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Hello, World

hello-world.io

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Re: Hello, World

#121

Post by jerf »

untog wrote: post #62
jakejake wrote: post #47

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think this is the result of the relative ease of getting programming work and good salaries. It attracts a lot of people who are not really in it for the love. Some of those people are going to feel like their soul is being sucked out. This guy is one of them which explains his extreme reactions. I personally would rather work at the shittiest programming job than go out and work on a farm. But that's just me.

Man, I love programming but there are times after sitting at a desk for seven hours then spending another hour at the gym to get exercise that I feel like modern life makes no damn sense. It's moments like these that the idea of working on a farm, doing something real with my hands, sounds really great. But who am I kidding.

You may want to consider "life-hacking" your exercise routine. There's a lot of evidence coming in lately that suggests that an hour is far more time than you need to be spending for health, if you do different things.

(I'm not in love with using the term life-hacking, but, alas, it really is the best fit for the concept in question. Still, it need not be done as a fad or because it is "cool" in a certain set... it can simply be a useful way of improving yourself.)

Re: Hello, World

#122

Post by [deleted] »

amyjess wrote: post #53

I'm happy that OP found what he wants, but honestly... I'm actively repulsed by the idea of living a life like the one OP is starting. I'm close to OP's age (I'm 30; he's 32), and the idea of working on a farm, doing manual labor, and raising a kid is like living hell to me. To me, the ideal job is one that involved having 16 terminals open, and I'd rather work in an office than in any other environment. To each thei…

[deleted]

Re: Hello, World

#123

Post by vegancap »

grubles wrote: post #44
vegancap wrote: post #18

This seems the natural progression for programmers now. 10 year slog of hope decaying; relatively monotonous work, then a sudden urge to do something antithetical in pursuit of happiness. I guess I'll be in a log cabin in Iceland in 5 years time!

It seems the author of the article had spent a lot of time in a windowless, fluorescent-lit room. No wonder the urge to be outside is so great for them.

Yeah I can certainly see why he felt that way!

Re: Hello, World

#124

Post by vegancap »

fixxer wrote: post #29
vegancap wrote: post #18

This seems the natural progression for programmers now. 10 year slog of hope decaying; relatively monotonous work, then a sudden urge to do something antithetical in pursuit of happiness. I guess I'll be in a log cabin in Iceland in 5 years time!

it is also interesting how often the pursuit of happiness involves some degree of isolation.

That's very true, I wonder why that is? I feel the same way very often. I'm not a particularly anti-sociable person either.

Re: Hello, World

#126

Post by aaron_m04 »

secstate wrote: post #84
jakejake wrote: post #47

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think this is the result of the relative ease of getting programming work and good salaries. It attracts a lot of people who are not really in it for the love. Some of those people are going to feel like their soul is being sucked out. This guy is one of them which explains his extreme reactions. I personally would rather work at the shittiest programming job than go out and work on a farm. But that's just me.

I couldn't agree more. As I was reading this post I was really trying to sympathize with the author's trouble of finding contentment in his work. But as a software dev who's very nearly a "code monkey" in his 40 hours, I also live in a rural setting where my wife and I raise heritage hogs for pork. I also find time to volunteer with the local Code for America brigade and interface with folks in the government and non…

That's a good lesson, but putting it into practice requires a job where you are not pressured to work 10-12 hour days and weekends.

Re: Hello, World

#127

Post by leothekim »

ky3 wrote: post #107
leothekim wrote: post #68

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Well, there are different personality types out there. This may be "peace of mind" for him. I'd agree with this if he didn't sound so reactionary. Leaving a software job to work on a farm is great if you're making a deliberate choice from a solid mental state. He makes it sound like he's doing this (and every other choice he described) because he'd otherwise be going out of his mind. It's disturbing to read in a wa…

he doesn't sound like he has full agency over his current decision. There's a finished sheen to his prose, so I give him the benefit of doubt that he's merely caricaturizing his situation. Actual life stories are quite dull, you know, as opposed to say, the movies. And on the topic of differing sensibilities, it's curious that you find it "disturbing to read." We are left wondering why.

If he's caricaturizing himself on his own web site like this, then it's absolutely disturbing.

It's disturbing to me that, in abandoning his current reality to embrace a new one, he idealizes his next step in a way that repeats a pattern of psychosis. It's not at all clear he is actually in reality in moving to his next decision.

It'd be far less disturbing if he were listing his reasons as "I've been looking forward to doing this for a long time, and this is fulfilling a lifelong dream" or "I've been talking with my wife and kids, and we can't wait..." or "This is going to be hard, but we're giving it a go...", i.e. reasons that connect with his current reality instead of running away from it.

Instead, he demonizes his current life and, to reconcile "a new fire inside of me that I can’t hold back", he characterizes his decision as "A journey with a larger purpose. A journey that will feed me in ways money cannot. A journey that will breed true Life." These are ego-driven, black-and-white, rhetorical reasons. Nothing about his next move guaranteeing any of what he's hoping for. And this time, he's bringing his children along with him.

Re: Hello, World

#128

Post by bkjelden »

drzaiusapelord wrote: post #109
jofer wrote: post #67

Earlier quoted context omitted.

While I agree that programming attracts a lot of people that aren't in it for the love of the craft, I disagree with most of your sentiment. I see a creative person who struggles with having to focus on someone else's agenda. Most non-developers see programming as tedious, mind-numbing work that involves zero creativity. Most people who have never worked on a small farm or built a table/shed/house/whatever think of t…

>Both working on a farm and programming are surprisingly creative professions. For all the shit rural culture gets around here, I'm usually impressed by the ingenuity of its homegrown hacker-like culture. I sometimes get frustrated with my overly automated urban life. Apartment/condo living with a low maintenance car/appliances/technology and a worklife where I'm shuttled to and from via public transportation doesn't…

I recently moved from a rural/small city area to a major urban area.

One of the most striking differences to me has been how many more abstractions there are for people living in a city - and as a result, how much less those people know about their surroundings.

Re: Hello, World

#129

Post by aaron_m04 »

jonalmeida wrote: post #117
jwmoz wrote: post #70

This rings true. I'm 30, have a well paid programming job, but I just don't care that much about it anymore. I used to be so passionate and enthusiastic. But now I feel like there's more to life than banging out code. Unfortunately there's not much else I know other than the internet and the fact it's currently making me a lot more money than 95% of my friends. So that leaves me ultimately disenchanted with nowhere t…

This is my fear as a soon-to-be graduating student from university. I was in the same boat as the author, only discovering my excitement of making computers do things on the screen by typing at the keyboard. I've noticed a large number of stories and comments, on HN at least, regarding burn out. Is anyone aware of studies that look into why burnout is so common with developers?

I think burn out has little to do with programming itself and a lot do to with company culture.

Re: Hello, World

#130

Post by bkjelden »

jofer wrote: post #67
jakejake wrote: post #47

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think this is the result of the relative ease of getting programming work and good salaries. It attracts a lot of people who are not really in it for the love. Some of those people are going to feel like their soul is being sucked out. This guy is one of them which explains his extreme reactions. I personally would rather work at the shittiest programming job than go out and work on a farm. But that's just me.

While I agree that programming attracts a lot of people that aren't in it for the love of the craft, I disagree with most of your sentiment. I see a creative person who struggles with having to focus on someone else's agenda. Most non-developers see programming as tedious, mind-numbing work that involves zero creativity. Most people who have never worked on a small farm or built a table/shed/house/whatever think of t…

Many of the happiest and hardest working people I know are farmers.

Autonomy, mastery, purpose - family farmers have all three of those.

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