Ask HN: What will your kids be proud of 10 years?

#1

Post by potatomaster2 » Mon, Jan 15, 2024, 4:32 PM UTC

As a young woman in software, it is easy to see that there is plentiful, well-paying work. But having taken some time off after getting laid off from my last job at FAANG, I often struggle to explain to myself how what I'm doing really, truly benefits the world. In 10 years, what will I tell my children about what I do now? What will I be proud of - would they be proud of that database optimization that was so _technically_ interesting or would they be proud of helping make people's lives easier? In essence, during my job search I'm trying to find a role that would lead to a satisfying answer to that question. *I'd love to hear your stories, about how you've thought about what software is with respect to society*, especially for those of you who've been in it for a long time.

So, Hacker News, what about your role would you be proud of in 10 years? In 30 years? What would your peers be proud of, or your children - are they different?

Re: Ask HN: What will your kids be proud of 10 years?

#2

Post by sorokod » Mon, Jan 15, 2024, 4:43 PM UTC

Sounds like you already have your answer.

Re: Ask HN: What will your kids be proud of 10 years?

#3

Post by lddemi » Mon, Jan 15, 2024, 4:43 PM UTC

As a father of three kids, I think you might be overthinking it a little bit. Your kids probably won’t care.

Re: Ask HN: What will your kids be proud of 10 years?

#4

Post by seren » Mon, Jan 15, 2024, 4:46 PM UTC

I am working on medical device software, processes are terrible, tech stack is not really up to date, but at least, I sometimes feel that I am helping people down the line.

Re: Ask HN: What will your kids be proud of 10 years?

#5

Post by dimgl » Mon, Jan 15, 2024, 4:46 PM UTC

Your kids will remember whether you were a good, supportive parent or not.

They may reflect on your career as adults, but that's a fleeting thought and you'll already be very old by then.

Re: Ask HN: What will your kids be proud of 10 years?

#6

Post by swader999 » Mon, Jan 15, 2024, 4:47 PM UTC

Doing your job well and having the respect of your colleagues is good enough.

Did you play with your kids while they were young, provide for them, be attentive around them? I'm certainly not perfect but these are what I'm striving for.

Re: Ask HN: What will your kids be proud of 10 years?

#7

Post by hanniabu » Mon, Jan 15, 2024, 4:50 PM UTC

I'm building a tool to monitor and promote Ethereum robustness. I believe Ethereum will play a large part in our future as a global coordination layer, but that's only feasible if it remains resilient. It's nice to look back at improvements that have been made due to initiatives I've lead.

Re: Ask HN: What will your kids be proud of 10 years?

#8

Post by NickWrightData » Mon, Jan 15, 2024, 4:51 PM UTC

I think the question you're asking (if it's anything like the question I'm asking myself) is, what will you have used technology/the technical abilities you have to do--to make the world better for people in general? Or something else?

I agree with you--your kids (and people in general) will care so much more about what you make possible through database optimizations, etc. They won't care about the bits, they'll care about the end result that actually means something to them.

Is your database optimization making it easier for people to coordinate, find food and shelter when they need it? Or is it helping police to more easily use facial tracking to find "the perp" (i.e. someone who looks enough like them) and prosecute them?

I think most of the comments saying "your kids won't care" are misleading. They won't necessarily care about the technological details, but again, they WILL care about what that enables them to do, or others to do to them and those they care about.

Re: Ask HN: What will your kids be proud of 10 years?

#9

Post by dayjah » Mon, Jan 15, 2024, 4:53 PM UTC

I’m the son of a software engineer, I’m a software engineer, and I am also recently a new father to a daughter.

When I think back to my childhood — I really appreciated my dad showing me how computers work, letting me build them, explaining to me what a transistor did, how ISA and PCI worked, etc. It obviously had a profound influence on me given my career.

What really sucked was his work at all costs attitude; I rarely saw him, and this stayed true for his second crop of children w/ my step mother.

In sum; I loved the technical learnings offered, didn’t really care about his work (early 90s tech wasn’t that fun/interedting?), and I certainly chafe, now, at how absentee he was due to his career.

Re: Ask HN: What will your kids be proud of 10 years?

#10

Post by patchymcnoodles » Mon, Jan 15, 2024, 5:03 PM UTC

The issue I see here is more going in the direction, that everyone thinks they have to do something world changing.

My parents had "basic" jobs, my mum was a nurse, definitely something she can be proud of. My father - being a locksmith - could teach me a lot about craftmanship. But what they can be really proud of and what I love them for: They was great parents, that's what I as their kid wanted.

Other friends parents back in the past might had crazy jobs you could maybe showoff, but some of them was awful parents. I was very happy, not having their parents.