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From Burned Out Tech CEO to Amazon Warehouse Associate

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Re: From Burned Out Tech CEO to Amazon Warehouse Associate

#51

Post by theteapot »

avgDev wrote: post #9

"The experience was physically taxing, he was diagnosed with tendonitis after moving hundreds of boxes a day, but it pulled him out of his depression and helped him gain perspective and a deeper sense of meaning"....... I have mixed feelings about this. What this has proven is working at amazon warehouse sucks, and is not sustainable. I've had many physical shitty jobs in my 20's. Then, I had some health issue and co…

Experienced both sides too. Some physical jobs suck and some bosses really suck, but some are also great and massively rewarding even though pay may not reflect that. Really depends on the company, the match of body+job, and importantly the Country - worker protection laws.

Re: From Burned Out Tech CEO to Amazon Warehouse Associate

#53

Post by missedthecue »

WesternWind wrote: post #21

It's interesting that he developed tendonitis. I've read that the rate of injury at amazon jobs is incredibly high , which is not good practice in my view. Article says amazon rate of serious injury 80% higher than competitors https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-57332390

The other way to look at this is that Amazon actually reports injuries. My brother worked at a "mom & pop" carpet warehouse and they wouldn't report anything unless it resulted in a hospital visit i.e. broken bones, high blood loss, concussion, etc...

Re: From Burned Out Tech CEO to Amazon Warehouse Associate

#54

Post by theteapot »

orev wrote: post #41
gnrlst wrote: post #23

I have a sense of guilt when I compare myself to my high school friends who have to work longer, work harder, and get paid significantly less. They are just as smart, they just made different choices. And this sense of guilt and of feeling like I don't deserve it just compounds the imposter syndrome to the point I can't even enjoy what I have because I think that at any moment I'll be "discovered" and lose everything…

> They are just as smart, they just made different choices. Most people fall within a similar range of intelligence, and where they end up in life is far more a result of the choices they made than how smart they are. So you made a bunch of choices, like learning tech, etc, and they made a bunch of choices, like maybe partying instead of studying, and now you get to enjoy the rewards. You shouldn’t feel guilty about…

Or maybe he was just lucky. Just saying.

Re: From Burned Out Tech CEO to Amazon Warehouse Associate

#55

Post by foobarian »

scrlk wrote: post #46
samstave wrote: post #30

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Amazon will be the first to adopt the exo-skeleton-assist for factory/warehouse workers, which the unit is registered to you and any damage will result in a docking of your medical coverage/pay.

> "Alexa, open the exo-skeleton, I need to go to the bathroom" > "I'm sorry, your exo-skeleton has already been opened for the allotted 15 minute break, it will not open again until the end of your shift"

Heh if you go through the trouble of building an exo-skeleton might as well build in the toilet facilities.

Re: From Burned Out Tech CEO to Amazon Warehouse Associate

#56

Post by theteapot »

gnrlst wrote: post #23

I have a sense of guilt when I compare myself to my high school friends who have to work longer, work harder, and get paid significantly less. They are just as smart, they just made different choices. And this sense of guilt and of feeling like I don't deserve it just compounds the imposter syndrome to the point I can't even enjoy what I have because I think that at any moment I'll be "discovered" and lose everything…

> hopefully someone has some good advice, so I don't have to resort to quitting and going to an Amazon FC to feel better about myself.

Go work on a farm or as a gardener. You'll feel much better outdoors closer to nature.

Re: From Burned Out Tech CEO to Amazon Warehouse Associate

#57

Post by skadamat »

I can empathize to be honest. There's something awesome about doing physical work. You get to use your body to think and move, and feel concrete progress.

However, I think being a Tech CEO is at the opposite end of the spectrum from being an Amazon Warehouse Associate. Being somewhere in the middle seems very compelling.

In essence, Crawford talks about this feeling extensively in his book (Shop Class as Soulcraft). Here's the essay that started it all: https://www.thenewatlantis.com/publications/shop-class-as-so...

He used to be a manager at a political think tank but went back to the trades because he found the latter not only more satisfying, concrete, and tangible, but also more mentally taxing, creative, philosophical, etc.

Re: From Burned Out Tech CEO to Amazon Warehouse Associate

#58

Post by didgetmaster »

There were many times in my programming career when I wanted to take a mental break and just do some kind of menial job for a few months. There are many routine jobs that don't require much training so it should be easy to do one for 6 months. The problem is generally that most people's career paths do not allow for this kind of thing. It looks bad on your resume to have 'truck driver' or 'shelf stocker' in-between tech jobs.

Re: From Burned Out Tech CEO to Amazon Warehouse Associate

#59

Post by markdown »

avgDev wrote: post #9

"The experience was physically taxing, he was diagnosed with tendonitis after moving hundreds of boxes a day, but it pulled him out of his depression and helped him gain perspective and a deeper sense of meaning"....... I have mixed feelings about this. What this has proven is working at amazon warehouse sucks, and is not sustainable. I've had many physical shitty jobs in my 20's. Then, I had some health issue and co…

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