Comprehension Ceiling

[Narj]

Does anyone else feel like no matter how hard you try to study or understand something, that you can never get beyond a certain point?

I think the first time I hit this was Calculus II - I scraped the exam by 1% and I'm not proud of it. In my career I have also had to read RFCs and other highly technical documents and I have really struggled to get what I needed out of them. I also play piano but now accept that I will never get to a point where I will get a spot at Cadogan Hall.

I also think I have made several poor decisions in my life that may not have happened if I'd been better mentally equipped. I didn't weigh up the consequences either way and I made really bad decisions.

I bought this book and I hope it will help: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1093452846

I really feel like I need the pill from the film "limitless" to stop being a knob. Am I alone in feeling perpetually stupid when I compare myself to people who are planning orbital launches and the like? It's just immensely frustrating feeling like I should be "better" but I don't know how.

EDIT: I should add that I try to read very technical documents now and compared to 10 years ago, my attention span destroys any chance of understanding them.

Let the roasting commence.

Disclaimer: I've had a few beers. I am very honest in this situation so please be gentle.

 

[Narj]

Nope not me, I'm a top salesman.

Do you have a Gucci Belt though? Thread closed if so.

 

[Narj]

@slinxy - I had a job once programming mini apps for a larger system, it was all system performance stats based stuff/reporting and I found it immensely satisfying. That filled in some hazy gaps in my maths very quickly. Enjoying what you’re doing is definitely helpful and practical application is probably the best learning tool there is IMO.

Ultimately succeeding in life is about playing to your strengths. I’m just at a stage where I’d quite like to try to get better at things I’ve always been crap at. I did toy with doing some data science for fun but some of the course material just looks like heiroglyphics to me. I just zone out when I look at it.

Getting self help books on Amazon does seem a bit desperate but I’m willing to try. Otherwise I’ll just accept I’m a bit thick in some areas. Understanding your limitations is better than being full-on Dunning-Kruger I suppose.

Nature vs nurture is an interesting thing. A friend of mine has 2 kids who are chalk and cheese. One being extremely academically gifted while the other is a creative type. All attempts to get the second kid more academically interested are not going so well.

I did know one guy who was going on about “deep learning” and “deep work” several years ago (not in the AI sense) and he is hugely successful now. Wish I’d paid more attention