Quit Your Job • Hacker News Board

Re: Quit Your Job

#101

Post by honkycat » Fri, Jan 07, 2022, 2:39 AM UTC

ebruchez wrote: post #94

Traster wrote: post #5

I'm conflicted by this article. I'm sympathetic to it, but some things just really push past my BS meter. For example: >This is related to why man became stunted with the dawn of agriculture. We traded a life limited by the occasional violent struggle over bountiful surplus for a more predictable life limited by grinding labor after barely sufficient nutrition. Firstly, "man" or humanity did all of their greatest wor…

> Before agriculture, life wasn't bountiful. It was short and harsh. Not saying it's necessarily right or wrong, but Yuval Noah Harari, in his book "Sapiens", has a perspective on the transition of humanity to agriculture that echoes TFA (or vice versa). It struck me, when I read it, as an interesting perspective, as we do tend to see the move to agriculture as strictly positive.

Yuval Noah Harari clearly meant that tongue-in-cheech, not to be taken literally.

Re: Quit Your Job

#102

Post by sanedigital » Fri, Jan 07, 2022, 2:39 AM UTC

coldtea wrote: post #74

sanedigital wrote: post #61

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You need to add another $20K for taxes. And potentially another $10K for health insurance, depending on location. At $70K/yr you’re well into the top tercile in the US.

> You need to add another $20K for taxes. If you have the $40k for the year saved, you don't pay taxes for them again when you use it to spend the year not working, etc.

Fair, I may have misunderstood GP's comment. I was under the impression they meant $40K in take-home income.

Re: Quit Your Job

#103

Post by mmcgaha » Fri, Jan 07, 2022, 2:45 AM UTC

Growing up poor white trash gives me a completely different perspective and makes me crass enough to say go fuck yourself you entitled prick.

Re: Quit Your Job

#104

Post by hardlianotion » Fri, Jan 07, 2022, 2:47 AM UTC

walrus01 wrote: post #91

gkop wrote: post #87

Earlier quoted context omitted.

They even made it as long as a book. Did you read the entire thing?

I guess I could say I skimmed most of it, and zeroed in on a few particularly peculiar paragraphs that made me not want to really pay attention to it. The author was clearly earnestly trying so hard to do something .

And that is a good thing, no?

Re: Quit Your Job

#105

Post by sanedigital » Fri, Jan 07, 2022, 2:48 AM UTC

hattmall wrote: post #92

sanedigital wrote: post #61

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You need to add another $20K for taxes. And potentially another $10K for health insurance, depending on location. At $70K/yr you’re well into the top tercile in the US.

If you only make $40k a year you aren't going to be paying very much in taxes at all. You also want be paying very much for healthcare as it will be subsidized by the ACA.

If you're self-employed your FICA rate basically doubles. Depending on your state, that means your tax burden at $40K could be ~$9-12K. Even with a subsidy you're looking at another $2-3K for health insurance. That makes your take-home less than $30K, 25% less than what GP proposed was sufficient income for basic comfort.

Re: Quit Your Job

#106

Post by lhorie » Fri, Jan 07, 2022, 2:49 AM UTC

darkengine wrote: post #41

I know it's bad form to move so quickly into meta-discussion on here, but I feel a lot of the comments in the thread right now are endemic of a certain closed-mindedness that has, to me, come to define in part the Hacker News zeitgeist, which stands in something of a contrast to the site's supposed founding principle of intellectual curiosity. There is plenty of prior art in Western (and other traditions of) philosop…

If we're going to talk about polarization, it behooves us to bring up that this isn't a either-or topic: you could take risks and succeed, avoid risks and stagnate, but also take risks and fail as well as avoid risks and succeed.

If we're really going meta, it might also be appropriate to think about our tendency to attribute causation to simple inputs (i.e. either X or Y), when in reality, there may have been a mix of multiple things.

For example, the author attributes the existence of the palladium site to be a result of interest in governance, but wouldn't his background in engineering (instead of, say, rice farming) also logically have something to do with the physical manifestation of a website?

The idea that I think should be questioned is the one about "hacking life" in the sense of going all in on a single thing. In investment, that's called diversification. In nutrition, it's called a balanced diet. But for some reason, in some endeavors, moderation gets shunned (work hours in startups come to mind)

Re: Quit Your Job

#107

Post by voidhorse » Fri, Jan 07, 2022, 2:49 AM UTC

darkengine wrote: post #41

I know it's bad form to move so quickly into meta-discussion on here, but I feel a lot of the comments in the thread right now are endemic of a certain closed-mindedness that has, to me, come to define in part the Hacker News zeitgeist, which stands in something of a contrast to the site's supposed founding principle of intellectual curiosity. There is plenty of prior art in Western (and other traditions of) philosop…

I don’t have any skin in this game, but you have my praise for finding a way to mention three of the greatest philosophers in a single post.

Re: Quit Your Job

#108

Post by wyager » Fri, Jan 07, 2022, 2:51 AM UTC

Traster wrote: post #5

I'm conflicted by this article. I'm sympathetic to it, but some things just really push past my BS meter. For example: >This is related to why man became stunted with the dawn of agriculture. We traded a life limited by the occasional violent struggle over bountiful surplus for a more predictable life limited by grinding labor after barely sufficient nutrition. Firstly, "man" or humanity did all of their greatest wor…

Fossil records strongly suggest that life may have been a lot worse and less bountiful for early agriculturalists than contemporary non-agriculturalists.

Re: Quit Your Job

#109

Post by VeninVidiaVicii » Fri, Jan 07, 2022, 2:51 AM UTC

darkengine wrote: post #41

I know it's bad form to move so quickly into meta-discussion on here, but I feel a lot of the comments in the thread right now are endemic of a certain closed-mindedness that has, to me, come to define in part the Hacker News zeitgeist, which stands in something of a contrast to the site's supposed founding principle of intellectual curiosity. There is plenty of prior art in Western (and other traditions of) philosop…

> I have, as I'm sure many on here have, found success in grinding away at boring problems, suppressing any kind of "call of God" or desire to do something larger.

What a profound statement. This is the sentiment of a generation of tamed hackers.

Re: Quit Your Job

#110

Post by sircastor » Fri, Jan 07, 2022, 2:53 AM UTC

chana_masala wrote: post #32

deltree7 wrote: post #30

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Note: Author is a Tall, White, STEM educated dude living in America. So, his experiences is very specific to his skills, his reach and societal perceptions about him. It's like getting dating tips from an attractive person or money advise from a trust fund baby

> So, his experiences is very specific to his skills, his reach and societal perceptions about him. I mean, that part is true for literally everyone?

Yes, but the relevant context is that he’s a highly privileged individual, and perhaps unaware of it.