Using LSD to become a better programmer seems like a terrible idea. Better to just get adequate sleep, take a break, and meditate. If the insights on acid are valuable, it'd still be hard to code right then, and the trip is going to last 12 hours. I'm pretty sure that taking 12 hours to relax, sleep, meditate, will have similar effects on one's ability to step back and see the bigger picture.
I've done a fair number of drugs (LSD, shrooms, salvia, kratom, many more) and had some very positive experiences, but also some negative ones. My observation is that the drugs are best used for purposes that are meditative (alone, in the woods, on a beautiful day)-- LSD is definitely not a party drug. Spending 6 hours meditating in the woods is going to lead to intense realizations and experiences if you're even an intermediate-level meditator and reasonably disciplined, so the drugs aren't even necessary (they can make the process easier, but also more volatile). The major difference, when drugs are involved, is that there's no off-switch.
I wouldn't uniformly disparage psychedelic drugs. They have their place, and are valuable in the right context. However, I think they are very overrated because most of what they provide can be accomplished in other ways, and they're also quite risky.
College will be hard for them socially but they'll be more focused than their peers, so it's a coin-toss whether they'll be more or less successful than the average student.
I've done a fair number of drugs (LSD, shrooms, salvia, kratom, many more) and had some very positive experiences, but also some negative ones. My observation is that the drugs are best used for purposes that are meditative (alone, in the woods, on a beautiful day)-- LSD is definitely not a party drug. Spending 6 hours meditating in the woods is going to lead to intense realizations and experiences if you're even an intermediate-level meditator and reasonably disciplined, so the drugs aren't even necessary (they can make the process easier, but also more volatile). The major difference, when drugs are involved, is that there's no off-switch.
I wouldn't uniformly disparage psychedelic drugs. They have their place, and are valuable in the right context. However, I think they are very overrated because most of what they provide can be accomplished in other ways, and they're also quite risky.