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

601–610 of 617 posts

Re: I am retiring from tech to live offline

#601

Post by nunez »

asdfasvea wrote: post #526
nunez wrote: post #426

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Some people need to touch fire to know the feeling of getting burned. I was one of those people. Excellent tech income; zero savings other than a 401(k) I barely contributed into. After an amazing meal at a burger place several years ago, I asked my wife about upgrading to a Model S. She figuratively sat me down (after we literally sat into the seats of our Model 3) and was more straight-forward with me than she had…

You are learning, but you haven't learned. You didn't build a nest egg, you saved for a down payment. You didn't rebuild your nest egg, you created a sinking fund for your home. You praise yourself for not treating your home as a credit card, but your left hand is still borrowing money from yourself. You've recognized there's an issue, but don't fool yourself into thinking you've done anything about it

Thanks for your opinion.

Yes, I have a ways to go.

You're also right that these aren't nest eggs. I spent them on what I saved for!

Regardless, it's a start, especially for someone who never had a habit of saving before.

Re: I am retiring from tech to live offline

#602

Post by nunez »

lazyasciiart wrote: post #456
nunez wrote: post #426

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Some people need to touch fire to know the feeling of getting burned. I was one of those people. Excellent tech income; zero savings other than a 401(k) I barely contributed into. After an amazing meal at a burger place several years ago, I asked my wife about upgrading to a Model S. She figuratively sat me down (after we literally sat into the seats of our Model 3) and was more straight-forward with me than she had…

You've had to drain your savings twice since 2023?

Yes. Yet, the point was that I started saving in a much bigger way than I did before.

Re: I am retiring from tech to live offline

#603

Post by nunez »

talon8635 wrote: post #583
asdfasvea wrote: post #526

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You are learning, but you haven't learned. You didn't build a nest egg, you saved for a down payment. You didn't rebuild your nest egg, you created a sinking fund for your home. You praise yourself for not treating your home as a credit card, but your left hand is still borrowing money from yourself. You've recognized there's an issue, but don't fool yourself into thinking you've done anything about it

This was my take too. GP built an emergency fund, which is important, but then drained it twice for non emergencies. A nest egg is a much larger tax advantaged holding that you don’t want to withdrawal from because you’ll have a massive tax hit. It’s also far more than a down payment, hopefully. GP had some low interest “savings” account at his bank. Poor wife, no pun intended :(

Thanks for your opinion and for your concern for my wife. She is quite happy, actually!

I have a 401(k) that I contribute to. I intend on contributing the yearly max starting next year.

Should I have contributed the annual max when I started working? Yes. I chose instead to pay off our student loans instead and enjoy life. I'm not a frugal person.

Re: I am retiring from tech to live offline

#604

Post by drnick1 »

siren2026 wrote: post #593
senko wrote: post #576

Earlier quoted context omitted.

European here. Yes, houses are smaller, apartments can be comparatively tiny. Street parking can be a challenge. However: I got stores, cinemas, cafes, restaurants within walking distance. My kids can roam around in the neighbourhood without someone calling social service on me. I can walk anywhere in the city at any hour day or night without someone robbing me. I can cheaply purchase free range eggs and organic vege…

Agree with you. Americans have been brainwashed in thinking they absolutely need a 3000 sqft house, 2 SUVs and pay for the absolute best private schools for kids. It's the ultimate rat race. As someone that has lived in both Europe and America, the quality of life you get in America for the amount of money you spend is hilariously bad. It is easy to make money though. In Europe the quality of life you get for cheap i…

> In Europe the quality of life you get for cheap is by default excellent.

I am been to Europe on many occasions and homes (actual homes, not cramped apartments) are not cheap at all relative to incomes. I am sure the peace of mind provided by universal healthcare and generous welfare programs is nice, but that's not how you build a strong economy. Incentives are distorted when you don't need a (good) job to live well enough. You get mediocrity, lacluster growth, poor customer service, and the other things Europe is known for. That's why you see people from all over the world come to America to build their businesses.

Re: I am retiring from tech to live offline

#605

Post by leoqa »

WJW wrote: post #573
leoqa wrote: post #504

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This was also my plan; hang in there for the next kid, wait for the next vest, etc. ultimately daycare is expensive, healthcare is expensive… I’m still stuck 6 years later waiting to quit but something always comes up and there’s always another vest around the corner.

Well obviously. Vesting schedules are explicitly designed the way they are to keep people around. That's their entire purpose. Retirement is inherently a choice to earn less lifetime money and pour that time into family and other things you like doing. Waiting for the next vesting cliff is inherently a choice to earn more money and spend less time on your family.

My point is that it being a choice starts to disappear with kids, rising costs etc. It was a choice I could make independently, now it’s a choice the entire family gets to participate in since we’d need to sell the house, move to a lower cost of living locale etc.

Re: I am retiring from tech to live offline

#606

Post by vankusss »

sph wrote: post #519
vankusss wrote: post #486

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Your last sentence resonates deeply with my current experience. Would you care to expand a bit more on what helped you find a way to self direct and find meaning within yourself?

I hoped no one asked because I'm not sure I have an easy answer. When I'm saying it's taken me 6 years to get out of burn out, I'm not joking. That, which includes 2 years sabbatical and as many years in therapy. My only advice is: if you burn out, go through the entire process. You only get one chance to figure out what actually is meaningful to you, and the answer will most likely require you to upend you life (or…

Thank you for taking the time to answer. I didn't expect an easy answer, I'm quite sure there is none. Glad you found your way, I'll start mine with Jung's books, thanks.

Re: I am retiring from tech to live offline

#607

Post by senko »

drnick1 wrote: post #604
siren2026 wrote: post #593

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Agree with you. Americans have been brainwashed in thinking they absolutely need a 3000 sqft house, 2 SUVs and pay for the absolute best private schools for kids. It's the ultimate rat race. As someone that has lived in both Europe and America, the quality of life you get in America for the amount of money you spend is hilariously bad. It is easy to make money though. In Europe the quality of life you get for cheap i…

> In Europe the quality of life you get for cheap is by default excellent. I am been to Europe on many occasions and homes (actual homes, not cramped apartments) are not cheap at all relative to incomes. I am sure the peace of mind provided by universal healthcare and generous welfare programs is nice, but that's not how you build a strong economy. Incentives are distorted when you don't need a (good) job to live wel…

Europe definitely has a lot of problems! Some are similar, others are different than in the US.

Just comparing income, even on purchasing-parity basis, doesn't cut it.

Re: I am retiring from tech to live offline

#609

Post by gaws »

potsandpans wrote: post #505
patcon wrote: post #360

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Chad is one of the most high-integrity persons I've ever had the pleasure of knowing. He is not fucking around for clicks in any shallow sense. I agree with the sibling comment that your cynicism is deeply misplaced imho. I mean, you can be cynical for whatever reasons, but I just think you'd be assuming (and participating in and perpetuating) a game Chad isn't playing.

"Hmmm I think Ill type something out, then edit it with red pen and scan it to put on my website" Is about as fucking around for clicks as it gets

The equivalent of posting a screenshot of a Notes app entry on Instagram.

Re: I am retiring from tech to live offline

#610

Post by gaws »

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 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.

It certainly has. There are other instances of former tech workers who subtely brag online about "moving to the countryside" to "raise chickens," "write poetry," or another performative lifestyle using profits from the industry they're quitting.

Post reply on HN