I'd go back to civil engineering. Building things. Good, honest work.
If you're willing to take the paycut, there are still plenty of software-based jobs where you're still slowly building useful things.
Ask HN: What would you do if you didn't work in tech?
101–110 of 141 posts
Re: Ask HN: What would you do if you didn't work in tech?
#102If I had money, I'd start to set up free after-school tutoring/play areas.
I'd love to open a new business of a dog park that sells coffee in the morning, and beer in the afternoon/evening. A small amount of nice workstations for people to get some work/studying done.
If I never got into tech- well I was going to be a Materials Engineer, but if I were a tradesman I'd probably be an electrician because of my superiority complex, lack of craftsman-level hand-eye coordination, and I like expensive tools.
Re: Ask HN: What would you do if you didn't work in tech?
#103I would probably be a NEET without partner and kids.
I really like computers and it's what pulled me out of online multiplayer games.
Without them,I would probably have succumbed to my high school burnout and not made any progress academically or professionally.
Nowadays, probably something in finances, I realized I could have enjoyed accounting or some work related to business finances, but this is something I learned while working, not before.
Re: Ask HN: What would you do if you didn't work in tech?
#104Most likely would be dead.
Re: Ask HN: What would you do if you didn't work in tech?
#105I'd run a chicken farm and a restaurant.
Re: Ask HN: What would you do if you didn't work in tech?
#106Do I need to make money? If the answer is no, then I would do something physical and mindless like stocking shelves or landscaping.
If the answer is yes, I'll stick with software.
When I was in college I did residential landscaping in the summers, and in retrospect it was a good time.
Re: Ask HN: What would you do if you didn't work in tech?
#107not a communist, but the communist manifesto articulated this problem very well in people end up doing work that does not matter to them because of capitalism. imagine a world, where people do that, they are passionate about and not have to worry about basic means and even some wants (entertainment, comfort living etc). a world of abundance for everyone where people just do what they are super passionate about. will…
name one pure communist country that has thrived. China has 516 billionaires.
Re: Ask HN: What would you do if you didn't work in tech?
#108Earlier quoted context omitted.
I've now reframed a garage, built a woodshed, and built a utility shed. I'm planning to build a cabin in the next couple of years. Working with something physically tangible is immensely rewarding.
Indeed! I also found it let me indulge in a secondary passion of mine which is fuel efficiency. For example, when I'm building it myself I can make the walls ludicrously thick and insulated to the point where it stays a relatively moderate temp inside even without climate control. I built a shed to use as a luxury dog house, and it was tight enough that a single small space heater could keep it quite pleasant in the…
tight is not the goal - a home needs to breath
Re: Ask HN: What would you do if you didn't work in tech?
#109This thought experiment insinuates that not working in tech means infinite money or resources, which I realize is not the spirit of the question, but in the event that funding is of no consequence...
I would build sound systems. Huge ones, bigger than what's in my garage. Bone-shaking, yet clear as the pure blue sky
I would open a video store / computer lab / hangout for skaters, nerds and misfits
I would curate a library, with a point of view -- the most interesting ones are where the signal has been extricated from the noise and somebody wants you to see the world how they see the world
I would make a lot of things, physical and digital -- from 3D prints to woodworking to PCBs to strange websites and curious software
I would get a giant pizza oven and a huge cauldron and fuck around making pies and stews LOL
I would just do cool shit with my friends!
I basically do a lot of these things already in measured doses, in between begging, scraping, seeking, asking for, grabbing money; that whole pursuit is a great stick and carrot that keeps the human moving through life, but it's also kind of corrosive to the soul, and unavoidable if you want to participate in society.
Funny how when I re-read what I'm about to post (as a middle aged man), it sounds like the pipe dream of a 12 year old boy, some old loser who refuses to grow up lol
Re: Ask HN: What would you do if you didn't work in tech?
#110I would farm. Probably vineyards and orchards. With big flower gardens.
If you've ever worked land, you'll know your boss is the weather and the seasons, and time.
It's good.