I don't think you were as successful as you made it out to seem. Shouldn't you have a nice cushion to sit upon and practically retire (:
Ask HN: I'm Tired of Hacking. What Do I Do? Please Advise.
41–50 of 121 posts
Re: Ask HN: I'm Tired of Hacking. What Do I Do? Please Advise.
#42Start by fixing the physical pain. I started getting pain from sitting 12+ hours in a chair, too.
I improved my posture by taking Alexander Technique classes. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexander_Technique http://www.vancouveralexandertechnique.com/
Then I improved my flexibility by taking up yoga. I've dropped 25 pounds since last summer.
Figure out the "mental" stuff and existential angst after you get physically healthy.
Re: Ask HN: I'm Tired of Hacking. What Do I Do? Please Advise.
#43Find a place to work where you're not the best developer, engineer, etc. It's more fun when you're learning.
Agreed, boredom comes from lack of challenge. There's lots of non-challenge available in day-to-day web development.
Re: Ask HN: I'm Tired of Hacking. What Do I Do? Please Advise.
#44It's spring. Go hike the Appalachian trail all summer. You living expenses will be food + replacement socks + fuel for your camp stove. Four months from now, you'll be wonderfully destressed, and will have barely touched your savings.
Awesome Idea!
Yes! Anything closer to El Paso TX?
Re: Ask HN: I'm Tired of Hacking. What Do I Do? Please Advise.
#45Read "Scar Tissue" (Anthony Kiedis' autobiography)
Re: Ask HN: I'm Tired of Hacking. What Do I Do? Please Advise.
#46I'm surprised at some of these answers. You obviously need a serious break.
some arbitrary suggestions: 1/ go and teach web stuff in Africa for 6 months
2/ travel and be a bum for a year
3/ go back to college and get a masters/phd/degree in philosophy/whatever
4/ go work in some kind of low-stress environment for a while, where pressure is minimal. eg a shop or bar or hotel.
5/ *(my real recommendation~) Go visit a therapist/psychologist for a few sessions with the express aim of figuring out what's currently wrong, and to develop a medium-term and maybe a long-term strategy to fix the problem. Talk it out.
Re: Ask HN: I'm Tired of Hacking. What Do I Do? Please Advise.
#47Do you know what you'd rather be doing instead of writing software? Because, if you do, then you should probably make a list for yourself. On that list you do this: #1: Job I don't like. #10: Job I want. Steps #2 through #9 should be the next N things you need to do to do whatever it is you'd rather be doing. Software is not the only place for smart people to work, a lot of people burn out or discover that it's just…
It's good to do this in opposite order. IE, list "Job I Want," and then list the steps you need to take to attain it, backwards. It's easier to start from the end and work backwards, when planning, than starting from a blank slate.
Re: Ask HN: I'm Tired of Hacking. What Do I Do? Please Advise.
#48Take one month's expenses, move out your pad if you're renting and go teach English overseas until you get your senses back. Everyone needs their 2-years of fucking around backpacking before they hit 30. I am just coming back from mine; 20 countries in 2 years and stories for a life time. Cost me less than 10k a year to live like that. Cheers!
[deleted]
Do you really think you should make all your major life choices based on what an HR droid reading your resume might think?
Re: Ask HN: I'm Tired of Hacking. What Do I Do? Please Advise.
#49Take a break, dude. You don't have to backpack around questionable countries but 6 mos of living expenses will give you a comfy stay in lots of places.
I spent 6 weeks in New Zealand last year, almost totally offline. NZ is super cheap right now, safe, and they speak English... not a huge culture clash, but still different, and most importantly, far away.
If you're constantly cramming your life up with things and activities, you can't hear the little voice inside you that is trying to guide you. You need quiet, space, a break.
You might come back feeling rejuvenated and excited to do what you've been doing (altho perhaps a different approach). You might realize finally that it's really not for you, and get an idea of what might be.
Either way, it's scary but worth it.
Re: Ask HN: I'm Tired of Hacking. What Do I Do? Please Advise.
#50Earlier quoted context omitted.
Awesome Idea!
Yes! Anything closer to El Paso TX?