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Ask HN: How did you escape your safe 9-5 job?

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Re: Ask HN: How did you escape your safe 9-5 job?

#81

Post by rv-de »

rv-de wrote: post #41
Deestan wrote: post #33

Is a safe 9-5 job inherently "meaningless" now? I am good at software development. I help a company with software development 8 hours per day and they pay me for my time. They take care of hardware, air condition, desk space, social stuff, cleaning, internet connection, tax pre-deduction and regular payment transfers. I get to focus on what I'm good at. My colleagues are pleasant and my work tasks are challenging. In…

What does your company sell?

+1 +1 +1 -1 -1 -1.

And still no answer :(

That's the HackerNewsBlues.

Re: Ask HN: How did you escape your safe 9-5 job?

#82

Post by LeonM »

cube00 wrote: post #14
LeonM wrote: post #2

Just quit. Really, that's it. Just quit, and go do the work you enjoy.

Sorry, but this is terrible advice. Do not quit until you have something else lined up. Quitting with no plan for the next day will leave you out on the street. Go part time if you want more time to set something up.

Well, obviously you need to have either money or a plan so you don't end up homeless.

The OP edited his question after I replied. When I wrote my reply the question was a oneliner: "how do I escape my meaningless job"

Re: Ask HN: How did you escape your safe 9-5 job?

#83

Post by dejv »

justaguyhere wrote: post #52
dejv wrote: post #22

I was product manager for fast growing product, but I was waking up at 5am every morning, just so I can do some coding before work and then do another coding session after I get back from work. That managerial job was ok and it paid well, but still my morning/evening coding sessions is what I was looking for all day. One day I was like "Cmon somebody will always pay me to write a code." I had some savings, didn't hav…

even bought a farm (don't ask) I know you said don't ask, but I guess there is a good story there. so why the farm? :P

I was born in wine making region and basically everybody there have/had small vineyard and winery. I was living abroad at that time and was visiting familly over Christmas. As it goes we went to cellar of my uncle and then second and third and I got a "bit" drunk when they started talking about some land that one of their friend is going to sell as he is too old to continue working on it. It sounded like amazing idea so I told them that I am going to buy it.

Next day was a bit of a blur and then I went back to SE Asia where I was living at that time. In about two or three months later I've got message "So we finalized papers, you still want to buy that land, right?" It took me a while to understand about what he was talking about, but I was actually ready to get back home after 5 years of traveling around and I was burned out of startups and projects that went nowhere.

I was thinking about making it my only source of income, but after two years I realised that if I want to make it I will have to work minimum wage job for quite a few years and I decided to get back to programming instead. I decided to scale down my ambition and I am having semi-pro winery at the moment. I work there for one or two days a week, wines are successful and sold out easily but to get it to next level will require quite a lot of money and a lot of unpaid labor. Maybe some day.

Re: Ask HN: How did you escape your safe 9-5 job?

#86

Post by AnimalMuppet »

thecatspaw wrote: post #30
whorleater wrote: post #9

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I love this response so much because it encapsulates a SO style response of "why are you soon X, you should do Y instead". The person asked about how to escape from a job he perceived as meaningless and safe, not a job everyone perceived as meaningless and safe.

But you DO escape a meaningless job by giving it more meaning

It might be better to stop looking for meaning in your job. I don't think real meaning is there.

This does not mean that you shouldn't look for a better job, or one that has more meaning (for you). But ultimately, you need more meaning in your life than a job can provide. If you try to make your job provide meaning, it probably won't provide enough, no matter how good of a job it is.

And though a job may not provide real meaning, it can still be really meaningless. If it's just make-work, if it's just bureaucracy, if it's just pointless, then by all means, look for something better. Full meaning for your life isn't found in a job, but a meaningless job is soul-crushing.

Re: Ask HN: How did you escape your safe 9-5 job?

#88

Post by tcrow »

throwaway909808 wrote: post #72

I really need advice, I'm in this exact situation and I'm feeling lost. I'm gonna go throwaway since I really need to spill the beans here: My story is full of 'pendulum swings' and 'comparisons' and I can't really make up my mind. I need help. - I am married with children. - I live in Brazil, which is shitty right now, as most of you know (far-right trigger-happy president just got elected). Lots of unemployment goi…

"- I know I need more free time for my family and the kid. I don't think I should be living two work lives for that much time or I'll end up not seeing my kid grow up or something. As much as the freelance gigs make me feel really accomplished, I realize I also need time for "real" hobbies (music making, woodworking), exercise, etc."

This bothers me. You made a decision to start a family, when you did so, you made a commitment to uphold their well-being to the best of your ability. Living "two work lives" will most likely have detrimental effects on your relationship with them. I know, I've been there. Be careful to balance your needs with those of the ones you love, they are more important than some temporary high of doing fun work on the side. Yes we need to do meaningful work in our lives, but not necessarily at the cost of these other meaningful things. As a programmer (and creative) with a family, I completely understand where you are coming from. As a loving father, it is easy to make the necessary sacrifices. I hope you find more meaningful work soon, but unless you breath that work with your heart and soul (which is rare), it will always be just that, work, and at best a fun distraction you will trade for time.

Re: Ask HN: How did you escape your safe 9-5 job?

#89

Post by HeyLaughingBoy »

codegeek wrote: post #54
jamisteven wrote: post #37

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Literally in the same position (miserable WS tech gig). How'd you get the grit to make the jump?

there is no one way really. I just had enough of it and was lucky to have some money and timing on that flippa project. But I don't consider it just luck. I think of it as me being proactive because I have been browsing flippa type sites for years. So the key is: do something. anything. Even if small. But do it towards your goal.

I've found this is a/the key to being successful in anything. Just keep working at it even if you're only making small steps forward. Each step gets you closer to the goal and also puts you in a better position to take advantage of opportunities when they show up.
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