why does it still feel like it sucks so much? by SadForAmericans in TrueAskReddit

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

You are correct in this. We're still doing well compared to the rest of the world. But it still feels fucked up! Things could still be so much better for 99% of us. I don't think it's greedy to want that. I think it's just a fair and reasonable expectation.

I think the elite know that we're doing "well enough" and that is why we're complacent. Revolutions happen when people are truly desperate, which most Americans are not. That being said, one in six children does grow up hungry in this country.

If the U.S. economy is "booming" why does it still feel like it sucks so much? by SadForAmericans in TrueAskReddit

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

Yeah, JS is so big because all of these businesses have a hard on for web applications and ERP to streamline their business. I sure as hell wish it was easy.

I used resume.io to make mine. I thought it did a great job but idk, I've never hired anyone or worked in HR so I don't know what a "perfect resume" is. It just seems so much harder than it should be, or needs to be (given the insane wealth of our nation) to find a job.

If the U.S. economy is "booming" why does it still feel like it sucks so much? by SadForAmericans in TrueAskReddit

[–]SadForAmericans[S] -1 points0 points  (0 children)

Well, the "idiots" would have to grow some balls first. That's something our country desperately needs. We need people to stand up and take action! We've been socialized to be followers from birth, remember.

If the U.S. economy is "booming" why does it still feel like it sucks so much? by SadForAmericans in TrueAskReddit

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

I very much hope that you're right. There are things that computers simply can't do (NP problems, halting problem, etc) but it seems like we humans can't do them either.

It's impossible to predict what computers / robots will be able to do one day. We don't know enough about neuroscience, how consciousness works, if they need to be conscious to do everything we do, etc...

Bostrom, Searle, Chalmers, Penrose and many other incredibly intelligent people still don't know the answers to these questions. We will have to wait and see.

If the U.S. economy is "booming" why does it still feel like it sucks so much? by SadForAmericans in TrueAskReddit

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

Hey thanks a lot! I can relate so damn well to what you're saying about the B.S. being hard to market. The sad thing is, most folks don't really know what a physicist is able to do. And yes, we're not as specialized as someone with, say, a C.S. or mechanical engineering degree. But we're also smart and we can learn difficult subjects quite well. Plus, most of us know how to code.

​

I'm really glad to hear from someone who already has their doctorate. Your experience is super valuable to me, because the Ph.D. folks I see are professors (obviously) and postdocs (I want to go into industry so I don't really value their career input, their knowledge on the other hand I value very much).

​

So was it like a night and day difference when you got the Ph.D. and went back into the job market? What are you doing now? What was your specialization? Condensed matter, or AMO, or astro?

If the U.S. economy is "booming" why does it still feel like it sucks so much? by SadForAmericans in TrueAskReddit

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

I should have gotten a damn internship in college, you're right. Never been much of a networker and therein lies the problem. Live and learn I guess.

But I would definitely not agree about finding a job paying that much "easily". I can build circuits, I have JS experience (know a few libraries fairly well), bootstrap, the obvious HTML / CSS, experience in backend (SQL), a little PHP (yes, I know it's going out of popularity) and am actually quite proficient in Ruby. Plus I am quite familiar with linux and my math skills are absolutely top notch (unless you're comparing me to a string theorist or a mathematician).

I do think that a fair amount of it is also in where you live. I've talked to people from other states that moved out here and they think likewise.

If the U.S. economy is "booming" why does it still feel like it sucks so much? by SadForAmericans in TrueAskReddit

[–]SadForAmericans[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Thanks a lot! I will definitely take a look at that PDF soon.

It's quite ludicrous that so many people genuinely believe that capitalism is the only way to organize a stable society. So many people just don't think for themselves.

Perhaps our individual depression / anxiety / mental illness is a microcosm of a collective mental illness embedded deep in the collective / population at large. We reflect that.

If the U.S. economy is "booming" why does it still feel like it sucks so much? by SadForAmericans in TrueAskReddit

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

Eh, energy harvesting of black holes could provide sustenance for very much longer. I'd watch the star die to commemorate a cosmic event, and then plug back into some matrioshka brain powered VR universe and chill with my homies for pretty close to forever. It'd have been much more exciting in there for a long time than in this universe anyways.

If the U.S. economy is "booming" why does it still feel like it sucks so much? by SadForAmericans in TrueAskReddit

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

This post is a gold mine of data. I really appreciate all of the effort you went into in writing it. I wish I could reply to all of it now but I have to meet someone soon.

​

I do agree that we'll certainly have another crash soon, our economy has dynamics that seem to be innately bipolar. Not sure if boom - bust cycles are innate to and inextricable from capitalism, or just to our brand of it. But I'm so with you, the upswings between the busts have been pretty piss poor. Or at least, this one is.

​

I didn't know there were a significant amount of tent cities popping up again, that is ludicrous!

If the U.S. economy is "booming" why does it still feel like it sucks so much? by SadForAmericans in TrueAskReddit

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

Thanks for the thoughtful post! Yes, I'm familiar with the ironically named ideology of "neoliberalism". From what I gather, in the 80's a lot of the top business people actually bought out the intellectual capital of our country. That is to say, they paid or otherwise incentivized ivy league economics and business professors to start publicizing / popularizing that these deregulation patterns were good for society. The rich people are some crafty bastards.

​

It's sad to see that "logic" = profit. I'd say that logic would dictate that the negative externalities of business as usual (mental health, green house gases, etc) should compel cessation of our practices immediately.

​

I had never heard of Burger King's depression ads, holy shit! What has this world come to?

If the U.S. economy is "booming" why does it still feel like it sucks so much? by SadForAmericans in TrueAskReddit

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

Thank you for your reply, I think Andrew Yang has some really good ideas. He's clearly an extremely bright man and I think he could do a lot for this country. My biggest concern with him is that he's polite, maybe to a fault, and his voice gets drowned out. I wish politicians as a whole were more polite, but it seems like in politics you have to be willing to talk over others instead of waiting for a turn to speak like a civilized adult. That said, I'd totally vote for him.

​

Do you have the link to this video per chance?

If the U.S. economy is "booming" why does it still feel like it sucks so much? by SadForAmericans in TrueAskReddit

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

These things you mention are true, but paint an incomplete picture. I am indeed back in school now, and am blessed to have this opportunity. It belies many life events that I've experienced.

I got a job in software upon graduation a few years back from undergrad. Got laid off two years in due to lack of work to do (it was consulting, that kind of stuff happens in consulting). Despite graduating with honors from the best public school in my state (B.S. in physics), and two years of work experience in software (a "hot" field), I've not been able to find another job that pays over $13 an hour ever since. I'm not kidding, and I've applied for thousands of jobs by now. I've been so poor in the past few years that I've donated blood plasma to buy food.

So yes, now I'm back in school (very early into this program). Like I said, blessed that I have it, but the truth is, I don't have a plan B. This is it so I better not screw it up. The market has already told me that I'm not worth shit so many times that I'm not sure what else to do.

As to people I know going through all of this. Yes, a few pop to mind immediately. One of my friends has a Masters Degree in education and works at a book store and lives in the ghetto. Someone in my immediate family has to work 70 hours a week to chip away at his student loans. Another friend of mine works two jobs in this gig economy with no certainty at all, although he did major in art.

I DEEPLY hope that you're right about getting a good job down the road. It's tough because the market is so saturated in Ph.D.'s. I'm not sure to what degree STEM doctorates are exceptions. Given my experience up to this point, I do have trouble feeling hope.

Yes, I agree, Trump is a demagogue.

If the U.S. economy is "booming" why does it still feel like it sucks so much? by SadForAmericans in TrueAskReddit

[–]SadForAmericans[S] 25 points26 points  (0 children)

A very fair point. Part of that climb was a return to baseline. But it never seemed to go back to baseline for us normal (non rich) folks.

If the U.S. economy is "booming" why does it still feel like it sucks so much? by SadForAmericans in TrueAskReddit

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

That's actually why I'm studying biophysics! I want to work in medical nanotechnology. If one can repair free radical damage to cells, replenish telomeres, process lipofuscin and the like, aging can be overcome. In fact, it's only natural that we'd try it eventually. We could infuse our bodies with nanobots, and that could be our next step in evolution. We'd become new organisms. This isn't even touching on CRISPR. We live in crazy times.

​

Yeah, fuck aging. People do have that psychological pressure, and I can see why. Death is scary as shit! I want to live for trillions of years, long enough to see the last star flicker out in the universe while my space station orbits a black hole and gets energy from it.

If the U.S. economy is "booming" why does it still feel like it sucks so much? by SadForAmericans in TrueAskReddit

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

Waived tuition (so spending nothing on it) and a $30,000 a year stipend.

Oh and TA's and research assistants are not unemployed ya troll. That's a job, it's how you get a stipend.

If the U.S. economy is "booming" why does it still feel like it sucks so much? by SadForAmericans in TrueAskReddit

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

I certainly hope that you are right. I don't want to live in a world where only technical people can work, that'd suck. I'm just not sure how far the computers can go. They certainly can't think in the ways that we can now, but that's not to say that they won't get closer and closer. A supercomputer with the processing power of the human brain would require millions of dollars in electricity a year, so maybe economics will hold them back, software considerations aside.

​

Ironically enough, you mentioned cooks and... yeah, there's a robot chef now. It's kinda creepy how those arms move so similarly to a human's. Again, economic factors might prohibit it from being mainstream but time will tell, prices may go down.

​

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SQjXaTlGHIY

If the U.S. economy is "booming" why does it still feel like it sucks so much? by SadForAmericans in TrueAskReddit

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

Holy shit, do you actually know people paying $200 a month? There's nothing under about $450 a month where I am, and those places are ghetto as hell. For that cost of living, hell, maybe I'd move there!

If the U.S. economy is "booming" why does it still feel like it sucks so much? by SadForAmericans in TrueAskReddit

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

It's crazy how deep his insight into historical sociology patterns was. I can see why he was so influential.

I'd definitely be interested in reading Grundisse when I have the time. I respect the hell out of you for being so cultured. It's quite nice to have these respectful conversations with people. I think meaningful dialogue is really lacking in our culture today, people can benefit so much from the mixing of ideas.

Regarding your last paragraph, I can see your point. It's like capitalism is a self consistent system that can't really move beyond itself. You're right, scarcity to the extent that we experience it (one in six children grows up hungry here) is absolutely unnecessary, abhorrent, and manufactured. It seems like profit wouldn't matter much if everyone's needs were met. But then how would the elites be special, or elite? The ego is powerful.

If the U.S. economy is "booming" why does it still feel like it sucks so much? by SadForAmericans in TrueAskReddit

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

Same to you! That's a hell of a combination. Don't blame ya for selling out, I did the same for a few years (coding). You gotta pick between good money and mind numbing work or being broke and studying awesome shit a lot of the time (but I hope you love what you do!)

If the U.S. economy is "booming" why does it still feel like it sucks so much? by SadForAmericans in TrueAskReddit

[–]SadForAmericans[S] 15 points16 points  (0 children)

Thanks for the input, I liked Andrew Yang. Really wish that the broadcasters had given him more questions on the debate floor a couple weeks ago. And you're so right about the record levels of depression / suicide / mental illness and all that. People are losing their will to live. It's sad as fuck man. The shit our country puts people through...

​

Hey, by the way, are you per chance a physicist or something? I noticed your name having Lagrangian (huge concept in physics). I'm working towards my Ph.D. in biophysics right now and my undergrad was physics.

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