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You are not your career/job

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Re: You are not your career/job

#8
Most of us probably spend 40-45% of our waking lifetime either in the office or on our way to or from the office.

And most of us will spend 30-40 years of our lives, including all your prime years, spending that 40-45% to serve somelse's desires.

Even if you in enjoy your job, the reality is work is one of the biggest parts of our lives and wrapped up in our sense of self worth and identity.

Re: You are not your career/job

#9
I'm not a woulda/coulda/shoulda kind of guy, but one of my few genuine regrets is skipping scheduled vacations for client fire drills and just generally not taking more time off in my 20s. I am thankful that my perspective changed before I lost my 30s as well.

HN certainly has a selection bias toward founders and early stage employees, but I feel very strongly that your career cannot be your sole source of meaning. Be well.

Re: You are not your career/job

#10
post #8

Most of us probably spend 40-45% of our waking lifetime either in the office or on our way to or from the office. And most of us will spend 30-40 years of our lives, including all your prime years, spending that 40-45% to serve somelse's desires. Even if you in enjoy your job, the reality is work is one of the biggest parts of our lives and wrapped up in our sense of self worth and identity.

IMHO: There is a difference between the job you do and your career. My career (programmer/software developer/software engineer/computer scientist) will last my whole life. It's something I like (I chose it) and it's something I can do on my own. It is independent from money and any material thing. It matters to me.

My job (currently: senior software engineer) is a different beast, even if it touches on aspects of my career. I do it to pay the bills. I do it in a professional way but that's all about it.

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