Continually producing better eSports photographs. So far, I've sacrificed;

~ Over $5000.
~ A lot of sleep and most of my weekends.
~ Three months spent scrubbing toilets/living in a room with 4 other people.
~ Seeing my Mum for any extended period of time for 2 years.

In many ways it's been worth it though. I kind of wish I had the chance to travel more, but on my current visa I can't leave the country (Plus I get only weekends off from my job.) so I'm basically here for another year. I'd love to visit Japan again.

Slaughter

United States20255 Posts

October 08 2009 23:11 GMT

#28

My dream is to complete my masters degree and to get my PhD, then to teach at a university and be a productive researcher.

category

United States85 Posts

October 08 2009 23:12 GMT

#29

My dream is to improve the state of education, especially in math. Most kids in high school nowadays can't stand math and resent having to learn it, with a "when will I ever use this?" attitude.

The problem is that classes focus too much on the numbers and the computation. It's just add/substract/multiply in different contexts or to find different quantities. On the other hand, real math is all about concepts and reasoning, and I feel like students are mostly being deprived of the enjoyable components of math.

I got a good degree from one of the top5/top10 schools in the US. I could probably get a high paying job if I wanted to go into industry and work for some company (maybe not in the current economy, I'm not sure). But right now I think the average person's mathematical and logical literacy is just abysmal, and it needs to be remedied.

AcrossFiveJulys

United States3612 Posts

October 08 2009 23:18 GMT

#30

Mine is a bit ambitious, but it's to come up with an innovation in machine learning or AI that will make a noticeable impact on the world, in a good way. I'm on the right path so far, as I'm working towards a PhD right now in computer science, specifically in AI/machine learning.

I've definitely made huge sacrifices to get where I am now, such as
-- giving up great friends and family by moving to a different state for grad school
-- giving up developing my social life for the most part in order to make time for more studying and research
-- turning down a prestigious, high paying job offer in a great location in order go to grad school instead

Really, though, these sacrifices aren't such a big deal to me because I know this is what I want to do and wouldn't be happy with myself otherwise.

AcrossFiveJulys

United States3612 Posts

October 08 2009 23:20 GMT

#31

On October 09 2009 08:12 category wrote:
My dream is to improve the state of education, especially in math. Most kids in high school nowadays can't stand math and resent having to learn it, with a "when will I ever use this?" attitude.

The problem is that classes focus too much on the numbers and the computation. It's just add/substract/multiply in different contexts or to find different quantities. On the other hand, real math is all about concepts and reasoning, and I feel like students are mostly being deprived of the enjoyable components of math.

You're so right about this. An intuitive and logical understanding of subjects, especially math, makes them so much more of a pleasant experience. I'm not sure if everyone prefers it that way, though.

gumbum8

United States721 Posts

October 08 2009 23:21 GMT

#32

I really want to break 50 seconds in a 400 Meter run.
Optimally, I want to run a 45-46 my senior year.
What would I sacrifice? Every practice I go to is brutal, and I get home at 7.

Wr3k

Canada2533 Posts

October 08 2009 23:24 GMT

#33

My dream is to have sex more than 5 times in one night.

Seriously though, Id like to travel (I have a huge list of places I want to see) and enjoy my work, meet someone I really love, and maybe after I am tired of traveling have some kiddies.

illu

Canada2531 Posts

October 08 2009 23:27 GMT

#34

Dream: go to medical school.
Sacrifice: be unhappy for the rest of my life and die by myself.

Trezeguet

United States2656 Posts

October 08 2009 23:32 GMT

#35

On October 09 2009 08:27 illu wrote:
Dream: go to medical school.
Sacrifice: be unhappy for the rest of my life and die by myself.

Don't worry about the last part, there are plenty of people who get into med school to marry someone there for their cash.

Flaccid

8917 Posts

October 08 2009 23:37 GMT

#36

Dream: to be self employed and still successful. This self employment cannot be tied down to any particular location allowing me the freedom to go whever the fuck I want and do whatever the fuck I want. Plus I get to swear.

Sacrifices:
- sleep (dealing with a start-up business while working full-time in an unrelated career)
- calm (long hours of work are a constant strain on my relationships)
- health (less time spent exercising or *not* eating microwave burritos and drinking cheap beer)
- prestige (current career is much 'fancier' but will be tossed by the wayside if all goes according to plan)

Zoler

Sweden6339 Posts

October 08 2009 23:43 GMT

#37

I want to meet my GF. She lives in New York.

I also want to travel (first point lol), USA, many European countries, China, Japan and South Korea and Australia are in my list.

Also forgot to add that one of my dreams is to be pro in any form of competative e-sport game and I want the scene to flourish all over the world!

Xusneb

Canada612 Posts

October 08 2009 23:44 GMT

#38

I believe our conception of 'Happiness' is an illusion. The state is wholly temporary after once achieves a goal only to be replaced by yet another goal-seeking attempt. I prefer the word 'contentment' when describing a state of peace and well-being.

blue_arrow

1971 Posts

October 08 2009 23:46 GMT

#39

On October 09 2009 08:20 AcrossFiveJulys wrote:

Show nested quote +

i agree; profs use way too much long-winded jargon to describe simple and satisfying concepts. it should always be concept first and jargon later.

Also i want to make teaching a more highly-regarded profession; right now teacher salaries suck and incentives are terrible, resulting in lazy, uncaring and underqualified teachers at times. In fact, education as a whole needs to move to a higher plane of significance and existance than where it is now. There is way too much disparity in educational quality; and I'm not only talking about differences in educational quality across countries with varying economic wealth either, I'm talking about the extreme disparities found even within first-world nations.

Ingenol

United States1328 Posts

October 08 2009 23:48 GMT

#40

On October 09 2009 08:37 Flaccid wrote:
Dream: to be self employed and still successful. This self employment cannot be tied down to any particular location allowing me the freedom to go whever the fuck I want and do whatever the fuck I want. Plus I get to swear.

Sacrifices:
- sleep (dealing with a start-up business while working full-time in an unrelated career)
- calm (long hours of work are a constant strain on my relationships)
- health (less time spent exercising or *not* eating microwave burritos and drinking cheap beer)
- prestige (current career is much 'fancier' but will be tossed by the wayside if all goes according to plan)

Can you tell us what your business will be yet?