Live data from Hacker News

Burnout

kristinn.ghost.io

131–138 of 138 posts

Re: Burnout

#131

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'll start. I want to work so hard because I want to get up on a podium someday at my high school or college podium and make a "f-you all" speech like Jerry McGuire in "Jerry McGuire" (1996). I want to make all of the guys who bullied me or dismissed me wonder looking at me how they got where they are now. I want to make all of the girls/ex'es who spurned me or laughed at me wonder why they didn't see the diamond in…

Why do you care about those people? I suspect that in a few more years, you'll revoke their license to occupy your brain and control your path in life. That's true freedom. Some people don't realize this until it's too late, and all they can do is look back and say, "for what?" If your ego doesn't kill you, it will rob you of your best years, so be careful.

> Why do you care about those people?

Powerful words.

I disagree with the parent comment even though I share a lot of the same thoughts, feelings and desires. Vengeance would surely be great, for a moment. But your words say it well. Who cares what people think? Your point on ego is spot on.

FWIW, OP focuses a little too much on "finding a connection" and consistently saying, "that's what life is about." IMO, life isn't about anything. Calm down. Relax. Everything is arbitrary. While I think it's great OP has found meaningful activities, the things he finds enjoyable sound dreadful to me.

But we're all different :)

Re: Burnout

#132
post #121

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You're not alone. I'm in my 30s and daydream about having a post on the frontpage of HN with everyone "recognizing" how awesome my projects/thoughts are. How can anyone be satisfied with mediocrity?

It's not hard to get stuff on the front page. Make a reasonably nice project, get a designer friend to do a landing page. Then let 10 of your friends know beforehand, get a commitment for upvotes. Post it, get your friends to upvote it (DO NOT send them a direct link, the HN spam system picks that up, they need to find it themselves on the new page). This will buy you maybe like 30 minutes on the frontpage, from ther…

I don't think satisfaction from being recognized will be achieved through coercing the system. I think what we want is a genuine pat on the back from the community and a natural rise to the top based on our accomplishment alone.

Re: Burnout

#133
post #97

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Have you tried remote contract work? I know my company has a number of remote contractors making around $70-$80 per hour.

How did they go about finding the work?

The short answer is networking. They get to a point where they know enough people to find work.

What kind of dev work do you do?

Re: Burnout

#134
post #55

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Depending on the terms of your employment, this might not even be possible, but you should try augmenting your primary source of income with some part-time consulting. While the lure of the profitable side project is hard to resist, it's much easier to become financially independent by doing consulting than through a side project. Bootstrapped SaaS projects grow very very slowly in terms of monthly recurring revenue…

Any suggestions on how to find part time consulting gigs? I know I can't compete with the odesk rates, not sure of non-spammy places to find em. I'll have to check on terms, as well.

Have you tried applying to work posted in the HN freelance hiring threads? There are many such niche software dev contracting listings. Here's another one: http://www.authenticjobs.com/

I suggest you build a few "apps" which are highly focussed in what they do but are more-or-less feature complete and publish it on GitHub. This works better in some areas of software dev than others, but it will basically demonstrate that you can ship a product in an area that you have expertise in. As a contractor, your ability to ship code is the most important point of evaluation for people trying to hire you. With the source code available, people can also validate that you can write decent code. Having such a showcasable portfolio of work will definitely put you in the top of the pecking order.

Re: Burnout

#135

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Why do you care about those people? I suspect that in a few more years, you'll revoke their license to occupy your brain and control your path in life. That's true freedom. Some people don't realize this until it's too late, and all they can do is look back and say, "for what?" If your ego doesn't kill you, it will rob you of your best years, so be careful.

> Why do you care about those people? Powerful words. I disagree with the parent comment even though I share a lot of the same thoughts, feelings and desires. Vengeance would surely be great, for a moment. But your words say it well. Who cares what people think? Your point on ego is spot on. FWIW, OP focuses a little too much on "finding a connection" and consistently saying, "that's what life is about." IMO, life is…

I hate to unveil, but you guys realize that my post is a satire right? Told in the words of the self-proclaimed "sensitive hacker," e.g., the Asian and Caucasian American computer programmer in his mid-to-late 20's who go to Mexican burrito places for work lunches and talk of big dreams and sulk on lonely nights, imagining triumphs over past slights,

> But my conscience tells me that I have to tone it down a bit because I'm not a jock, I don't want to stoop down to the same level of those who've bullied me.

He's exactly like the jock in that he carry the same insecurities/low self-esteem and look for an arbitrary status symbol (e.g., funding, startup exit) in his given social circle to overcompensate, belittle those who don't have it. Except he can't admit it to himself and is convinced that he's better (when he's no better) than Jerry McGuire and Arnold Schwarzenegger aka the sales guy or the project manager who are slightly duchey and hits on the office manager and graphics designer girls.

> I live in Brooklyn (but not Williamsburg); I'm not a hipster ... I'm not a jock and I'm not a hipster, I'm a sensitive hacker.

Although he participates in the same consumerist activity as the "hipster", going to Whole Food's, indie shows, bicycle ride-along's etc. He consider himself a special and unique breed, a "sensitive hacker" just like the "hipster" who believe their outwardly bohemian, counter-mainstream "attitude" somehow validate themselves; When Arduino and HN, like American Apparel is just niche marketing.

> I'll start a blog with a side-bar with me as the Founder of X ... I'll tweet for a break, I'll share on your FB wall,

He is convinced that his goal to "give back" and "blogging/startuping" is altruistic and giving back to community - when it's really his need to feel altruistic. What he really wants is to have a soap box to stand on, a podium to have his voice heard. The irony is that as much as he wants to be heard (and validated), he doesn't think really to listen to those right besides by him but is scared that he isn't heard - so aims to shout louder and try to drown out all the other "shouters."

> I'm going to book a ticket on Stubhub for a show next weekend that I and my GF can go to, starred artist on her Spotify ... I'm saving money consciously for a down payment for a house after reading more about passive income because I'm growing to become an adult.

He follows life like a mom checks off a grocery list or a Cosmos reader following the sex tips on Cosmos. Does he really know his friend or significant other or himself, or does he just like the idea of the clique, traveling, the relationship, Brooklyn or fears the missing out as he hear those around him get "richer" and "happier."

The biggest tragedy or comedy in life, depending on how you look at it, is people locking themselves in mental prison and self-styled martyrdom all in the name of the pursuit of freedom. There comes a time when a man must ask themselves whether a Renee Zellweger nose completes him - just shut up ... reset that broken nose.

Re: Burnout

#136
post #89

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Talk about taking every single word I wrote literally :) Thats ok. I do regularly work on side projects. But being 100% productive 100% of the time, in my mind, is not healty. This is my personal opinion. The assumption you make about your vocation being your passion and for me it being just to pay the bills could not be more wrong. I have been a coder all my life. It is my job now and will continue to be as well as…

Here is how I see it. If your going on a drive and you have three choices, one of them is the most direct route its on the freeway and you will make it there is the shortest amount of time, the second is a winding country road it takes twice as long, but you get to enjoy the country road maybe listen to the radio maybe roll your windows down and enjoy the fresh spring air, and you have a separate freeway that is unde…

In the scope of my article, when will you be at your destination? Will you be driving at full speed on the freeway for the rest of your life until your car breaks down from wear and tear? Or would you not rather arrive there a bit later with your car still running and still in good health.

Re: Burnout

#137

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Why do you care about those people? Powerful words. I disagree with the parent comment even though I share a lot of the same thoughts, feelings and desires. Vengeance would surely be great, for a moment. But your words say it well. Who cares what people think? Your point on ego is spot on. FWIW, OP focuses a little too much on "finding a connection" and consistently saying, "that's what life is about." IMO, life is…

I hate to unveil, but you guys realize that my post is a satire right? Told in the words of the self-proclaimed "sensitive hacker," e.g., the Asian and Caucasian American computer programmer in his mid-to-late 20's who go to Mexican burrito places for work lunches and talk of big dreams and sulk on lonely nights, imagining triumphs over past slights, > But my conscience tells me that I have to tone it down a bit beca…

I'm sorry you felt you had to unveil.

I got it. Made my day. If there's ever a chance where we're in close geographic proximity I'll buy you a beverage of your choice.

Re: Burnout

#138
post #133

Earlier quoted context omitted.

How did they go about finding the work?

The short answer is networking. They get to a point where they know enough people to find work. What kind of dev work do you do?

Web dev with mvc in .net and php. I got to find places to network. Usergroup meetings are just a bunch of devs already working (usually fulltime).
Post reply on HN