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What happens if an entire class of workers loses faith in their careers

noemamag.com

171–180 of 1001 posts

Re: What happens if an entire class of workers loses faith in their careers

#171

This is basically office space but for the modern era. Peter found happiness in construction work, but when something physical like that is your job… I don’t know. A lot of those guys have back pain, inflexible schedules, working in extreme weather, and the pay isn’t even that good. Is tech so bad? Or is the world of work broken?

Physical labor is bad for the knees, but good for the soul.

Re: What happens if an entire class of workers loses faith in their careers

#172
post #159

Earlier quoted context omitted.

So much this. I've spent my whole career avoiding being promoted into management because I don't want to be or enjoy being a manager. So it always amuses me when genAI advocates say things like "your job isn't going away, you're just going to be doing management" as if that is a good thing. To my ears, that reads as "you'll still be getting a paycheck, but your job is going to shitty."

The last time a programmer wasn't a manager was when they were handed a piece of paper with toggle combinations and their job was to flip the toggle switches as detailed. AI doesn't seem to have much applicability in any other profession, other than maybe graphic arts, but the same holds true there. Artists are also always managers. So, what is this magical not-a-manager but also at risk of AI taking it away career?…

Yes, it is a sliding scale.

I'd prefer to stay nearer this end of the scale, not that end.

Re: What happens if an entire class of workers loses faith in their careers

#173

This is basically office space but for the modern era. Peter found happiness in construction work, but when something physical like that is your job… I don’t know. A lot of those guys have back pain, inflexible schedules, working in extreme weather, and the pay isn’t even that good. Is tech so bad? Or is the world of work broken?

Office workers get chronic conditions from sitting around all day too. Yet vary few jobs provide any such balance.

The only tech job that had that balance was a network engineer at the headquaters of a global company in a skyscraper with 3 offices and a datacenter in walking distance. Most of the time I was sitting around writing code or configs, but at least once a week I would have to walk to a different floor or building to wire up a switch or rack a new DNS server or whatever. That bit of required physical activity and interaction with others was always a highlight.

Re: What happens if an entire class of workers loses faith in their careers

#174
post #151

Earlier quoted context omitted.

He murdered a guilty man, not an innocent one. Still murder, and murder is wrong, but let's not get things twisted

[flagged]

not all crime is illegal, unfortunately.

Re: What happens if an entire class of workers loses faith in their careers

#175
post #85

Long long time ago people in tech were in tech because of the tech. Then, at some point, being in tech became a gilded profession and everyone: salesmen, artists, clerks etc. joined in. Not because they wanted to be in tech. They wanted gold. For years it was working, but right now things shifted. You can no longer just do the thing you learned for a job and continue doing so, because landscape shifted. So they're mi…

I have been in tech for the tech for over 20 years now, heck over 30 years as a hobbyist. I have lost almost all interest in it these days. It feels increasingly meaningless, and actively harmful. I know it is my own fault for neglecting my health and relationships, but I can't help but feel this career makes the most important things more difficult.

The burnout is a separate topic, and it was always difficult to balance in this specific industry.

All these "Working in IT isn't stressful at all - John 25yo" memes didn't come come from nothing.

But I wouldn't really put it on LLMs/AI. It was always like this. Jokes about how hopeless development cycle is, and how everybody have impostor syndrome etc.

Re: What happens if an entire class of workers loses faith in their careers

#176

Because we see what's coming? Because we watched our careers go from being in service of an industry of tinkerers and designers, to being in service of the worst people attempting to maximize wealth extraction no matter the human cost? Because Snow Crash wasn't supposed to be the goal? Because our daily complicity in what's happening is also a daily reminder that we're not brave enough to be a Mangione? Take your pic…

[flagged]

[deleted]

Re: What happens if an entire class of workers loses faith in their careers

#177

This article is too inward, clique referential looking. It uses too many "known" things to frame and validate its points, but has very little contributions of its own. The way that people are described, and the conditions portrayed, have been this way for quite some time. The only thing that is changed is now there is a clearly defined boogeyman to point to that justifies it. Because the other boogeymen make the usua…

[flagged]

No, I pained myself reading the article too much for that.

Re: What happens if an entire class of workers loses faith in their careers

#178

Because we see what's coming? Because we watched our careers go from being in service of an industry of tinkerers and designers, to being in service of the worst people attempting to maximize wealth extraction no matter the human cost? Because Snow Crash wasn't supposed to be the goal? Because our daily complicity in what's happening is also a daily reminder that we're not brave enough to be a Mangione? Take your pic…

[flagged]

Systematic over denial of claims is not murdering innocent children, women and men?

"Its giving pearl clutching status quo defending cognative dissonance internal identity crisis having mook behavior" as the kids would say

Re: What happens if an entire class of workers loses faith in their careers

#179
post #84

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Mangione is a murderer but that "innocent man" he killed was not innocent at all, he indeed was a murderer too. The only difference between then is they used different tools. No... Mangione murdered one, the other guy killed much more.

[flagged]

Shame? Where's the shame for these orphan crushing machine administrators? Just doing my job. Just following orders. Just designing and optimizing it

All of it is doing it both. The system is cracking and the ONLY REASON why its brought up is because 1 guy did a murder to an important guy. Otherwise business as usual.

Shame on society

Re: What happens if an entire class of workers loses faith in their careers

#180

> knowledge work is mostly pointless Really, noemamag?

Do you like increasing shareholder value?

Absolutely! As a part-owner in a company that’s exactly what I expect. I’m not putting my money in a company because I’m feeling generous.

I have to prioritize my and my family’s own financial well being. If a company gives poor returns, I’m incentivized to reallocate my capital to companies that give me better results.

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