index 22c74c7..55d4ba9 100644
@@ -24,11 +24,11 @@ the most important decision I've made as a builder is choosing growth over posit
these are not the same thing, and they often conflict.
-- spending a summer grinding AMC problems to improve your score from 110 to 125 is position optimization. spending that summer building a product that ships to real users is growth optimization.
+- spending a summer grinding AMC problems to improve your score from 110 to 125 is position optimization. spending that summer [[shipping-products|building a product]] that ships to real users is growth optimization.
- doing research with a famous professor so you can name-drop them is position. doing research on a problem you genuinely care about with whoever will mentor you is growth.
-- applying to RSI because everyone says you should is position. applying because you specifically want to do research at MIT this summer is growth.
+- applying to RSI because everyone says you should is position. see [[summer-programs]] for an honest look at which programs matter. applying because you specifically want to do research at MIT this summer is growth.
-the growth path is scarier because it's less legible. nobody has a rubric for "learned a lot and became more capable." but it compounds faster because you're actually building skills, not just building a resume.
+the growth path is scarier because it's less legible. see [[learning-paths]] for how to actually learn outside the pipeline. nobody has a rubric for "learned a lot and became more capable." but it compounds faster because you're actually building skills, not just building a resume.
## the credential trap
@@ -37,13 +37,13 @@ here's the trap: every hour you spend on credentials is an hour you're not spend
I deliberately chose NOT to do RSI. NOT to follow the YC pipeline. NOT to optimize for prestige.
instead I:
-- interned at a neurotech startup (Orbit, $9M raised) as their youngest intern — not because it was prestigious, but because the work was interesting
+- interned at a neurotech startup (Orbit, $9M raised) as their youngest intern — not because it was prestigious, but because the [[work-experience|work]] was interesting
- published EEG research targeting IEEE TBME — not because I needed a publication, but because the science was cool
- won math modeling competitions (HiMCM, MCM/ICM, M3, MTFC) — not because they look good, but because I love applied math
-- won 3.5/5 hackathons — because hackathons are fun and you learn fast
-- started Socratica at my school — because I wanted a community of builders, not because I needed "founded a club" on my resume
+- won 3.5/5 [[competitions-hackathons|hackathons]] — because hackathons are fun and you learn fast
+- started Socratica at my school — because I wanted a [[communities|community of builders]], not because I needed "founded a club" on my resume
-none of these were chosen for their prestige value. they were chosen because they made me better at things I care about. the resume impact was a side effect, not the goal.
+none of these were chosen for their prestige value. same philosophy applies to [[funding-grants]] — pursue funding for the work, not the resume line. they were chosen because they made me better at things I care about. the resume impact was a side effect, not the goal.
## the Asian STEM male problem