Live data from Hacker News

Ask HN: How to optimize your career for happiness?

news.ycombinator.com

271–280 of 339 posts

Re: Ask HN: How to optimize your career for happiness?

#272
post #86

Earlier quoted context omitted.

As a twenty three year old. I'm curious to know more. why take on responsibility through having children? Why not pickup any other type of responsibilty? like, community service, tutoring/helping kids from less fortunate places or in the worst case even Picking up more responsibility from work? Is it more of a genetic thing where it makes the pain of responsibility more pleasurable? I'm even more curious to know if y…

Many things can be said but you will experience an emotional range like you've never felt before - the lows are really low and the highs are really high - plus a lot of your life will no longer be within your control, which always adds a bit of adventure to things.

> the lows are really low and the highs are really high

This resonated with me; I am yet to experience the lows because my kids are still young - the highs are just unparalleled. The happiness and calm I feel from having my son putting his head on my shoulders listening to bedtime stories is unmatched by anything else going on in my life.

Re: Ask HN: How to optimize your career for happiness?

#273

A related question: what type of software engineering work is the most relaxed? So far I have only worked in live services and while I don't feel overworked, I often have background anxiety that I will break something and cause a huge impact. Are there any product areas found at FAANGs that don't cause this anxiety?

Corporate, project and product based work. I was used to working slowly, lots of testing involved etc. No real stressful deadlines. (UK based).

Re: Ask HN: How to optimize your career for happiness?

#274
post #26

Get a gym membership and go every day. If you have trouble going routinely sign up for classes or a personal trainer so you feel more obligated to go on a regular basis.

Standard gym is quite boring for me. I'd suggest martial arts-muay thai, brazillian jiu-jitsu etc.

Re: Ask HN: How to optimize your career for happiness?

#275
post #207

Earlier quoted context omitted.

We spend a lot of money on a personal trainer; and a coach specific to my poison (cycling). The personal training and coaching are the greatest expense and I will allow my lights to get turned off before I let that lapse - it's that important to me. There has been a significant investment in a rowing machine, indoor smart trainers for cycling, and quite a bit of free weights. My wife runs, and she spends a healthy am…

>> I will also note that we have consciously chosen this route vs. maxing out 401(k) or similar. We are not wealthy (in the financial sense) nor are we sitting on a nest egg or in line to inherit a large sum of money. This caught my eye. Not maxing out your 401K is leaving money on the table. Money that could make your life easier later on. I'm curious to know what items/activities you'd need to give up in order to m…

What if your current employer doesn't match your contributions? Is maxing out the 401k still advisable?

Re: Ask HN: How to optimize your career for happiness?

#278
post #251

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What have been the best investments you’ve made?

0. Taking up yoga in 1995 1. Personal trainer and sport-specific coach (recurring) 2. Professional bike fit and really good cycling shoes (infrequent) (a) Periodic lactate threshold and/or FTP testing (few times per year) (b) TrainingPeaks/Trainerroad/Zwift/Strava subscriptions (recurring) 3. Wahoo KICKR smart trainer (non-recurring) (a) Rollers for a very challenging workout (non-recurring) 4. Concept2 rowing machin…

I loved my Concept2 erg (vintage Model B that I found on CraigsList for $100, and refurbished it using parts that the company still had in stock). I bought it after the Concept2 and treadmills were my favorite machines in two gyms.

I regretted selling the Concept2 just before my last apartment move, and I plan to buy one again when I have a stable place to put it.

The Concept2 erg is expensive, and a matter of taste. So, if a person has never used one, they might want to try one out at a gym first.

Re: Ask HN: How to optimize your career for happiness?

#279
post #60

In 2019 I closed my company, middle size web-dev shop. I used the pandemic situation to reevaluate and rearrange my life. Turns out that I want to do product design and development. And all the experience as a business owner, product manager, etc, is coming handy when crafting new products. I have survived several burnouts in those years of pushing myself harder. Learned my lessons. Balance is the key. Physical and m…

May I ask, what kinds of things do you rely on to check the fulfillment / meaning box?

Re: Ask HN: How to optimize your career for happiness?

#280
post #259

Earlier quoted context omitted.

GPL is part of why SaaS happened. It doesn’t prevent commercial use and it doesn’t require distributing source code if the user never gets an executable. SaaS is the textbook way to work around the GPL.

And thus, GPL has evolved to match?

Sort of, with AGPL.
Post reply on HN