Can you do this for me?, a serious matter. Options

[verlorenrivets]

I had a discussion with my dad about networking, and it sparked something in my head. I have a few questions for anyone who reads this, if you don't mind.

1) What is your ambition in life?

2) What are you actually good at doing at this point in your life?

3) Do those things work well together on a personal level (or do those things work without other people being involved)?

4) How do you feel about someone else using you for your talents?

5) How do you feel about using someone else for their talents?

6) What kind of incentive would you need to use your talents for someone else's goals?

7) What kind of incentive do you think other people would need for them to use their talents for one of your goals?

8) After answering those questions, do you feel like you can accomplish your life's ambition alone?

[*mipadi*]

1) What is your ambition in life?
I'd like to become a computer science researcher, preferably in the field of high-performance computing. Either work on machines that do something important like curing cancer, or work with machines that render graphics for films, that sort of thing.

2) What are you actually good at doing at this point in your life?
I write well. I'm also adept at applying logic to situations. I pay attention to those studies that interest me, and do well in them.

3) Do those things work well together on a personal level (or do those things work without other people being involved)?
Yes, I think so.

4) How do you feel about someone else using you for your talents?
"Using", in what manner? Using as in "utilizing", or "taking advantage of"? I certainly have no qualms about someone utilizing my talents--they are a complete waste if not used in some way. Naturally, though, I don't like people taking advantage of my talents.

5) How do you feel about using someone else for their talents?
Same as above. I'm comfortable with using someone's talents to aid mine if they are comfortable with it as well. It might even have a synergistic effect. I would not be comfortable with taking advantage of another's talents, such as using them without permission or without just compensation.

6) What kind of incentive would you need to use your talents for someone else's goals?
It depends what the goals are. Are the goals in line with my own? Do they serve a higher purpose--i.e., would they benefit humanity, or at least a large number of people? If, for example, someone else's goal was to cure cancer, and they needed my talents, I'd gladly help out; if their goal was to make a pile of money, I wouldn't be so quick to give aid.

7) What kind of incentive do you think other people would need for them to use their talents for one of your goals?
Most people are mos swayed by promises of money or fame, although I suppose a lot would also be happy just to know they have left a significant mark in whatever their field is.

8) After answering those questions, do you feel like you can accomplish your life's ambition alone?
Doubtful. No man is an island, and it's important to know limitations. Great things can rarely be done alone--they need a team of dedicated, like-minded individuals to make them happen. Again, synergy--more can be accomplished with a team than with everyone trying to do the same work on their own.