My low-paying, early-morning, exertion-requiring job • Hacker News Board

Re: My low-paying, early-morning, exertion-requiring job

#151

Post by gk1 » Sat, Apr 05, 2014, 2:39 PM UTC

Oculus wrote: post #143

gk1 wrote: post #46

A few summers ago I lived in Seattle but worked in Bremerton, which is over an hour away by ferry. To reach on time I had to take the earliest ferry possible; at 6-something AM. If I missed that ferry, the next one wasn't until 1.5 hours later, which would make me very late. Almost every day--like clockwork--I got up slightly late, threw on some clothes, and went out with my bike. Half-asleep, cold, and worried about…

Wouldn't you end up being all sweaty by time you got to the ferry?

The hills were all downhill on the way to work, so it wasn't as much of a workout as the return home.

Re: My low-paying, early-morning, exertion-requiring job

#152

Post by jshakes » Sat, Apr 05, 2014, 3:21 PM UTC

scotch_drinker wrote: post #100

jshakes wrote: post #77

I'm glad you appreciate the value of a healthy, balanced lifestyle. But reading this, it's easy to see why people post "Die Techie Scum" stickers around SF. You've taken a job that someone else could actually use to help pay rent and have turned it into a hobby. If I did this job for a living I would be furious at the arrogance of someone treating as an exercise in "Feeling Good". Get some perspective.

Except that in his real job, he creates jobs. So if by taking a low paying, high exertion job, his burnout rate is lowered or his stress level is lower which allows him to expand his company and hire more people, the world is largely a better place. This isn't a zero sum game. Yes, if he didn't take this job, someone else probably would but there is other context and other considerations to keep in mind.

That argument falls flat on its face when you consider that this is an industry that destroys a lot more jobs than it creates. You think companies that employ 10 people and then sell for millions of dollars are creating jobs? Where do you think that money comes from? Tech startups have hollowed out thousands of middle class jobs and all the money that pours into them is at the expense of investment in other industries that truly create jobs. I'm not saying that's a good or a bad thing, it's just capitalism. But you can't use job creation as a defense

Re: My low-paying, early-morning, exertion-requiring job

#153

Post by ct » Sun, Apr 06, 2014, 1:23 PM UTC

GrinningFool wrote: post #99

I used to landscape professionally. Which - in my case - is a fancy way of saying I cut grass, dug ditches, raked leaves and spread mulch. I picked up some useful knowledge along the way. Thing is, no matter how much satisfaction I get from a problem solved, elegant or just effective code written, etc - it isn't quite the same thing as when I could look back at a yard/park/complex etc at the end of the day and say "Y…

I loved cutting grass but don't have a yard anymore as I live in an apt :(

Re: My low-paying, early-morning, exertion-requiring job

#154

Post by zellyn » Sun, Apr 06, 2014, 7:54 PM UTC

donut2d wrote: post #79

zellyn wrote: post #57

Earlier quoted context omitted.

After I got married, and my wife observed my sleep apnea, I did a sleep study. My apnea was infrequent/mild enough that the doctor considered CPAP unnecessarily invasive/expensive. She told me to take a sock, put a tennis ball in it, safety pin it to the back of a t-shirt, and sleep in that.

Does that just stop you from moving onto your back while you sleep or is there some other goal?

Just stops me from moving onto my back while I sleep.

Re: My low-paying, early-morning, exertion-requiring job

#155

Post by magal » Mon, Apr 07, 2014, 9:20 PM UTC

jessepollak wrote: post #32

adestefan wrote: post #29

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Stop drinking coffee. About 7 years ago I cut out all caffeine and I've found myself being less tired and more alert in the morning. Granted there are days where I don't want to drag myself out of bed mainly when I know I need sleep, but I no longer feel like a zombie until coffee in the mornings.

I actually only drink ~2 cups of coffee a week (one of which I'm just finishing right now at Awaken :).

Maybe the quality of your sleep is the issue?

EDIT: OK, a lot of people talking about that below.