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Ask HN: What's a good low profile job where I can hack at the same time?

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Re: Ask HN: What's a good low profile job where I can hack at the same time?

#61

Post by nirmal »

callmeed wrote: post #28

Front desk at a small hotel. My wife had this job when we first got married. When she was pregnant, the hotel actually let me cover some shifts for her. It was awesome. I'd bring my laptop and once the check-in rush was over (6pm-ish), it was real quiet and I could hack away.

My parents own a motel and from my experience you're right. I watched the place for them during the holiday so they could take a vacation. I got plenty of hacking done and even created a new blogging system that fit closer to my style of writing.

Re: Ask HN: What's a good low profile job where I can hack at the same time?

#62

Post by lallysingh »

pclark wrote: post #26

why not a sys admin? its fairly easy work 95% of the time ...

Really? All the sysadmins I've met worked their asses off all the time. Firefighting with too much on the plate & too little time & resources to make it all happen.

The worst is usually the same people get the calls about the primary app server being down as someone's windows box having too many popups.

Re: Ask HN: What's a good low profile job where I can hack at the same time?

#64

Post by robertk »

omouse wrote: post #56
myelin wrote: post #22

Or, you could pick up a part time job doing what you're good at (hacking), earn as much money as a full time "mostly idle" type job, and use your actual free time for your projects. The jobs you mention can't pay much more than $1500/month, which is 30 hours at $50/hour (or much less if you bill higher). One freelance project per month will fund your hacker lifestyle, and will probably look much better on your resumé…

Where can you find a freelance gig that isn't a total rip though? I'm sure the parent doesn't want to get paid $14/hr hacking on a Windows clone for someone on ELance or Craigslist.

Very nice jobs can be found on elance if you're willing to look a little bit. When I had no reputation, I would bid on the best-value projects (e.g., $500 for an hour's work) with something like:

"Since I have no elance reputation, I am willing to work for free and receive payment after the work is completed and satisfactory."

I never got ripped off, but even if I had, so what? Most elance jobs (the ones I've done) are fixed fee, and the buyer doesn't have to know how many hours (or minutes) I spend. ;-)

Re: Ask HN: What's a good low profile job where I can hack at the same time?

#65

Post by robertk »

brl wrote: post #8

Night security at some office building sounds like a dream job to me. I would do it for free and maybe I would even pay to do it since I would get more (computer) work done there than working out of my apartment.

My dad retired but is a night-time security guard in a calm midwestern town. He basically reads all night without interruption. Payment for doing what you'd be doing leisurely anyway. :)

Re: Ask HN: What's a good low profile job where I can hack at the same time?

#66

Post by unalone »

pxlpshr wrote: post #36
rjprins wrote: post #25

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I've been a projectionist for about 2 years. It's a nice job, but don't expect much time to do other things! Mounting a film only takes about 3 to 8 minutes (depends on if the film roll is already at the right projector or not) But then you have to start it right on time, check if everything is sharp and framed well, then come back 5 minutes later to check again and preferable come back yet again after another 5 minu…

That seems a little outdated, aren't most theaters using digital HD projectors now? They should be IMO... I've got one in my bedroom and it's why I don't go to the movie theaters anymore. :)

I worked at a movie theater last year. They began firing projectionists. Even then, things go wrong. Films get off-focus, the sound messes up, the display corrupts. Even if they don't people will complain, and then you have to go up and fiddle with it so they stop coming. It's rarely relaxing.

Re: Ask HN: What's a good low profile job where I can hack at the same time?

#67

Post by davidw »

bestes wrote: post #51
davidw wrote: post #30

Incidentally, this is RMS' (Stallman, of course, not our own 'rms') suggestion for those who are unable to find a day job doing free software: do something unrelated to software (with the idea being the avoidance of contributing to proprietary software) that gives you free time. Hearing that in person from RMS was the beginning of the end of my interest in RMS style free software.

I'll be you use a lot of RMS-style free software, though! Just because you don't want to contribute, doesn't mean free software isn't a good thing.

I certainly do use GPL licensed software. The GPL makes sense in various situations, but that's a complicated and long topic.

By the way, I do contribute to free software, and enjoy doing so a great deal:

http://www.welton.it/freesoftware/

(Unfortunately the patches/ and files/ bits aren't working due to issues with mod_rails)

My issue is with the idea that I should under no circumstances work on proprietary software.

Re: Ask HN: What's a good low profile job where I can hack at the same time?

#68

Post by litewulf »

mynameishere wrote: post #60
JabavuAdams wrote: post #12

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It sounds neat, but don't underestimate the long-term dangers of sleep-deprivation. You really would need to sleep during the day. Before trying something like this, spend some time at home during work hours to make sure that you haven't been missing out on annoying neighbours and noises while you're away. I lived in a condo once, next to a construction site. The noise started at 8 am and finished at 4pm. I ran into…

I've done night work and found it easy to sleep during the day. People who have problems almost always make the same mistake: Reverting to a night-sleep schedule on the weekend.

Its pretty hellish on your social life though...

Re: Ask HN: What's a good low profile job where I can hack at the same time?

#69

Post by coryrc »

pxlpshr wrote: post #36
rjprins wrote: post #25

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I've been a projectionist for about 2 years. It's a nice job, but don't expect much time to do other things! Mounting a film only takes about 3 to 8 minutes (depends on if the film roll is already at the right projector or not) But then you have to start it right on time, check if everything is sharp and framed well, then come back 5 minutes later to check again and preferable come back yet again after another 5 minu…

That seems a little outdated, aren't most theaters using digital HD projectors now? They should be IMO... I've got one in my bedroom and it's why I don't go to the movie theaters anymore. :)

Not really; until recently there were still more new film installations than digital.

The cost of film is on the distributors and studios, but the cost of moving to digital is twice a film projector and falls on the theatre owner (who already has working film equipment). So the distributors (who aren't technically needed in the digital era) are trying to find a way to stay relevant and the studios have been subsidizing the cost of digital installations, so it has been very slow going.

Re: Ask HN: What's a good low profile job where I can hack at the same time?

#70

Post by c1sc0 »

andyking wrote: post #55
c1sc0 wrote: post #29

Well if you're in Europe, what about: 'unemployed'? 80% of your current paycheck for the first 6 months, then you really should start looking for something that resembles a job. I know people who travelled the world on 'unemployment'. If you're looking for quiet time, why don't you just skip the social obligation of 'having a job'?

Here's something else from (this part of) Europe: 'bollocks'. For a start, each country has its own rules on unemployment benefits and I've no idea where they pay 80% of your current pay. Then, at least in Britain, they send you on pretty patronising courses about how to read job adverts, how to go to interviews and so on along with making you go in once a week and give proof that you've been "jobseeking". The job ce…

UK != socialist Europe, I suggest you relocate first, I can only talk about Belgium and I'm fairly sure you can game the system. Many countries do not require these monthly/weekly/whatever checks. 60% - 80% of current pay is pretty standard, but yes: every country has their own rules & after X months you really need to get a job again.

If you're looking for a moral justification, what about this: the baby-boomers set up a social security system that 'conveniently' collapses after they are long dead. The younger generations will not reap the benefits of this system, they will only carry the burden.

So why don't you take some of your tax money back and get a little retirement right now? Or better yet: do something productive outside of the system.

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