Secrets of a Buccaneer-ScholarJames Marcus Bach
Secrets of a Buccaneer-Scholar
by James Marcus Bach · first published 2009
12mentions
1recommended by
2HN commenters
2022–2026first – last mentioned
50% recommend50% neutral
Affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
I’ve had a 40 year career in computing as a high school dropout. I wrote this book about it, specifically to help folks like us: Secrets of a Buccaneer-Scholar, by James Marcus Bach. I guess I have ADHD. But I can’t shake the feeling that it’s more a superpower than a disability. My son has been diagnosed with it at 29 and finds that Adderall helps a lot.
on “Did Anyone Else Here Simply Not Do Well at School?” ↗I wrote about a more relaxed version of this, some years ago. See Secrets of a Buccaneer-Scholar. I wrote it to explain the techniques I use to compete as a technical guy who dropped out of high school. It’s actually not very hard to compete if you see education as an ongoing process of personal…
on “Andy Matuschak – Self-Teaching, Spaced Repetition, Why Books Don't Work” ↗(Note: I spent years writing a book called Secrets of a Buccaneer-Scholar, which is about this topic) Although there are many good points in this post, it is strange and unnecessary to speak of books or lectures “not working” because transmission doesn’t really exist. I, too,…
on “Why Books Don't Work: Constructivism over Transmissionism” ↗…else has a powerboat, but I am forced to sail by the wind. Anyway Bold Boast means you publicly commit to achieving a learning or teaching goal that involves a presentation or visible product. (see Secrets of a Buccaneer-Scholar, which I believe you find pirated online here and there)
on “Ask HN: What interesting problems are you working on?” ↗I was one of those students. I refused to do homework after the age of 11 (I cited the 13th amendment). Quit school as soon as it was legal to do so. I wrote about this in Secrets of a Buccaneer-Scholar. Now approaching my 60th birthday, I feel certain I was suffering from undiagnosed ADHD. You can't force a brain to think what you want it to think. I couldn't even force myself to think what I wanted…
on “Why I'm Skeptical About Efforts to Revolutionize Schooling” ↗This piece is highly aligned with my way of thinking about learning as I wrote in Secrets of a Buccaneer-Scholar. Exciting to see another buccaneer’s take on things.
on “Understanding Everything” ↗…colleagues and students— even if they don’t know how to code— seems to make my intelligence come out to play. My mind seems to need an audience to please. I wrote about this in my book on self-education: Secrets of a Buccaneer-Scholar
on “Coding Is Hard” ↗…Institutional education is not real education. As someone put it here: you have to be a world-class autodidact to get a Ph.D. Yet, the school takes credit. Anyway, what I did and how it did it can be found in Secrets of a Buccaneer-Scholar, published hy Scribner.
on “The Era of the Autodidact Is Here (2018)” ↗…mind also works that way. People will tell you to suck it up. Don’t. Find interesting problems and then solve them naturally. You will learn lots and it will feel great. I wrote about this in my book Secrets of a Buccaneer-Scholar. I have used this method for my entire career since I became a professional coder at 16 after dropping out of high school. It may be important to note that I use coding in my work (software testing consultant,…
on “Ask HN: Trouble learning things I view as solutions looking for a problem” ↗…procrastination. It has important benefits. A key move for me was to stop thinking of my mind as if it were a power boat and start thinking of it as a sailboat. Hence my book on professional self-education: Secrets of a Buccaneer-Scholar. Another key move was to recognize that discipline is not my road to getting things done. Rather, my motivator is helping people. I am also usually very careful about what I promise. Most of my promises…
on “ADHD and managing your professional reputation” ↗10th grade dropout. Got in at Apple. Wrote about it in Secrets of a Buccaneer-Scholar.
on “Ask HN: How many of you are working in tech without a STEM degree?” ↗Secrets of a Buccaneer-Scholar (2009) refers to this as scouting: gathering info and letting it rest, being comfortable with forgetting.
on “The Hypercurious Mind” ↗