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Ask HN: Had enough – a need for a new beginning

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21–30 of 41 posts

Re: Ask HN: Had enough – a need for a new beginning

#21

I worked a lot on advertising/marketing related software. And had very similar feelings. Only until I've resolved my main personal psy issues. Since then I don't care. Job is just a mean to an end. As long as I don't do anything illegal - i'm fine. If I don't like it - I change it to something I like more. I don't give a single duck how others make money or how much they make. Also I know that there are as many assho…

Of course people are motivated by money but there is are difference on how you can achieve that goal. And in advertising it is mostly on the backs of the most naïve users. In contrast there are people that really improve software and products for everyone and there are countless examples of that.

that is a kinda childish view

It's like saying that advertising bad, other cool things - good.

Don't you know that if not because of advertising - we wouldn't had Google, amazon and thousands of other great products and companies?

Re: Ask HN: Had enough – a need for a new beginning

#22

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Short answer is that I'm a competent autodidact living in a time where it's easy to research anything with YouTube, ChatGPT and paid mentorship in a remarkably compressed amount of time. In fairness, my father was an engineer and my grandfather was an inventor; 35+ years developing software and being in proximity to electronics and people building stuff is certainly part of my story. However, aside from the whole men…

Thank you for this resourceful answer. Hardware might not be my ultimate goal, but some of your thoughts and conclusions are quite universal. I agree that ChatGPT is a valuable tool in certain areas. Education is one of them, as long as people don't solely rely on this platform and keep on questioning and verifying information via primary sources. It certainly has accelerated software development in my company as wel…

Right on. I hope that your journey is an empowering one.

I'm amused to see that someone disliked my initial reply enough to click the button. I guess you really can't make everyone happy.

One thing I would say as a parting thought is that even if hardware in particular is not your goal, engineering skills and an engineering mindset is something that is applicable to art, health, irregation, you name it.

Also: learning CAD has been one of the most profound communication skills wins for me. Even if your goal is not explicitly building stuff, being able to express a design in quantative terms is something that has a surprising amount of everyday applicability. One of the things Fusion is really good at is rendering, for example. It might not be my go-to tool for laying out my living room, but it has definitely replaced napkins and whiteboards simply because it has trained me to consider things unfinished until there are dimensions attached. That's a subtle but powerful upgrade.

Re: Ask HN: Had enough – a need for a new beginning

#23
> I want to do something in my life that truly benefits humanity.

> Something that helps save our planet.

I would advise you to rethink setting such big goals and start really small. It looks like you're burned out working for an finance oriented industry that does not have such goals in mind, and trying to compensate that with a swing in completely different direction. Jump the whole scale so to say. And that might be an impossible task. As an engineer I would decompose such a big goal in to smaller steps and try to move towards the goal.

If Elon with all his billions barely can make a dent in saving a planet, you should expect less from yourself. Just do your part whichever small it is.

This might be unrelated but I read an article from the founder who found value in the organization called Tugboat Institute. Which promotes sustainable growth of the business. Not sure it's 100% of what you looking for but worth exploring.

Re: Ask HN: Had enough – a need for a new beginning

#24

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Of course people are motivated by money but there is are difference on how you can achieve that goal. And in advertising it is mostly on the backs of the most naïve users. In contrast there are people that really improve software and products for everyone and there are countless examples of that.

that is a kinda childish view It's like saying that advertising bad, other cool things - good. Don't you know that if not because of advertising - we wouldn't had Google, amazon and thousands of other great products and companies?

I disagree that this view is childish at all. Advertising itself often has no value, it is about the products and services it might support.

And it is a broad field and evaluation of its worth is subjective. I think sponsoring events is a more constructive form of advertising than tracking users wants and pushing popups onto them. These are distinct spheres that can both be titled as advertising but are still very different and not equal.

Still, if advertising stopped existing, very little would change. It is often just a pivot that competitors need to engage.

Your choice to not care, but that is neither very wise nor a particularly "adult" perspective, although the latter is of course nothing you should strive for.

Re: Ask HN: Had enough – a need for a new beginning

#26
post #8

Bible. Open random page, the verse that you spot first is your answer. Try this once a week.

> 20 There she lusted after her lovers, whose genitals were like those of donkeys and whose emission was like that of horses. This didn't help.

Patience. One per each week.

Re: Ask HN: Had enough – a need for a new beginning

#27

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Thank you for this resourceful answer. Hardware might not be my ultimate goal, but some of your thoughts and conclusions are quite universal. I agree that ChatGPT is a valuable tool in certain areas. Education is one of them, as long as people don't solely rely on this platform and keep on questioning and verifying information via primary sources. It certainly has accelerated software development in my company as wel…

Right on. I hope that your journey is an empowering one. I'm amused to see that someone disliked my initial reply enough to click the button. I guess you really can't make everyone happy. One thing I would say as a parting thought is that even if hardware in particular is not your goal, engineering skills and an engineering mindset is something that is applicable to art, health, irregation, you name it. Also: learnin…

You Sir, are a mindful and friendly human being. Your thoughts are very welcome, and I cherish discussions like these. I will look into your suggestions, especially taking a closer look at Fusion, and if it's just for personal gain of knowledge.

Re: Ask HN: Had enough – a need for a new beginning

#29
post #15

take a deep breath. go for a walk. exercise. look at the clouds and wonder why they make the shapes they do. start conversations with people you don't know. clean up trash from the street. send a letter to a friend. record the sounds of birds. draw a picture or make a comic book about how you feel and mail it to yourself. dig a hole and then look at the dirt with a macro lens. try to get really good at making noodles…

That from OpenAI, psychiatrist GPT? I do NOT like PICKLES! Go away!

Re: Ask HN: Had enough – a need for a new beginning

#30

Earlier quoted context omitted.

that is a kinda childish view It's like saying that advertising bad, other cool things - good. Don't you know that if not because of advertising - we wouldn't had Google, amazon and thousands of other great products and companies?

I disagree that this view is childish at all. Advertising itself often has no value, it is about the products and services it might support. And it is a broad field and evaluation of its worth is subjective. I think sponsoring events is a more constructive form of advertising than tracking users wants and pushing popups onto them. These are distinct spheres that can both be titled as advertising but are still very di…

Sorry, I'm not gonna comment your nonsensical and naive perspective.

Yes, advertising is not something that directly helps cure cancer.

But it is nothing but ignorant to downplay important role it plays in the economy.

Many people use knives to kill, others make food with them. Yet knives are not even neutral - it is a major and valuable invention of a mankind.

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