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Ask HN: Your Favourite HN Comment?

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Re: Ask HN: Your Favourite HN Comment?

#31

Post by non-entity »

superasn wrote: post #8

My favourite HN comment was about burnout: Burnout is caused when you repeatedly make large amounts of sacrifice and or effort into high-risk problems that fail. It's the result of a negative prediction error in the nucleus accumbens. You effectively condition your brain to associate work with failure. Subconsciously, then eventually, consciously, you wonder if it's worth it. The best way to prevent burnout is to fol…

Can life be considered a high risk project? I haven't particularly failed any high risk problems in my career unless my career itself counts.

Re: Ask HN: Your Favourite HN Comment?

#32

Post by szhu »

This reply to a comment about how taking an action on moral grounds might be bad for business:

> Yes, doing the right thing often is dangerous and earns you hatred from other people doing bad things who love the freedom of hiding amongst a herd of other equally guilty people.

> The reason we have so much respect for people who take stand and do what they believe is right is because doing so is so hard. That doesn't mean you shouldn't do it.

I'll probably remember this quote for years to come.

https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23534277

Re: Ask HN: Your Favourite HN Comment?

#36

Post by malux85 »

not_the_nsa wrote: post #30
superasn wrote: post #8

My favourite HN comment was about burnout: Burnout is caused when you repeatedly make large amounts of sacrifice and or effort into high-risk problems that fail. It's the result of a negative prediction error in the nucleus accumbens. You effectively condition your brain to associate work with failure. Subconsciously, then eventually, consciously, you wonder if it's worth it. The best way to prevent burnout is to fol…

Thanks for sharing this. Right now I'm burnt out beyond words, having delivered a phase of a huge project, followed by upper management actions that make me feel extremely devalued and dehumanized. I've already written a list of personal development tasks for the three weeks' leave ahead - I need to up-skill, then find a new employer - which I'll restructure into little wins.

Take a break, you must. I know it always feels like you can’t, but you can’t keep working, you will snap.

Programmers are hard to replace, it hard to find a good one, and it takes time to ramp up a new one with a codebase. You have more negotiating power than you think.

Your comment struck me because I have been in that position before, and I know it really really hurts. But you gotta look out for yourself. Please take a week or two off

Re: Ask HN: Your Favourite HN Comment?

#37

Post by nullsense »

not_the_nsa wrote: post #30
superasn wrote: post #8

My favourite HN comment was about burnout: Burnout is caused when you repeatedly make large amounts of sacrifice and or effort into high-risk problems that fail. It's the result of a negative prediction error in the nucleus accumbens. You effectively condition your brain to associate work with failure. Subconsciously, then eventually, consciously, you wonder if it's worth it. The best way to prevent burnout is to fol…

Thanks for sharing this. Right now I'm burnt out beyond words, having delivered a phase of a huge project, followed by upper management actions that make me feel extremely devalued and dehumanized. I've already written a list of personal development tasks for the three weeks' leave ahead - I need to up-skill, then find a new employer - which I'll restructure into little wins.

For a second I thought I wrote this comment, then I realized I didn't, but it's just so familiar.

The burnt out feeling is coming mainly from the feeling of how much prep is required to switch jobs even. I'm just hoping the promotion actually comes through and I don't need to but at the same time I'm preparing now so that 6 months from now I can leave on a dime if I want.

Re: Ask HN: Your Favourite HN Comment?

#38

Post by veidr »

I'm sad I can't find my favorite comment, and have actually searched for it on multiple occasions.

It wasn't a good comment, it was a bad comment — I am only sharing it on the off chance that somebody else will remember and post the link.

The discussion had veered to bicycle helmets: should they be required, is there innovation to be realized in their design, something like that.

Somebody posted some comment about definitely wanting people to have a helmet when they crash their bike and hit their head on the curb, and some other person became incensed at their evidence-free assertion that wearing a helmet would be helpful when crashing one's bike and having one's head hit the curb. The incensed party demanded links to scientifically rigorous studies, rather than some layperson's hunch, that helmet wearing would be beneficial in this particular circumstance.

I laughed out loud when I read it, because it so pithily and absurdly epitomized what is often _wrong_ with this website.

Re: Ask HN: Your Favourite HN Comment?

#39

Post by yholio »

saboot wrote: post #10

A commenter talked about his experience with testicular cancer and encouraged other 20-34 year old men to check themselves. So I did, found a lump, and because I found it early it was removed with no further issue. So that's definitely one of my favorite comments! https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7120102

That's a fantastic life story.
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