Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

I am retiring from tech to live offline

openpath.quest

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

171–180 of 617 posts

Re: I am retiring from tech to live offline

#171

Post by coldtea »

hellohello2 wrote: post #165
azangru wrote: post #32

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> battling with AI, trying to get it do what I wanted What I am selfishly curious about is: is it possible to remain a software developer, and ignore AI? To write code the same way we did before 2022? I understand that there are many companies in which managers demand more of workforce — but are there still places where people are satisfied to not rush ahead and do business same way they did three or four years ago?…

I'm curious, have you tried working seriously with claude code or gpt codex and which part of it did you not enjoy? What makes you wish to write code like 2022?

If you just like talking and some program comes out (aka "business problem solving") you might like it.

If you like coding (aka "problem solving"), it feels like crap.

And if you like still having an IT job in a couple of years, it feels like dangerous crap.

(Of course you can be hoping you'll be the one selected, out of millions laid off, to get to keep working on a higher level).

Re: I am retiring from tech to live offline

#172

Post by JTbane »

mrmarket wrote: post #2

thank you for this. what a sacred journey you're embarking on. i hope to follow you - talking with a close friend now about becoming an elevator mechanic. my wife is pregnant so i have to find a profession that comes reasonably close to tech salaries. i've been writing poetry by hand. i think the world you envision is possible, and closer.

brother I've thought about the tech to blue collar transition too. for me, I would choose plumbing or electrical, but it seems like 4 years of low apprentice wages are unavoidable.

Re: I am retiring from tech to live offline

#173

Post by xp84 »

hylaride wrote: post #137
pyrophane wrote: post #40

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yeah, I've realized that the things I don't like in tech have everything to do with the culture and politics. When I've been able to work with a small team of people I really like and respect, I've generally been quite content.

I've rekindled by passion by working for a startup again. My previous employer (which I also joined as a startup) ended up in a situation where the head product manager became VP of engineering (it's a complicated story - don't ask). We also had a yes-man director of Eng and together they went all-in on very orthodox scrum, where they sat in the sprint planning/point meeting and overrode every decision of what to tak…

Good for you. It’s so exhausting dealing with these people who are constantly chasing a fantasy that through some process, or through sheer force of will, we can achieve a system where all the feature work gets done super quickly and we never have to pause or slow down to handle engineering concerns because they simply don’t exist.

Re: I am retiring from tech to live offline

#174

Post by abought »

I overlapped a bit with Chad in 2015, as he was navigating a professional transition. I wasn't in an especially high role back then- just a guy in the back of the room.

In the times I saw him since, I consistently saw someone who thought hard every day about how to help others, and didn't lose sight of the human element. Sentry worked hard to create a viable business, without losing sight of open source goals. (you can see some of his efforts at https://blog.sentry.io/authors/chad-whitacre/ )

I tell my younger colleagues to do the best work they can sustainably do... but too often in this field, the big roles become too intense to be sustained forever. I hope his new role shows him the same warmth and support that he tried to put out there for others.

Re: I am retiring from tech to live offline

#175

Post by japhyr »

simonw wrote: post #121

Am I the only person in this thread who thought this might be a joke? The job at Home Depot in particular, and this bit: > I haven't used a phone or the Internet in my personal life since February 6. To communicate, I use the USPS, or maneuver my body into close proximity and vibrate air with my throat. I love it. I want to be part of a society of people likewise inclined. I'm not at all certain though. Chad posted i…

Have you ever met Chad? I have no doubt this is sincere.

Re: I am retiring from tech to live offline

#176

Post by mcmcmc »

Earw0rm wrote: post #75
narrator wrote: post #10

This reminds me of the movie Edge of Tomorrow where the main character decides he doesn't want to fight the aliens today and instead goes into town to get a drink at the pub. The aliens still get him. Robots and stuff are going to start appearing everywhere soon. He's not going to like that. Hoodlums are probably going to start burglarizing his house with their robot accomplices. Then he won't be able to go outside b…

What's worth stealing, to a dude with a robot? Chances are, whatever it is won't be found in a regular residential property.

A cheap drone makes casing burglary targets much easier

Re: I am retiring from tech to live offline

#177

Post by properbrew »

thesamethrowawa wrote: post #91

Impressive to take such a stand, doing something they believe is the right thing. The home depot line says a lot though. I guess tech has been good enough to provide some kind of economic cushion that you can retain a reasonable life style as home depot as your only source of income. I would (genuinely) be interested in a follow up on how that works out for them. I've "threatened" to do this many times, but my partne…

> I think reality could come down hard here.

I have worked retail before, and to add onto the things you put it was the lack of problem solving for me that was absolutely mind numbing. Sure there were the little "problems" to solve of shelving, stock order, tidiness etc but it doesn't push the brain (and maybe they're done with that part, which is fair), but until you've experienced it I would be very surprised if this person finds retail better than tech.

Re: I am retiring from tech to live offline

#178

Post by JackMorgan »

rootsudo wrote: post #130

It is amusing and depressing to see so many people exit tech. I remember this happened in similar “vibes/strides around 08 and then for Covid, which ironically doubled down on remote work. And now for AI. It really paints a projection on how much time we all really have in this world and this segment of work. At best I wonder, do “I” have another 10 - 15 years left in tech? Do you? Agreed with the other comments on f…

I read somewhere that the average developer only has 7 years of experience. This should be a fairly sobering warning to anyone getting into tech that you should be saving every penny and planning your next career move. I know so many people who have burned out, gotten so stale they can't find work, or both. I've been in the industry for 19 years now and so few of my former coworkers are still in the field. I never planned I'd make it this far, so I'm making hay while the sun shines.

Re: I am retiring from tech to live offline

#179

Post by icedchai »

Markoff wrote: post #72
sublinear wrote: post #4

Text inside images is not a11y. That's a paddlin'. I jest, but not really. There were already a ton of reasons tech might burn someone out and AI was the cherry on top.

Yup, I was interested what he has to say, but when I saw the scan I've lost my interest.

Same. The format was a big turn off.

Re: I am retiring from tech to live offline

#180

Post by zzzeek »

did Chad, or whoever posted this for him, post this as a jpg with no alt text? wow, thought Chad was a bit better than that (I can't even read this thing easily and im not considered to be visually impaired)

"but it's a real typewritten letter! you dont understand!"

yeah but you didn't snail mail it to all of us, you or someone put it on the internet on a webpage. if you can scan a letter as a JPG and scp it to a server, you can run an OCR and put alt text in.

Post reply on HN