Ask HN: Thoughts on being “boring”

Boring companies are what the world runs on. Your contributions at a boring company, even if not revolutionary, can still have a real impact on the lives of millions of people.

And as with any job, it’s important to consider the main reason most of us are working for a company at all: you need money to survive.

I think the big tech company salaries are an incredible gift we’ve been given in our industry, and we should enjoy them while we can. You never know when the job market might change or you might have health problems that prevent you from working.

I'm 28, and genuinely feel angry about the anti-corporate "the system is for losers, follow your passion" shit that was shoved down our throat as teenagers and young adults.

It's not a recipe for anything except burnout and depression. Staking your ego on being the "guy who knows a lot about technology/concept x" is even worse.

Stick with your job, and make sure to keep time for your wife (or husband) and kids. You won't regret it.

If you managed to find a boring well-paying and low effort job then congratulation! You have just freed yourself from money while having enough focus left at the end of the day to pursue a creative interest.

Now is the time to start writing a novel, pick up hyperrealistic drawing, do some fancy cooking, start an indie movie, make a zen garden, etc.

The world is your oyster and you have all the time and confort you need to become the best in the world at something.

For me, it was not fulfilling to be shut out of the private equity markets because I made too little as a wage slave. It was not fulfilling for me to not have the choice of hopping out to month long festivals, because I was merely earning UP TO 2 weeks of time off, or the unlimited vacation policy was just 2 weeks of time because the expectations from the manager were the same.

For others, wage work subsidizing some local recreational activities and eventual downpayment on a home is enough. Thats perfectly fine.

So for you, relationships are fulfilling, and maybe creativity is. But maybe wage work is too. In your situation, I would at least be prioritizing finding out (maybe by making a post like this as a start). But its better for me to know, than to not know. and I will do that at the expense of personal and professional relationships if a choice needed to be made.

One thing to know about both the entrepreneurial and creative side, is that the people you are inspired by always had a choice. They did not need a job to exchange time for food and shelter. Failure would not impact their life. Whereas for people reliant on wage-based professional attainment, the stakes are much higher and its not just a casual decision or path to take. If you fail at the entrepreneurial pursuit, you might actually be reliant on the wage work for the next decade - hoping - that nothing goes wrong to make you further reliant. Whereas the "fun" entrepreneurs have a survivorship bias in their favor because they can try and try and try again, in quick and simultaneous succession.