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Ask YC: In the hack of life, is it the people or the code?

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Re: Ask YC: In the hack of life, is it the people or the code?

#21

Post by dusklight »

Your question does not compute. I literally get a compiler error when I try to parse it.

Look everyone wants to be loved. There is nothing wrong with that and it is perfectly natural. But you gotta love yourself first, or the rest of the stuff is going to feel empty.

So what I am saying is -- are you doing what you are doing because YOU love it, or because you think you can get other people to love you by doing it? Did you go to concerts and parties because you liked the music and the beer, or did you go because you wanted people to think you are cool for going? Do you want to start coding again because you love the joy of creation, because you love discovering the elegance in ideas, or are you doing it because you weren't able to be accepted by "mainstream" society and you are now trying to get approval again from a different group?

Re: Ask YC: In the hack of life, is it the people or the code?

#22

Post by cowmoo »

nostrademons wrote: post #15

It's sorta an unfortunate fact of life that you can't have it all. You have to make some tradeoffs. (And I don't understand all the people saying "You can have both." I've tried, and I couldn't - at least not while doing anything innovative. You can have both if you're doing niche projects to serve a particular community, but I'd imagine many of the folks here are more change-the-world-or-die-trying types.) Anyway, I…

Hey, thanks for your comment. I could understand where you are coming from - it's reassuring to have someone tell me that "the twenties are kinda a professional wasteland anyway," when I am on the cusp of graduating.

Can I quote you at my hedge fund interview this week? ;-)

Re: Ask YC: In the hack of life, is it the people or the code?

#23

Post by cowmoo »

DaniFong wrote: post #16

There's a bipolar rhythm of life and work that's easy to fall into, but it sounds like you need a break. There are very worthwhile projects that might take only 10 - 20 hours a week that, if you live simply, will be more than enough to get by. You can learn a lot from introspection in the remaining leisure time. Make sure you've got your necessities taken care of: shelter, learn to cook, get exercise, sunlight, make…

Yes, I have got the "bipolar" part, no so much the "rhythm" part though.

But seriously, I see what you are saying. I have always been a all-or-nothing kind of person, but maybe I should actually try this work-life balance thing that I have been hearing about.

Re: Ask YC: In the hack of life, is it the people or the code?

#24

Post by cowmoo »

andr wrote: post #4

What I do is keep on programming, etc., but mostly keep non-geeks as friends. I also tried the "hide your inner geek" thing, but in the end I seem to do better socially when I'm open about my interests (although I did lose a few people that I was friends with only on the base of common partying and clubbing interests). The reason is simple - being an entrepreneurial programmer is one very distinguishable feature abou…

Hmm, it's good to hear the two cents from the founder of the Feel Good Initiatives. I am a big fan of your project.

I am also staying in Boston (near Beacon Hill) for the summer, and slightly off topic but not really, what are the cool stuff that hackers could do in Boston?

Re: Ask YC: In the hack of life, is it the people or the code?

#26

Post by cowmoo »

dusklight wrote: post #21

Your question does not compute. I literally get a compiler error when I try to parse it. Look everyone wants to be loved. There is nothing wrong with that and it is perfectly natural. But you gotta love yourself first, or the rest of the stuff is going to feel empty. So what I am saying is -- are you doing what you are doing because YOU love it, or because you think you can get other people to love you by doing it? D…

Well put; I enjoyed your rhetorical question and will ponder on them in my free time.

Re: Ask YC: In the hack of life, is it the people or the code?

#27

Post by nostrademons »

cowmoo wrote: post #22
nostrademons wrote: post #15

It's sorta an unfortunate fact of life that you can't have it all. You have to make some tradeoffs. (And I don't understand all the people saying "You can have both." I've tried, and I couldn't - at least not while doing anything innovative. You can have both if you're doing niche projects to serve a particular community, but I'd imagine many of the folks here are more change-the-world-or-die-trying types.) Anyway, I…

Hey, thanks for your comment. I could understand where you are coming from - it's reassuring to have someone tell me that "the twenties are kinda a professional wasteland anyway," when I am on the cusp of graduating. Can I quote you at my hedge fund interview this week? ;-)

Heh, sure, though I'm not sure you'd want to say that the twenties are a professional wasteland at a hedge fund interview, even if everybody there knows it's true. ;-)

(BTW, most of my hedge fund friends are quite happy with their lives. They work fairly normal 9-5 hours, take awesome vacations, and make insane amounts of money.)

Re: Ask YC: In the hack of life, is it the people or the code?

#28

Post by cowmoo »

menloparkbum wrote: post #25

You probably just need a girlfriend (or a boyfriend). Getting laid on a regular basis makes all your imaginary existential issues disappear. Unless you're a character in a french movie...

Thank you menloparkbum for pointing out the true core of my problem.

Re: Ask YC: In the hack of life, is it the people or the code?

#29

Post by monological »

One word....balance.

I struggle with the exact same thing, day in and day out. I have an 8 hour job, which after I'm done with, go and work like a mad man on my startup, coding away, brainstorming. I don't call people if I don't have to because, deep down I have this almost insatiable itch to start a company and be my own boss, work my own hours, be excited about what I do everyday, have more open doors... The list is almost endless and the fact that I could one day have all those things drives me to work even harder.

Alas, attention always needs to be given to family, friends and YOURSELF. Otherwise you'll break down. You'll go crazy. You'll screw-up your relationships and damage your health. Simply put, in the end, you are just gonna be plain unhappy.

Re: Ask YC: In the hack of life, is it the people or the code?

#30

Post by edw519 »

Thanks, cowmoo, for your story. It could have been mine.

I too went to an "artsy liberal arts college". I majored in English for about 3 weeks. Then it was math forever. I was also fortunate enough to join a social fraternity and had the time of my life (not just the parties, but all of it including managing a small "business").

Upon graduation, I had 2 choices: continue on to pursue my PhD in math or get my MBA and go into IT. As much as I loved math, it was an easy choice because I had already discovered the answer to your question by then. It's both, but mainly the people. A career in IT has given me ample doses of both and I've never looked back. I was always afraid that if I had continued in math I may have become a recluse again.

I love hacking into the wee hours of the night. It's so cool making something out of nothing that only another hacker soul could understand. Sounds like you do.

But just as much, I enjoy sharing my code and seeing people use it. Sometimes when I write something particularly cool, I find myself thinking something like, "I bet Jane will love this!"

Here's another question in response to your original question:

If your write the coolest app in the forest and no one ever uses it, does it make a sound?

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