So it wasn't my dream job, but it was a foot in, and I was able to make a living ever since. Cause I was at a tiny newspaper, with a circulation of 5,000, covering sewage disputes and things like that. And luckily I was able to get a job early on out of college, not a good job. And then if that didn't work out, go to law school or something respectable. I'm curious, did your parents encourage you or discourage you? What did they teach you about making your way?ĪJ Jacobs: They were encouraging overall but also concerned, so I think they wanted me to experiment with trying to be a writer for a couple of years. And I remember when I got my book deal with Penguin, I told my dad, because my sister's a doctor, I was like, that the odds of getting a book deal are lower than they are of getting into med school. And I don't remember, I was reading this book called Why We Write, and I don't remember the exact numbers, but it was something like there are a million people who want to publish a book, and one of those out of every million will get published. But I'm curious, were they encouraging when you told them you were going to be a journalist and a writer? Because you and I both know, you're signing up for a life in which nothing is guaranteed. It's funny because you and I are both children of educators, and I think that we both probably share similar views on education, given the careers that we've had. Srini: Did they encourage any particular career paths? It sounds like a relatively stable career. And you're going to remember that more than just someone telling you on the blackboard, the galaxies expand. To teach them about the Big Bang she had them make muffins with raisins in them so that when the muffin expanded like those are the galaxies, that is a much better way. She could have been a good entrepreneur because she really tried to engage the students on their level. And my mom was a science teacher who I think was very into it. So I thought, maybe I should finish what he began, but he gave me that love of learning and curiosity. He got into the bees, like Apis or something. I got my idea for my first book from my dad because when I was a kid, he started to read the Encyclopedia Britannica from A to Z. My dad was a lawyer and my mom was a science teacher and they both loved learning. Srini: So how did that end up shaping what you ended up doing as a writer? If I remember correctly, you said your dad was an attorney, right?ĪJ Jacobs: Yeah. So I guess I was yeah, I would I was a little bit of a nomad and I think that served me well. I love almost an anthropological look at the world and I think that different groups and different tribes can contribute so much and you can take from them to make your own life better. So there were the theater people, the nerds, the jocks, the druggies, and I liked to dip in and out.Īnd I think that is very telling because that's what I like to do as an adult. I liked to go between the different cliques. What's going to be? I would say I was a bit of a floater. Please visit the wiki for the complete list.AJ Jacobs: That's good. No one comes to the Father except through me." - John 14:6Ĭome chat with us on IRC /#reddit-Christianity /#reddit-Christianity-meta Religious/Denominational Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. If you are asking a question, be sure to check our FAQ as it may have already been addressed there. Our Community Policy (XP for short) contains guidelines to help promote healthy discussion and discourage trolling, please review it.
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