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Ask HN: Has anyone started over outside of tech?
131–140 of 463 posts
Re: Ask HN: Has anyone started over outside of tech?
#132I’m still in tech and absolutely still love AI / ML research.
That said, I’ve started a farm. Mostly because:
(a) I enjoy being independent and growing the majority of my own food enables that
(b) its very satisfying to provide for yourself and family
(C) there’s a very real possibility that AGI takes away many jobs; having land, your own resources, etc is real wealth
(D) I can work 100% remote and hire someone where I’m at to do much of the farm work ($20k out here is a good part-time job).
I’m into growing niche items (working on getting a registered highland cattle herd), organic honey, ginseng root, expensive flowers like snap dragons, etc - haven’t made a profit quite yet, but farms are tax deductible. So, if you’re still working, you can write off the losses. Once it’s up and running you then pay taxes, but you have a profit. Takes typically 3-7 years to make a profit though
Most profitably small farms focus on niche stuff. One of the neighbors runs a co-op selling raw milk at $15/gal and specialty pig meat.
I don’t think it’s super profitable by any means. That said my property value has doubled in the last few years and cows reproduce (literally growing in wealth).
Re: Ask HN: Has anyone started over outside of tech?
#133I tech fast for 25 hours a week. No computer, no cell phone, no television, etc. It's amazing how much this sustains my motivation and enthusiasm. You can "switch" right now, at least 1/7th of the time. Not exactly what you're asking for but immediately actionable.
I've been thinking about doing this! Also have considered ditching my phone, or downgrading to a dumb one. Yesterday for world book day I sat and read a book for the evening and it was wonderful, but I kept putting the book down to check things I'd just read on wikipedia or see if I had any emails. It was an eye opener to how much I do that on a normal day
Re: Ask HN: Has anyone started over outside of tech?
#134Retrained last year as a horticulturalist after 30+ years in IT and communications. I am fitter and healthier than I have been in decades. Pay rates in the industry are low but I am building up my own business and enjoying the lifestyle benefits. Thoroughly recommend it.
Re: Ask HN: Has anyone started over outside of tech?
#135I used to work as a compiler engineer in the US for several years, before deciding to try starting over at the age of 30, in pure mathematics. I moved from the US to Paris in pursuit of an affordable mathematics education, and spent two years in a Masters program. I did have a considerable amount of savings, but it was very risky nevertheless: if it didn't work out, I'd be out-of-touch with compilers, and it would be…
I'm not sure I follow. Me, an interviewer: "so you know compilers, great start on monday" Also me: "so you know compilers and have studied math on top, sorry son thats a no from me"
I followed the inverse path: first academia in non-CS and then tech engineering. And though it hasn’t been that many years after academia, I wouldn’t be able to do it again after my gap. Granted, academics will probably don’t care about my experiences doing something else, but personally I have forgotten so many things that I’d have to start with master-level courses to refresh my memory. And then spend months to catch up with the advancements in the field I was working on.
But then again, I might be comparing oranges to apples here.
Re: Ask HN: Has anyone started over outside of tech?
#136It is important to understand that everyone has sometimes escape phantasies (teachers, therapists, baristas, founders, medical doctors, professors, developers, etc., they all do) because something is making them truly unhappy in their day-to-day job and they assume other people happier. Finding about the root cause what makes you unhappy will usually lead to more satisfying results than just running after to become a…
My problem is the lack of respect. What can I do about it?
Work on your sense of self and self esteem.
Re: Ask HN: Has anyone started over outside of tech?
#137No, but I increasingly feel like becoming a farmer or just work picking fruit or something like that. I would like something different... maybe tourism, wine production... literally just anything but computers and especially code.
Picking fruit was my least favourite summer job as a teenager. I have several fruit trees in my yard now and while I love having that as a hobby, I still get pretty sick of picking peaches and that's just after two trees.
Yeah, picking fruit is the ur-example used in media of work “work Americans won’t do.” It fucking sucks.
That being said, yeah, I had friends who did it as teens. They hated it, fast food was a huge step up as far as a job for teens.
Re: Ask HN: Has anyone started over outside of tech?
#138I used to work as a compiler engineer in the US for several years, before deciding to try starting over at the age of 30, in pure mathematics. I moved from the US to Paris in pursuit of an affordable mathematics education, and spent two years in a Masters program. I did have a considerable amount of savings, but it was very risky nevertheless: if it didn't work out, I'd be out-of-touch with compilers, and it would be…
Beautiful answer -- why would you just accumulate savings without using them for living an interesting life? It's worth taking risks. I'm considering doing something of the sort, probably much less risky actually.
>why would you just accumulate savings without using them for living an interesting life?
Having kids. Not that you have to do this with kids, but it is a reason
Re: Ask HN: Has anyone started over outside of tech?
#139Earlier quoted context omitted.
But tech workers get far more respect than people in OP's current role of a receptionist, barista, waiter, and/or housekeeping.
By most measures, yes. Tech workers get more money, better hours, easier working conditions, and will impress your partner's parents more. But I'd wager the barista gets thanked more often, and their customers like them more.
Some customers will like them. Some will thank them - and once in a blue moon, even thank them sincerely. But a small but non-zero subset of customers will scream in their face, curse them out in graphic terms, and threaten to get them fired or arrested for some perceived slight or mistake. And a larger subset will very obviously treat them as "servant class".
Re: Ask HN: Has anyone started over outside of tech?
#140I used to work as a compiler engineer in the US for several years, before deciding to try starting over at the age of 30, in pure mathematics. I moved from the US to Paris in pursuit of an affordable mathematics education, and spent two years in a Masters program. I did have a considerable amount of savings, but it was very risky nevertheless: if it didn't work out, I'd be out-of-touch with compilers, and it would be…
>I'd be out-of-touch with compilers
Why?
Ive always thought that those jobs are like: every company does it a little bit different (tools, processes, architecture) but theory, parsing and LLVM stay the same.
So what changes in e.g year or two? new CPU instructions? Architectures?
How does your job look like? You are doing more frontend or backend work?