I think farmers are the original hackers.
I think the original hack is maybe the spearhead of the hunter; pitty, those guys were so much like the jocks we detested at high school.
Ask HN: Outdoor jobs for geeks?
11–20 of 41 posts
Re: Ask HN: Outdoor jobs for geeks?
#12Field engineer for a cellphone/mobile broadband company. You'll need to travel around to mast sites and customer sites to do QA, troubleshooting, test signal strength and do basic IP networking stuff.
You need a head for heights.
Re: Ask HN: Outdoor jobs for geeks?
#13Travel writer. Lots of hackers are also good writers. It can involve a lot of research into the history and culture of different places.
OK, maybe I'm just using my dream job :)
Re: Ask HN: Outdoor jobs for geeks?
#14A data point: An old friend burned out after a decade of being a consultant with a long commute. Now he has worked a few summers as a gardener. He is in shape, tanned and happy, so I have given up trying to make him go back to computers. ("Join the dark side... we can drink coffee throughout the day!") Personally, after doing a commute like his for just half a year, I took the first job I could find, moved 800 km and…
Come to think of it, that is kind of what the hero in Office Space did - except he chose construction work instead of gardening. Still, gardening or construction seems too limited to me. I want to change the world (not only my backyard, although technically it is a part of the world).
How about THIS, then?
I've promised myself that if I ever get rich enough, I'll live for years on diving boats. Between dives to the coral reefs, I'd write open source.
(My dream also includes hiring a cook from somewhere with really spicy food.)
Maybe you could get a telecommute job and do that, without too high a cost. (Boats aren't cheap, but if you stay at coral reefs in Asia, it might be OK.)
Re: Ask HN: Outdoor jobs for geeks?
#15Underwater robots. http://www.bluefinrobotics.com Have to love tech and boats.
Sea/water stuff... that's a good point. There's probably a fair amount of variety there - marine biology, oil surveying, stuff like that. I guess it's not so attractive for those of us who love the hills and forests, but it's not a bad idea at all.
Re: Ask HN: Outdoor jobs for geeks?
#16I think farmers are the original hackers.
before that fire and then wheel - all hacked.
Re: Ask HN: Outdoor jobs for geeks?
#17Do you mean jobs that don't involve computers and are outside? Many geeky jobs will probably involve some sort of writing utensils, how is it different from computer?
I work as a software development freelancer and often work outside with a laptop or just pencil and piece of paper.
Re: Ask HN: Outdoor jobs for geeks?
#18Re: Ask HN: Outdoor jobs for geeks?
#19Field engineer for a cellphone/mobile broadband company. You'll need to travel around to mast sites and customer sites to do QA, troubleshooting, test signal strength and do basic IP networking stuff. You need a head for heights.
http://tx.mb21.co.uk/gallery/winterhill/winter-hill10.php
This isn't far from where I live - I'd quite like to get into the engineering and particularly transmission side of radio (currently in programming although I have an amateur radio licence) but I don't fancy working 1,000 feet above the ground in a little cage... (look at the pics, they are stunning!)
Re: Ask HN: Outdoor jobs for geeks?
#20You could get involved in GeekCorps : http://www.geekcorps.org/
The "Get Involed" link brings up a lightbox but doesn't load anything. Is this organization still active, and have you been involved in it?