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Language: en
Zecharia asks dr. Lex I'm a high school
student in Libya I am very interested in
new technology and artificial
intelligence and have taken the online
course cs50x from Harvard what do you
advise people like me to learn I'm at a
disadvantage because of my country's
educational system I one day want to
become a great engineer like you Elon
Musk and many more that may not be as
famous I'm very grateful for the mere
chance if you're applying to this when a
world were in that a kid from nowhere
can be asking questions of an MIT
researcher Zecharia thank you very much
for the question
you're too kind I probably have a lot to
say about this topic but let me try to
be brief into the point I think it's
wonderful that you reached out and there
you have a clarity to your passion don't
lose track of that in your college years
in the years to come don't forget that
you have an interest in artificial
intelligence don't forget that that fire
was there when you were in high school
and keep that fire burning I think the
the question you've asked is about the
disadvantage I think we live in a world
where there's a lot of injustice where
we don't all start from the same place
and that disadvantage doesn't always
look the same for everyone and how to
make a more just world is in many ways
we're struggling as a society to
understand no but that's a much bigger
topic than either you or I I think what
you should be focused on is what you can
do for your life your circumstances your
circumstance I've always believed that
my disadvantages are my superpowers and
I think your disadvantage is your
superpower use it as fuel if you look at
stories of great men of great women in
history that story always has a lot of
disadvantages that were overcome there
is something in the process of
overcoming hardship that creates
greatness most people quit through that
process if you can survive it then your
story will be a great one so the
education system in Libya may not be
optimal for your passion of artificial
intelligence perhaps you want to become
a professor or a top researcher in the
world it's difficult to go from Libya to
one of the best universities in in
America for example but it's not
impossible and once again the story of
great people starts very much like your
own story so practically speaking what
does that mean I would take your
education online and not only to study
but to build stuff I think the best way
you can overcome the physical
constraints of your upbringing is by
using the Internet to build stuff and
show to the world build it complete it
and show to the world so that means
learning how to program that means
building something that you're really
excited about and something that's new
and the best if it's something that's
new and a bunch of people use and it
brings them joy or it brings the value
just even the smallest possible thing so
that might start at first by
re-implementing things that other people
have done but then finding something
that you're curious about something that
kind of gives you a little spark of joy
imagining that you might be able to
figure out that puzzle don't lose track
of that joy like the moment you detect
that this might be something you might
be excited about or you already are
excited about hold onto that
hold onto that fire and go with it
because there's going to be dark periods
of time when you lose hope when you're
not so interested in that thing keep
going and remember that that fire was
there and the thing is at least for me I
think when there's a passion it can it
can wane and go up and down but it
always returns so once you have a
passion take those early few steps which
are always the hardest and then just
keep going just keep going one step at a
time keep grinding it out and believe
it's gonna work out so one of the most
important thing is to finish to finish
building something cool don't not too
ambitious something small something cool
something hopefully new and then show it
off to people show it off to me and I'll
share it with the world it might not be
me me it might be others and just
putting yourself out there in the world
and you never know what might happen I
think in many ways I feel highly
undeserving of the things I've gotten I
have worked extremely hard but I feel
that there's a lot of people that also
work hard and are better than me at a
lot of the things that I do so I've been
just really fortunate but I've also seen
the magic of just being kind to people
working hard and putting things you love
out there and the beauty of the internet
as it is is
when you put stuff you love out there
something good will happen something
magical will happen it might not be the
kind of success you imagined but it will
be a kind of success that would be
really fulfilling if you hear if you
allow your sort of if you open your
heart to it so like don't be constrained
at thinking that you know education MIT
or Stanford is a definition of success
success might be your own business
success might be working for a small
start-up that brings you joy success
might be using your software engineering
skills in your 20s to help out a farmer
in agriculture or a lawyer in a legal
profession or a doctor in medical like
the journey might take you all kinds of
places but as long as you allow yourself
to be carried by your passion you'll
you'll discover something magical again
without jealousy with honesty with
hardwork with kindness just putting
yourself out there I think magical
things happen but let me tell you once
again as you mentioned disadvantage I
think disadvantage on an individual
level I believe you have to see it as a
gift for yourself you have to see it as
a superpower because when your story is
written and I'm confident it will be
written it'll be a great story and
chapter two and three will include a
bunch of disadvantages a bunch of
hardships you have to overcome in fact
chapter 4 5 and 6 will be hardship -
it's only the later chapters you get to
have a little bit more fun but really I
think overcoming hardship
it's kind of the fun part in life so
call me crazy but I would recommend not
to listen to anybody who tells you to be
safe to find a stable job I'll listen to
your heart listen to your passion take
bold big risks when you're young that is
the time to do it or card build stuff
put it on github share it with the world
give joy and/or value to others and I
think however this crazy world works
with love and karma it will it it will
repay you in the end
so good luck I believe in you can't wait
to listen to the book about your life on
audiobook when I run in my 80s so
Zecharia I'm cheering for you and so is
the rest of the world so good luck
you