MACHINED LEARNINGS

I've played arguably too much poker in my life, but I did learn some transferable skills. At the poker table, you love to see your opponent upset, because people get upset when they face an adverse condition and have no effective counterstrategy. Unfortunately, in a world where private violence is forbidden, getting upset is counterproductive because you lose to the ability to think clearly in exchange for preparation for a physical altercation that never materializes. If you get upset, you lose... Early in the career path (graduate school, postdoc, pre-tenure), aspiring professionals need credentials to certify their skill... An accept from a famous conference (NeurIPS, ICML, ICLR, etc.) provides credential value.