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Ask HN: What motivates you to do what you do?

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Re: Ask HN: What motivates you to do what you do?

#51

Post by AnimalMuppet »

edw519 wrote: post #26

The Happy Dance You know the feeling, when you get something working for the first time. Something that has never been done before and will never be done the first time ever again. And you just did it. You received input, thought about it, build it, tested it, changed it, stewed about it, agonized over it, redid it, and finally, finally, got output. Often beyond your wildest expectations. And you lept out of your cha…

For me, it's that plus money. I need the money. But getting the money from doing something where I also get to do the Happy Dance? Yeah, that's wonderful.

There's a reason that my explicit career goal is never to become a manager. I want to keep enjoying what I do.

Re: Ask HN: What motivates you to do what you do?

#52

Post by krrishd »

My motivations constantly change (and are therefore not the best foundation for action), BUT, right now I'd say that I'm motivated by whatever enables me to stay upwind.

I'm always finding myself interested in new things (and sometimes disinterested in old passions), so I optimize my career and actions around being able to freely engage with those "new things" without jeopardizing stuff like my financial stability. I also try to be as broadly educated and capable of learning so that those "new things" are never too difficult to immerse myself in.

Re: Ask HN: What motivates you to do what you do?

#53

Post by mapster »

cmorelli wrote: post #15
ruleabidinguser wrote: post #4

That I need money and this is my best choice. I would guess 90+% of people who say theres anything more to it than this are lying to you and probably themselves. There are people with broader aspirations, but actually just saying you have some deep passion is a part of the culture, and in most cases, I don't think true.

I have to strongly, strongly disagree with this. First, let's talk about your assertion - we're basically all just in this for the money. If you want to make that claim, you have to be able to answer why. Why is money important? Why would we do anything just for money? Money itself is irrelevant, we only want it because of what we can get with it. So, let's go a step further and figure out what we'll buy with that mo…

outside of the tech bubble, the truth is ppl need money to live, pay off student loans, support family.

Re: Ask HN: What motivates you to do what you do?

#54

Post by smrtinsert »

brador wrote: post #50
smrtinsert wrote: post #49

I work to live and distribute time to items which nourish my soul and encourage family wellness. Working towards these goals creates a feedback of contentment for me - I'm in a good place and very happy about who and where I am. I've learned over time that means activities which give you energy: physical fitness, creativity and relationship time (parenthood, spouse, friends, other family etc) and less activities whic…

What are some creative activities you'd recommend?

I'm currently learning piano on udemy. There are some great intro courses and udemy frequently discounts for 10 dollars. Previously I've done watercolors from them as well. I know they seem 'small', but I can't explain the thrill I got doing something I previously thought was impossible.

Re: Ask HN: What motivates you to do what you do?

#56

Post by blabla_blublu »

Software Engineer @ a big tech firm : I like the fact that the work engages me to a reasonable degree. I am okay @ coding and I like it to an extent - it keeps me engaged, which is a massive plus. My co-workers are fantastic, which makes the job better. Needless to say, the money helps a lot, which lets me enjoy my weekends and other times.

Ofcourse, I yearn for a life where I am free and completely in control, doing something I like, but I really appreciate the fact that I have a job that keeps me going as well.

Re: Ask HN: What motivates you to do what you do?

#58

Post by JBlue42 »

Broken_Hippo wrote: post #39
DenisM wrote: post #33

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's probably true in your corner of the world, but holding on to this jaded view will do nothing but help you to stay in there. There's another world out there.

"There is another world out there" Yeah, it's called a personal life. Work is basically that thing I do to make the stuff I do in my personal life possible or more comfortable. Or simply not starve. Would I rather have some sort of enjoyment in the work I do? Yeah, but the truth is I can be happy enough doing janitorial work or working retail so long as the work environment and pay is good enough. It is just a job, a…

Well, maybe you'll get lucky and be involved in some work you can do while traveling or doing the other hobbies. Or that pays enough part-time/contract to leave the free time for the other stuff. The whole digital nomad thing has taken off in the past 5-10 years (though it seems most make money selling you e-books on how to be a digital nomad / location independent...).

Re: Ask HN: What motivates you to do what you do?

#59

Post by JBlue42 »

robotnoises wrote: post #40

Money. I work for a large Enterprise software company and we are not "changing the world." That's fine, by the way, but the answer is money and it always has been. I have two young children at home and nothing is going to come close to making me feel as fulfilled as being their father. Since we need money to live I have to go away for 8-9 hours a day, working on CRUD applications and their supporting systems. What ke…

Yeah, people won't admit it but not much has changed other than the marketing that sells people on the jobs. Whether it's software development now or good-paying factory work a while back (but not too far back...), most people would like to try to work to live. If we lived in some sort of post-scarcity society, people might "work" but it most likely wouldn't be as much and maybe not exactly what you're doing now. There'd probably be a lot more polymaths out there - people that wrote some programs for a few years then decide to play guitar for a decade, etc etc.
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