Entrepreneurial Skills Learned

Summary

The speaker shares their journey from studying psychology at Harvard to becoming an intuitive programmer. They discuss their early interest in programming, which began at age 10, and how this skillset evolved over time through creating various projects, many of which were just for personal interest. They highlight how one of their random projects unexpectedly turned into a success, emphasizing that it was more about the time spent experimenting and creating rather than formal education. Despite not having a clear plan, they managed to succeed by following their curiosity and making things that intrigued them.

Takeaways

• 🎓 Studied psychology at Harvard, not computer science, but had a background in programming since age 10.
• 💡 Psychology studies led to an intuitive understanding of people issues, which was useful in university and beyond.
• 🛠️ Created a website in a few weeks without initially anticipating its success.
• 🚫 Initially planned to abandon the project after a short time for another idea.
• 🎉 Glad not to have scrapped the project, as it turned out to be successful.
• 🤔 Emphasizes the importance of how one spends their time and the types of projects undertaken.
• 👀 Made numerous projects at Harvard, most of which were personal and not seen by others.
• 🎧 Developed a natural language interface for playing MP3s and other personal projects.
• 🚨 Created a 'hot or not' program that almost got him expelled from Harvard.
• 🔨 Enjoys making random things and believes this habit honed his skills for future projects.
• 🙅‍♂️ Admits to having no idea what he's doing when managing the process of his projects.

Q & A

What did the speaker study at Harvard University?

The speaker studied psychology at Harvard University, not computer science.

How long has the speaker been programming?

The speaker has been programming since they were around 10 years old.

Did the speaker's programming skills reach a level of intuition?

Yes, the speaker's programming skills reached a point where it became intuitive and they didn't have to consciously think about it.

What made the speaker interested in combining psychology with programming?

The speaker became interested in the people issues and interactions while studying psychology and being at a university, which led them to combine it with their programming skills.

How long did it take the speaker to create the site they mentioned?

It took the speaker a couple of weeks or even less to throw together the site.

What was the speaker's initial intention after creating the site?

The speaker initially planned to scrap the site after a hacker day and pursue a different idea.

What type of projects did the speaker make while at Harvard?

The speaker made a variety of random projects, many of which were not meant for others to see and were created for personal interest.

Can you provide an example of one of the projects the speaker made?

One example is a natural language interface to play the speaker's MP3s.

What was the 'hot or not' program the speaker mentioned?

The 'hot or not' program was a project created by the speaker before it became popular, and it almost got them kicked out of Harvard.

How did the speaker's experience at Harvard influence their ability to create the site?

The speaker's experience making various projects at Harvard helped them become well-tuned towards creating the site, even though they did not have specific training in managing such a process.

What was the speaker's attitude towards their own capabilities in managing the site creation process?

The speaker admits they had no idea what they were doing, indicating a sense of learning and discovery throughout the process.