Jorge Stolfi
2021-05-12
(from folklore)
Jack was waiting for the bus when a red Ferrari goes by, brakes, and backs up to him.
"Jack? Is that you? Remember me? Mike, from 9th grade at Oaks High?" says the driver.
"Er.. Oh yes, I remember you, Mike, yes!"
"So nice to see you again, Jack, after all these years! How have you been doing? You were the best student in the school; you must have gone far with that."
"Well,I cannot complain. I was lucky to get a couple of study grants that helped me get along. I went to Harvard and majored in Mathematics, then got a Ph. D. from MIT, and spent two years as as a Post-doc in Germany. On my return I taught math for five years at a high school in Peoria, then at a community college for eight years, then got a job as Assistant Lecturer at the State university, and with luck I may get tenure in another 15 or 20 years."
"Wow, that is impressive, Jack! Good for you!"
"But what about you, Mike? From your car, I can tell that you did very well too."
"Oh, I have been getting along. As you must remember, school was not my thing. I dropped out before finishing 10th grade and tried my hand at commerce. I did quite well, but frankly I don't even know why. I don't have any fancy method or anything. All I do is buy stuff for $10, sell it for $20, and that 10% profit has been quite enough for me."
Last edited on 2021-05-12 15:13:03 by jstolfi