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Ask HN: Has anyone started over outside of tech?

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Re: Ask HN: Has anyone started over outside of tech?

#291
I know I’ve considered this, and though it’s at times felt irresponsible or impulsive, I can’t help but come back to this Emerson quote from Self Reliance:

> the finest genius studies at one of our colleges, and is not installed in an office within one year afterwards in the cities or suburbs of Boston or New York, it seems to his friends and to himself that he is right in being disheartened, and in complaining the rest of his life. A sturdy lad from New Hampshire or Vermont, who in turn tries all the professions, who teams it, farms it, peddles, keeps a school, preaches, edits a newspaper, goes to Congress, buys a township, and so forth, in successive years, and always, like a cat, falls on his feet, is worth a hundred of these city dolls. He walks abreast with his days, and feels no shame in not 'studying a profession,' for he does not postpone his life, but lives already.

Re: Ask HN: Has anyone started over outside of tech?

#292

I did this 15-20 years ago. I had a small internet/consulting business that I ran out of my house, with a full T1 mind you lol. Got tired of staring at the walls and tired of the f'king servers that chained me down. An error message from a server while in the car going on a small vacation triggered the change. I had enough. So on the spot I thought of my options and decided on becoming a trucker. My first aim was to…

This is my dream. Tell me more. Did you take classes? What was the investment. I feel chained to this desk.

I took classes, not the fancy 6 months full time course, but a part time 6 or 8 (can't remember) weeks course that showed me the basics. I like to drive so this was not a hardship for me. Did not buy my own rig. I just got out of self employment and did not want to go back to that.

Finding a job as a newbie was not easy at the time (because of the insurance they were saying) so I went the agency route and they found me work right away. Worked there for 2 years then found a job closer to home. Been doing that for about 15 years already.

Re: Ask HN: Has anyone started over outside of tech?

#293

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yes we sell premium. I suggest you listen to the www.tastylive.com people, they are pretty sharp and realistic. We do NOT listen to anyone but the math and our mentors who help us add realism to the approach. Pure math is ok but, as Simons showed, you need a little guesswork in there. We use graphical representations of complex data sets ALA Tufte.

Is this a sponsored comment?

no but it is a fair question

we are in no way compensated by anyone. it was an honest answer to the question.

Re: Ask HN: Has anyone started over outside of tech?

#294
I've met many who did:

One guy who was so into classical piano that he went back to grad school and got his degree in music. Now he gives lessons, last I heard.

Another guy who became a piano tuner. There's good steady, if not spectacular money in that.

Two people who became teachers or teachers' aides. The teacher had a fairly unhappy experience, while the teachers' aide said it was the best job he ever had.

One of the Xerox Star 6-person functional spec team (the one who's completely disappeared and no one knows where he is) became a homeopathic doctor.

Edit: another guy became a kitchen cabinet installer.

Re: Ask HN: Has anyone started over outside of tech?

#295

Earlier quoted context omitted.

"If you don’t have [nice things], they can mean a great deal to you. When you do have them, they mean nothing. To me, the unhappiest people in the world are those in the watering places, the international watering places, the south coast of France and Newport and Palm Springs and Palm Beach. Going to parties every night, playing golf every afternoon, then bridge. Drinking too much, talking too much, thinking too litt…

Sounds good, doesn't actually mean much. It's just an extended version of "money doesn't buy happiness". Money buys the ability to do whatever you want. It buys you the ability to take what would normally be big risks. It also buys you the ability to live a sad but otherwise comfortable life on a beach. Money bought the person you responded to the ability to travel the world and study math, instead of worrying about…

Agreed. Money buys choices, simple as. What you do with those choices, and how much meaning they bring to your life, is entirely up to you.

Re: Ask HN: Has anyone started over outside of tech?

#296

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That's a neat old building. You're in a cool corner of MA, too. I love North Adams.

I love it here stop by next time you are around.

The distinguishing features between 5 and 8 from my point of view.

Windows are not ventilation. Ventilation must be measured so mechanical ventilation is required. Guaranteed mechanical ventilation ensures a certain quality of life.

Sprinkler system is required for a building made out of brick and has no furnace or gas appliances. The reasoning is egress. The Sprinkler is the worst part because I installed a mechanical thing that could flood to help in case there is fire.

Vertical lift to connect 2 hallways with a 4' height difference. This maybe Massachusetts specific but... When I was shopping for the vertical lift if I lived 15 west in New York State or a mile north in Vermont. I could purchased a used unit on ebay for under $7,000 and wheeled it into place. Massachusetts requirements ended costing $40,000 and every 2 years around $2,000 for inspections. All units need to accommodate modifications for ADA compliance. Meaning that don't need to be equipped but they must able to be retrofitted.

Do your research nothing can be considered logical or straight forward. Everything sounds crazy but it is a responsibility to provide shelter to others and most things are valid if costly.

Re: Ask HN: Has anyone started over outside of tech?

#298

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What is your general approach? Selling premium? Earnings announcements? Do you frequent any online communities of professionals, or is it just you, your spouse, and your mentors? Beyond wanting to learn alternative approaches myself, I help moderate a local trading group. We are always looking for presenters in our monthly meetings.

Please don't do this. Virtually all day traders lose money and the ones that don't are almost certainly running on luck. If you really had an edge in the market you would open a hedge fund and rake in billions. Everyone else is just playing the law of large numbers and the winners happened to flip 50 tails in a row.

I agree but trading OPTIONS is not day trading. It is based on probability and DURATION. Selling premium allows you to pick your duration,probability of profit and value at risk. This is NOT day trading which is financial sugar. This is the message that tastylive.com advocates. I am NOT compensated by them but they ARE people I trust and respect.

Re: Ask HN: Has anyone started over outside of tech?

#299
After working full time in a wide variety of tech since 1983 (embedded systems work on medical equipment and commercial fire alarm systems, hotel reservation systems, ramp and fuel delivery systems in aviation, multiple startups in Silicon Valley, etc, ad naseum) I’m currently taking a break and working as a pin setter mechanic at a couple of local bowling alleys. The work is physical (running up and down the back of the 40 and 64 lane alleys, climbing up on the machines) and challenging in its own way: the machines were designed in the 50s and are a complex assortment of pulleys, belts, gears, cams, levers, etc. There is even a mechanical “computer” that acts as a state machine directing the operations of the machine. I still get to use my problem solving skills but in a much more tactile way. Also, no pointless meetings, conference calls. Downside: the pay is terrible. Fortunately I’m in a position in my life where that is not nearly as important as it used to be.

Re: Ask HN: Has anyone started over outside of tech?

#300

Teaching. I moved from a big tech company to teaching. Teaching is the hardest job I’ve ever done, and requires entire new skills. Teacher pay, depending on where you are, can be real low compared to FAANG money, but damn do I sleep well at night knowing that I help people. There is nothing like watching someone struggle and then suddenly understanding the subject. But seriously, it is a hard job. You learn quickly t…

One thing to mention here is that it depends on the school.

I know a few teachers who quit or went private (for less money) because of problems in the system. The bureaucracy can be oppressive and conflict with your morals. Safety and mistreatment can also be a real concern in some areas. The good news here is that most of the kids you'd be dealing with would be taking programming as an elective, so they should actually give a damn.

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