Woodworking as an escape from the absurdity of software • Hacker News Board

Re: Woodworking as an escape from the absurdity of software

#351

Post by culopatin » Fri, May 03, 2024, 4:56 PM UTC

_yb2s wrote: post #350

culopatin wrote: post #262

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Don’t let that be a brake on your enjoyment though. I always liked cars and I do have an affinity for tinkering. But I didn’t know anything about fabrication. I got me a welder and many YouTube videos and hours later I was making stainless exhausts. It was a very enjoyable experience. Just stumbling through is most of the fun.

Awesome. I usually have luck with things like this, but seem to have no gift for welding. I could never get a clean bead from my cheap welder, and ended up even taking a community college welding class... the instructor could lay a clean bead with my welder, but I couldn't and eventually decided to just pay professionals to weld for me when my hobbies require it. I still can't tell what I was doing wrong. I even made…

That’s how I felt at first. I got started with a tig. I guess the advantage I had was that I had seen someone really good weld with a tig many times so I kinda knew what it should look like both result and motion wise, but they never taught me any settings, technique or anything at all otherwise.

Keeping the tungsten from touching the bead is harder than it looks.

The thing with welding is that it doesn’t give you any time to figure things out in the moment. Sort of like tennis in that way. You hit it wrong and you gotta go get the ball. Start wrong with welding and gotta get the angle grinder and restart.

Re: Woodworking as an escape from the absurdity of software

#352

Post by 91bananas » Fri, May 03, 2024, 4:56 PM UTC

colecut wrote: post #247

_yb2s wrote: post #239

I don't understand why more adults don't have awesome hobbies... most of my childhood friends don't seem to do anything fun now as adults. I really love physical things I can do with my body as a counterbalance to working on the computer- weight lifting, woodworking, and sailing add a lot of value to my life, and have gotten me outdoors and in shape. I'm currently building a wood sailboat in my garage together with m…

If you inherited woodworking tools from your grandfather, I'm assuming that either your grandfather or father taught you some woodworking skills? I grew up on the computer since I was a preteen. My dad moved 2000 miles away when I was 11. Every job I've ever had since I was 14 was web/software related and I am nearly 39. I feel like I have no practical skills outside of computers and the idea of building things with…

As others have mentioned, try. Youtube has a literal endless wealth of knowledge of how to do any task. I learned how to machine metal after 5 months of background youtube videos on manual machining. Youtube Apprenticeship.

Re: Woodworking as an escape from the absurdity of software

#353

Post by throwaway918274 » Fri, May 03, 2024, 4:59 PM UTC

toomuchtodo wrote: post #255

_yb2s wrote: post #239

I don't understand why more adults don't have awesome hobbies... most of my childhood friends don't seem to do anything fun now as adults. I really love physical things I can do with my body as a counterbalance to working on the computer- weight lifting, woodworking, and sailing add a lot of value to my life, and have gotten me outdoors and in shape. I'm currently building a wood sailboat in my garage together with m…

What time is left after work, kids, sleep, and personal obligations for the median adult? Awesome hobbies are awesome! But they require time, and in some cases, financial resources.

engaging with hobbies with your kids, which can also teach them useful skills, is one way

when I was a kid, when my dad was repairing the house or car I was always "holding the flashlight" or he would actually teach me to use power tools and do the repairs myself while guiding me along.

Re: Woodworking as an escape from the absurdity of software

#354

Post by hyggetrold » Fri, May 03, 2024, 5:01 PM UTC

irrational wrote: post #327

sukruh wrote: post #35

Most of the people I know who pursue creative/crafting hobbies alongside a software development job have chosen to work for well-known big companies, for prestige and safety, and ended up unfulfilled in their jobs. Most big companies are not good if you want to solve problems and build stuff. Especially "the enterprise", where software is seen as a cost center so the less of it the better. The effort of managing up e…

I like the big companies because I can be paid a hefty six figure salary while working 4 hour days and spending the rest of the hours doing woodworking, gardening, home remodeling, baking, exercising, reading, etc.

It's an odd thing - at all the big companies I've worked for, you can usually get all your work for the day done in 4 hours. Between meetings and status waste, that's all anybody expects from you.

Re: Woodworking as an escape from the absurdity of software

#355

Post by adamtaylor_13 » Fri, May 03, 2024, 5:01 PM UTC

sukruh wrote: post #35

Most of the people I know who pursue creative/crafting hobbies alongside a software development job have chosen to work for well-known big companies, for prestige and safety, and ended up unfulfilled in their jobs. Most big companies are not good if you want to solve problems and build stuff. Especially "the enterprise", where software is seen as a cost center so the less of it the better. The effort of managing up e…

You hit on a really key point here:

> I want the clarity of being able to talk to "the boss/the customer" and solve their problems

I finally identified that at my last job, and have begun actively working to make that happen. For example, I transitioned internally to a "platform" team so that I know my customer—my fellow product developers at the company.

This has resulted in me being MUCH happier with my day-to-day work.

Re: Woodworking as an escape from the absurdity of software

#356

Post by Spinnaker_ » Fri, May 03, 2024, 5:09 PM UTC

toomuchtodo wrote: post #255

_yb2s wrote: post #239

I don't understand why more adults don't have awesome hobbies... most of my childhood friends don't seem to do anything fun now as adults. I really love physical things I can do with my body as a counterbalance to working on the computer- weight lifting, woodworking, and sailing add a lot of value to my life, and have gotten me outdoors and in shape. I'm currently building a wood sailboat in my garage together with m…

What time is left after work, kids, sleep, and personal obligations for the median adult? Awesome hobbies are awesome! But they require time, and in some cases, financial resources.

The average person is on their phone for over 4 hours a day. You can have a very meaningful hobby with less than a quarter of that.

Re: Woodworking as an escape from the absurdity of software

#357

Post by AdrianB1 » Fri, May 03, 2024, 5:11 PM UTC

sukruh wrote: post #329

AdrianB1 wrote: post #163

Earlier quoted context omitted.

In corporations is not a lot of money, almost never the market rates. In my big non-IT company I am paid at rates lower than any external company we contract for projects, even if their people are always lower qualified. Also there is the problem of having to deal every day with "professional managers" that don't know anything about IT, but make decisions based on magic 8 ball and their career interests. Similar to i…

If you were comparing what the other company was charging your company for their developers: Labor and software services have different markets. Because, among other things, tax/insurance regulations and the expectations of contract longevity are not the same. A software shop needs to charge 2-3x salaries to be profitable. I was referring to a theoretical free market for labor. If you were comparing salaries, either…

I am comparing manager/architect positions in Europe with long-term (5+ years) contractor positions in India. Yes, I know contracting is more expensive than employees, but not to this level. We use contractors because internal developers would be paid so bad, nobody would apply (and they don't).

Re: Woodworking as an escape from the absurdity of software

#358

Post by hervature » Fri, May 03, 2024, 5:13 PM UTC

lolinder wrote: post #326

throw0101b wrote: post #301

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> The word "amateur" has negative connotations, but should really be interpreted as "not your primary pay cheque", not that you suck. The negative connotations is a more recent development: > The meaning "one who cultivates and participates (in something) but does not pursue it professionally or with an eye to gain" (as opposed to professional) is from 1786; often with disparaging suggestions of "dabbler, dilettante,…

> How well one does it does not necessarily come into consideration, as long as there is enjoyment. Indeed, the Olympics is technically supposed to be an event for amateurs, while also being generally perceived as the peak of competition for each relevant sport.

The Olympics were originally meant to be an event for amateurs but that shift happened a long time ago. The IOC in 1986 let the individual sports federations make a ruling on whether pros were allowed. I think the only sports left for amateurs are wrestling and boxing.

Re: Woodworking as an escape from the absurdity of software

#359

Post by [deleted] » Fri, May 03, 2024, 5:15 PM UTC

skeeter2020 wrote: post #290

Nothing destroys your love of a hobby, even one that you are passionately (or even obsessively) dedicated to, like making it your job. I LOVE riding bikes but all the BS of working in software is preferable to trying to support my love of bikes within the broader industry of bikes. The word "amateur" has negative connotations, but should really be interpreted as "not your primary pay cheque", not that you suck.

[deleted]

Re: Woodworking as an escape from the absurdity of software

#360

Post by cdchn » Fri, May 03, 2024, 5:16 PM UTC

Cerium wrote: post #274

cdchn wrote: post #218

Earlier quoted context omitted.

"No pre-push linter" is the hill I'll die on.

Could you elaborate? My team is currently looking at adding a pre-push linter to replace the annoying CI linter.

Linters as gatekeepers are bad in my opinion, and ones that prevent you from pushing as pre-push hooks are the worst offenders.