Thesis: Many people's destinies are determined not by ability, but by the first sorting table their era hands them.
Looking back on my life, I have two deep regrets. By the time large language models arrived to help compensate, the energy and opportunity for frontline battle had already passed. A sigh.
The first regret: Among the Class of '77, many of the brightest were "hijacked" by the window of foreign languages. English was the key to the world — but the ticket was so precious that many spent their entire lives stuck at the ticket gate. I was drafted into the humanities, not because I didn't apply for science. The era made the choice for me.
The second regret: the PhD phase. I had one foot in the door of coding and engineering. OOP and C++ were all the rage, I was hooked. But the thesis and degree pulled me away. I became a self-made manager — VP, Chief, whatever — knowing a little about everything but never again a frontline engineer.
This isn't simple personal regret. It's a sample of an era: when windows of choice are small, a person is shaped not by their interests, but by the shortages of their time.
Today's young people have all the tools. AI, programming, English, expression — everything can be re-learned. The era no longer opens just one door. The only question: with all the doors open, do you dare walk back in?
by Tuya
