321–330 of 373 posts
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> But answering the question literally, I am not representative of everyone in the industry, I am deeply /deeply/ romantic about programming, but industry is dreck. Unimaginative, low potential, sapping, low-ambition, filled with endless middle- & low-roads & compromises. Countless stakeholders, endless non-technical-personals to "reason" with. Plans & designs & endless corporate aligning & planning. All for middling…
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> It’s boring and people only do it because they’re too socially unsuccessful to participate in things that are actually fun, To throw some bombs the other way, I think there's a legit feeling that a lot of the socialization/fun that humanity gets up to is frivolous, pointless, dis-engaged, solipsistic avoidance of how they are spending their lives. We are all engaged in distracting ourselves at some level (Terror Ma…
A reasonable solution is the Sublime from Schopenhauer, or an alternative enlightened moment in once life were one does indeed she ourselves part of a Cosmic whole. Or otherwise said from that movie “What we do in life, echoes in eternity.”
I would happily write code for free (and do so off-hours, with my kids, and for side projects). I have the luxury of working in a field where my employer pays me not because I hate what I’m doing and would rather not do it all, but just because they need me to focus on solving puzzles they choose instead of puzzles I choose.
This about sums it up for me as well. I feel so absurdly lucky that what I love to do also pays well. If programming paid like shit, I don't think I would be able to stop myself going down that road anyway, in the same way someone who loves painting can't help but paint.
When you are still struggling learning, the endless reading on topic X can be tiring and exhausting, especially in the context of deadlines.
I am deeply, deeply romantic about programming. I consider it an act of self-actualization. But answering the question literally, I am not representative of everyone in the industry, and that's a good thing. It's easy to feel romantic about your vocation when you have a number of reasonable options for achieving modest financial security, and you thus had the privilege of choosing the one that most closely matched yo…
> But answering the question literally, I am not representative of everyone in the industry, I am deeply /deeply/ romantic about programming, but industry is dreck. Unimaginative, low potential, sapping, low-ambition, filled with endless middle- & low-roads & compromises. Countless stakeholders, endless non-technical-personals to "reason" with. Plans & designs & endless corporate aligning & planning. All for middling…
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> It’s boring and people only do it because they’re too socially unsuccessful to participate in things that are actually fun, To throw some bombs the other way, I think there's a legit feeling that a lot of the socialization/fun that humanity gets up to is frivolous, pointless, dis-engaged, solipsistic avoidance of how they are spending their lives. We are all engaged in distracting ourselves at some level (Terror Ma…
Sure there are people with higher callings, geniuses like Einstein or Newton. But that’s not what we’re talking about here. We are talking about moderately intelligent people who will never contribute anything meaningful to humanity. For them work is not an excuse not to have friends or do “frivolous” things. Those frivolous things are what life are made of, so you better have a damn good reason if you avoid them. Be…
I have to disagree here. The bulk of humanity consists of minor contributions made by people few will ever remember.
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>I'm now trying to decide whether I should attempt a medical degree to become a doctor Have you reviewed how much sleep deprivation would be involved in the path towards being a doctor? It differs depending on the path, but middle-age and lack of sleep may be very hard (source: have multiple surgeons in my near circle). But it is very specific to the path you pick, of course. I am currently trying to see if I can fin…
> Have you reviewed how much sleep deprivation would be involved in the path towards being a doctor? It differs depending on the path, but middle-age and lack of sleep may be very hard (source: have multiple surgeons in my near circle). But it is very specific to the path you pick, of course. Yes, I have. My first career (maybe employment path) was as an enlisted soldier. It took some modification of sleeping pattern…
My latest foray before the current re-attempt, I was only able to secure part-time EMT positions, (volunteer with pay), but to get to a position with a regular schedule that would fit my other obligations would require going to more school than I could do at the time.
Whenever one talks about medicine / patient care with fellow practitioners, it is also fascinating to note how different we all are and that the field can accommodate many, of those willing to pay the price.
EMT to the general populace was not something for me, I found dealing with families in distress more emotionally draining than any unconscious patient, regardless of their state. So what would work for me, it appears, is either work removed from patient family interaction, or medical systems work, whatever it may be (innovation, tech collaboration with surgeons, etc. They are starting to use 3d modeling side-by-side during surgery now, etc)
Yes, the family is probably in the worst stress of their life, and, if you have the luxury, one aims to include them in your care protocol, attempting to at least assess their level of distress so they don't suicide or collapse in the next 24 hours, but you also have a huge ticking clock for the primary patient...
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> For many, programming is the lowest-risk way to put a roof over their head and feed their family. It seems that to some extent the romantics are actually indebted to this cohort for pushing forth the ideas of fair compensation and fighting for workers' rights, because people who are passionate about their work usually end up getting taken advantage of.
My own writing on the subject of this industry falls into two pretty cleanly divided piles: The writing about programming itself is "impractical" and "romantic," because that writing is for those who have an affinity with the "romance of programming." The writing about getting a job, negotiating compensation, shipping products, hiring programmers, &c. is practical, because that writing is for everyone.
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Yes, the construction of a ballpoint pen could be made romantic. But I mean...it's pretty incredible how many humans collaborate to produce the ballpoint pen, millions of individuals cooperating in countless ways, producing an essential implement which is greater than the sum of its parts. No one involved could tell you exactly how the pen is made, and yet it's sold at a price so low we never think about it. There is…
An upside of programming is that you can build something useful, by yourself. Some of my favorite programs are ones I wrote and use every day. They're not amazing programs, but they do the job and they did not exist before I wrote them. I wonder if a home-created ballpoint pen, that worked well, wouldn't feel a bit more magical or romantic than the one you get for free at the hotel or bank. Having made, for example,…
Universal computation is still the max known complexity of any rule-following process, and it's also a low-bar, very easily attained: x86, RISC, GoL, rule 40, or smallest 2,3-Turing-machine - all are exactly equal in their total-computational-capability (merely with different translation needs on their input and output).
Ideas (fantasies?) of hyper-computation are fascinating, but what can that really mean? To follow instructions better than exactly? Surely it'd just be different types of faster!?
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I felt that way after a few years of programming. I was bad at debugging and several other things that would have made my life a lot easier. After a decade of programming, I got better at it, and started to like it more (even doing it in my spare time) People like things they are good at. To be provocative: if you only did it for a few years, you probably weren't that good at it. The same can be said for math, playin…
> And that's not to say "good" is a fixed target... The interesting thing is that once you get to a certain point, you can see the infinite world that you haven't explored yet. > If you like math then there is a ton of stuff in programming that's mathematical, but you can't get a job in those areas until you've mastered the basics. I don't think you understand my point. While I don't think I am exceptionally good, I…
That goes both ways though doesn't it. I find dealing with people rather than machines the least interesting part of my work. I do it because it's necessary but I find it exhausting and try and minimise it. Horses for courses.