Ryan Clarke

Person in a Prius looking down at a phone: environmentally conscious and unconscious of environment.

@cpryland @paulg Jonathan Cecil is the correct answer.

@paulg Actually, the best are the old BBC tapes read by Jonathan Cecil. Magic.

I met a man at a party who said he listened to P. G. Wodehouse audiobooks. Me: I don't think I could do that. I'm very picky about Wodehouse. I don't think I could listen to someone reading him unless it was– Him: Stephen Fry. Me: Yes.

@eugeniolabadie @aaron_renn @tylercowen @hughhewitt Its most valuable point is the ambition in a Christian can and should be a good and noble thing. I also appreciated his discussion on mission and church attendance as a way to prevent losing yourself as you achieve greater success.

@RyanSClarke @aaron_renn @tylercowen @hughhewitt Wonderful, would love to hear your takeaways or which parts you found most valuable

Let me tell you about one of my biggest mistakes in life, courtesy of @tylercowen. Cowen says one mark of talent is knowing the right status hierarchies to climb. I chose the wrong status hierarchies, though hopefully some of that was not entirely my fault. As a Midwest "farm boy," I chose essentially Midwestern status hierarchies. Educationally, I chose Indiana University, in the Big Ten status group of the state flagship hierarchy. Not bad, but I easily could have gotten into Harvard or a similar school at that time. Professionally, I went into technology focused management consulting with Andersen Consulting (now Accenture). This was the midtier corporate consulting hierarchy. It was a great experience and Accenture is a great firm. But that as a career platform, unlike true McKinsey tier management consulting or investment banking, doesn't really lead to big things outside of that world. Very few people I knew at any level of Accenture went on to achieve success in obviously elite realms. Almost all of them are still doing some variety of corporate IT. Geographically, I moved to Chicago. This is the Midwest urban hierarchy. Wonderful city. Arguably the best price/performance in urbanism available today. For people outside of the top 5-7% of talent, it's arguably the best choice. But with some limited exceptions, it's not the big leagues. It's less connected to elite networks. It's not an ambition force multiplier. For people who aspire to reach the peaks, it's the wrong choice. It's the top of the Midwest hierarchy, but not the national or global one. I grew up in a rural part of Southern Indiana four miles outside a town of less than 100 people. My consolidated high school had 50 people in my graduating class. My choices were extremely high ambition by the standards of that community. They also worked out extremely well for me personally. Getting to move to Chicago, become a managing director at Accenture, experiencing a level of consumption I never knew existed - all great things. In fact, they were so good compared to my origins that I didn't realize what I wasn't accomplishing. I didn't even know about the levels above me in some cases. I met a very famous pastor whose name you'd know. He grew up in a similar backwater to me, probably 2-3 hours from me. But in high school he had a teacher or counselor who looked at his test scores and told him he needed to go to an elite college - and even gave him a list of acceptable choices. That put him on a trajectory that led to the very apex of his profession. No one ever did anything like that for me. In retrospect, I was left completely alone growing up to make my own choices in a vacuum. That's better than a lot of people in my hometown area, whose ambitions were actively suppressed. But it made a big negative impact on my life trajectory, at least hypothetically. Even then, your choice of college determined much of your future. Choosing IU, I could not have gotten a job at McKinsey. I remember in the 1980s growing up and thinking those corporate raiders on Wall Street were cool and that I might like to do something like that. But my college choice made sure that door would not be open for me. (Actually, I would have hated finance anyway). Absent some outside chance event, probably there was nothing I probably could have done to make better choices in high school. Moving to Chicago and working for Accenture was arguably the right move in light of my college choice. But I should have recognized in my 20s that I needed to pivot out of that, and I didn't. I was a top 1% programmer in that era, and probably could have gone to Silicon Valley. I just didn't. I have to take ownership of that. Later I did pivot in ways that opened new vistas. I moved to New York and worked at the Manhattan Institute. I've been quoted in and written for basically every major media outlet there is. My "negative world" idea has massively affected how evangelicals view the world, and is even changing ministry strategies at megachurches. But the fact that I spent way too much time playing the wrong games in the wrong status hierarchies hurt. I'll probably never overcome that completely. Cowen's point is critical and most overlooked. It's not just about the kind of job you want to do, or the city you think you'd enjoy living in. You need to think strategically about the right status hierarchies to climb. And explicitly consider what state hierarchy you are putting yourself in through your life choices. Today, there's more of a known conventional script, as followed by someone like Pete Buttigieg. That still works for some, though is competitive and overcrowded. I probably would have benefitted from being more conventional early in life. But some other people today, the unconventional choice might be better. And, of course, no matter what you do, success is not guaranteed. There's an old saying, "Without awareness, there is no choice." You are going to be working to climb some status hierarchies. The question is whether you actually made a conscious choice or just drifted into it by default.

@sbm367 @aaron_renn @tylercowen @hughhewitt I found it interesting and insightful. Its major value is in demonstrating the virtue of ambition in a Christian.

@sbm367 @aaron_renn @tylercowen @hughhewitt I read it on your recommendation: thank you.

@eugeniolabadie @aaron_renn @tylercowen @hughhewitt I read it on your recommendation: thank you.

@aaron_renn @tylercowen @hughhewitt wrote an underrated book years ago with tons of practical advice on this called “In But Not Of: A Guide to Christian Ambition” Your younger audience might find it extremely valuable

@bendellwerry To Say Nothing Of The Dog by Connie Willis is one of the funniest books I’ve read. It reads like P. G. Wodehouse, but with time travel. Throughout the book, a Christian reader will discern a subtle discussion on the sovereignty of God.

@TheRabbitRoom The cure for winter restlessness is making maple syrup. Restful hours spent out in the crisp air, wrapped in a scarf and sipping tea, watching and smelling the crystal clear maple water slowly boil down into rich syrup… this is part of the prayed-for feast.

"O Christ, shine now, into this long night! O Spirit, blow upon these cold embers of our faith, our hope, our love. O Father, prepare your children a secret fellowship and a feast, even here in this place that feels today like desolation." bit.ly/4bLRjCG

People are gonna lose their minds once they find out about Carmel, Indiana

@aaron_renn Just today I did a thread on why high mortgage interest rates are not necessarily bad for home buyers. twitter.com/RyanSClarke/st…

Thread

It may seem counterintuitive, but for people looking to upgrade homes in the same area or people with patience to wait for a good opportunity, high interest rates can create a great market to buy in.

I would much rather have a high interest rate on a smaller loan amount, than a larger loan on an amazing rate, assuming the same monthly payment and home. You owe less, so early payment is easier. Lower taxes. And you can hope to refinance to a better rate.

Complicated thoughts on this. I believe high interest rates can help buyers by reducing competition for homes. But now that I’m in, I would love to see them come down more so I can refinance.

Already preordered.

That great article about Carmel is on the front page of the real estate section of today’s Journal.

@aaron_renn That was an epic day.

Something I'm thankful for this Thanksgiving: one year ago today our house went on the market, we toured it, put in an offer, and signed a contract to buy it - all on the same day.

🎉 Happy 10th anniversary @RyanSClarke! As our first apprentice, he proved that skills-first hiring truly works. His passion and drive to lead our monthly lightning talks has been a fun experience for all of SEP! Cheers to a decade of excellence, Ryan! 🌟

Poignantly written thread. I’ve been through too many of these towns. Always sad.

Probably my favorite place to visit in Carmel. Although the FlowRider at The Waterpark at Monon Community Center is tough competition.