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Ask HN: Is it just me or do 99% of SWE jobs offers seem completely pointless?

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Re: Ask HN: Is it just me or do 99% of SWE jobs offers seem completely pointless?

#101

Post by hn_version_0023 »

I’m 46 years old now. I’ve felt as you have since my first corporate job at 21. I have contemplated “offing myself” as you say. But obviously I’m still here!

Seems to me your reaction to the world is appropriate and correct. The world we’ve created for ourselves is devoid of meaning. Most work is performative, and entirely pointless, IME.

So you need to make your own meaning. A significant-other helps. As do pets, and though I don’t have then myself, children provide meaning for a great many people.

For me, the best I can do at work is find a sort of Zen-like contentedness with the work. Working carefully, slowly, deliberately, doing my best with minimal effort; these things bring me to my place of Zen.

When I get tired of a job, I leave and look for something new. I show precisely as much loyalty to my employer as they show me; aka none. As others have said, life is too short. Define your own version of success and pursue that. Chasing someone else’s version of success is a fools errand.

Re: Ask HN: Is it just me or do 99% of SWE jobs offers seem completely pointless?

#102

Post by bluejellybean »

Assuming you don't need/care about maximizing salary, university research can be a pretty rewarding path. There are a lot of big institutions that need high quality software developers with 'real-world' experience to assist their teams.

Having been a bit burnt out on corporate life, I had decided to try this path out almost a year ago. My lab is in kidney research, and it has been a breath of fresh air to constantly be talking with various doctors and researchers across the US instead of simple businessmen. It has also be extremely heartwarming to hear from patients about the direct impact this research has had on their quality of life. Had someone recently speak to us, their story of struggle, and the love they had for this work legitimately brought a tear to my eye, extremely motivating stuff.

The pay is far from competitive (I have no degree, helps a LOT if you do though!) and as with any job, there are going to be day-to-day stressors. With that said, the plus includes sane working hours, lots of PTO, and typically many of these places offer top-of-the-line health care. I'm sure I'll head back to startup land eventually, the grass is always greener, but for the time being I have been able to get some excellent quality sleep, waking with excitement for what each day ahead holds.

Re: Ask HN: Is it just me or do 99% of SWE jobs offers seem completely pointless?

#104

Post by kerneloftruth »

Your attitude might improve if you adjust your perspective. You're in a field with such opportunities that you can go almost anywhere in the world and find work. You don't have to work outside. You're not toiling at physical labor. You're probably not punching a time clock. Consider what work is like for most all other people, and you might recognize how good things are for SWEs.

Maybe take a sabbatical and get an entry level construction job -- you might find a whole new appreciation for what you have. Or, you might discover that 'real' physical work is more enjoyable and meaningful.

Re: Ask HN: Is it just me or do 99% of SWE jobs offers seem completely pointless?

#105

Post by guitarbill »

jimmyvalmer wrote: post #6

People who work 8 hours a day ... how do you cope without wanting to off yourself? I only work 8 hours a day. That leaves plenty of time for the boozing and buggering that a 40-hour work-week can buy.

Aim higher - 8 hours a day is way too long :) Many devs can get away with 3-4 hours of good, uninterrupted work. True masters can do less than that.

Re: Ask HN: Is it just me or do 99% of SWE jobs offers seem completely pointless?

#106

Post by zepto »

TameAntelope wrote: post #87
elephanlemon wrote: post #36

Don’t agree with most of these comments. Not wanting to work at a company that makes some uninteresting business product just a little more profitable does not mean that you are depressed. Working at a place like that can certainly make you depressed though! To the OP, I think you have a few options. On one hand you can keep taking short jobs / consulting or try to build some sort of simple SaaS business that you can…

Anything that harms your ability to live happily can be considered a disease. Not being able to work at 99% of the companies that employ your profession is arguably something that harms your ability to live happily.

Or they could have just chosen a profession they don’t like?

Re: Ask HN: Is it just me or do 99% of SWE jobs offers seem completely pointless?

#108

Post by amelius »

jlos wrote: post #80

A meaningful job is only a part of building a meaningful life. The questions your asking may be a sign your placing too much existential weight on a job instead of actively working to have a meaningful life in every aspect. Are you actively building meaningful relationships, maintaining the old ones and seeking out new ones? Are you involved in communities around shared values? Do you invest in personal goals outside…

> A meaningful job is only a part of building a meaningful life.

Yeah, but an important part, often close to 1/2 of your waking life (minus commute and chores and such).

A well-balanced life can only be achieved with a satisfactory job that is meaningful.

You don't want to tell your grandchildren that what you did in this world is make people click more ads, regardless of how juicy the tech was at that time.

Re: Ask HN: Is it just me or do 99% of SWE jobs offers seem completely pointless?

#109

Post by jp57 »

You can probably buy a more fulfilling job with a lower salary.

My first job out of college was working as a programmer in a university research lab. It paid a lot less than working in industry, but was incredibly fun and fulfilling.

The things I got in exchange for the low salary were a ton of autonomy, interesting work to do, the knowledge that my work had value, direct contact with my users, and a relaxed environment surrounded by smart people doing interesting work. A grad school environment, without the stress of publish-or-perish.

We did publish a paper on our software, and asked anyone who used the software to cite the paper in their publications. That paper has thousands of citations now.

This was in the 1990s and I'm sure the compensation penalty for this kind of work is even greater now. The caveat here is that I was young and single, with no family to support, in a city with a low cost of living, and I was very happy living a low-rent, quasi-bohemian lifestyle. But I wouldn't trade that experience for more money now, even considering the compounded investment returns I've missed out on.

Re: Ask HN: Is it just me or do 99% of SWE jobs offers seem completely pointless?

#110

Post by therealdavesky »

As a recent poster to "ask HN" who can't get hired for anything in SWE due to my age, to me it seems you should count your blessings if employment is so abundant in your life that you can turn down jobs based on their motivation. Some day things may change and jobs may not be easy to find. Be happy that you are needed anywhere for any job!
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