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I don't want to work very hard

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Re: I don't want to work very hard

#91

Post by jaxn »

mhartl wrote: post #74
felixc wrote: post #20

As much as I sympathize with your sentiment, I'd just like to point out that the real benefit of a larger-than-necessary paycheque is being able to actually save money for when you are too old or technically outdated to continue working. It's certainly enjoyable to switch on and off from work and live off savings, but then you eventually get to the point where you can't find a job to switch back on to, and your savin…

when you are too old or technically outdated to continue working I'd be willing to bet that, for the current generation at least, that will never happen. (But I still max out my retirement account, just to be safe. :-)

I will take that bet. My retirement account for yours.

Re: I don't want to work very hard

#92

Post by jreese »

illumen wrote: post #65
BigCanOfTuna wrote: post #14

"The thought of having to expend my creative energy on things that make practical everyday life more refined, with a bleak capital gain as the goal, was unbearable to me. - Einstein I think most people on HN could relate to this quote. Like it or not, as professional developers, we rarely create, but simply refine. It was fun at the start of my career, but now my professional life seems rather unimaginative.

"Instead I decided to work on weapons that can kill LOTS of people... fuck those guys who didn't get me in school." -- Bert.

The fact that his work was applied to the creation of nuclear weapons was one of Eintstein's great regrets in life. The fact that those weapons were used on cities full of civilians was his greatest.

Re: I don't want to work very hard

#93

Post by delackner »

davi wrote: post #81
flaneur wrote: post #31

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Huh. Somehow it had not occurred to me to try to make this cycle explicit. That's a really interesting idea, thank you.

This reminds me of something I often forget: if I want something out of the ordinary, it's very unlikely anyone will give it to me unless I ask.

Ask and ye shall receive.

Re: I don't want to work very hard

#94

Post by odimrof »

ilamont wrote: post #19

Several quotes came to mind when reading this: "If you win the rat race, you're still a rat." - Anna Quindlen, Harvard Commencement speech "No man on his deathbed ever said, 'I wish I had spent more time at the office.'" - The late Massachusetts Senator Paul Tsongas, speaking at another Harvard Commencement There's another quote that also springs to mind, but I can't remember who said it. It is "time is the ultimate…

> "No man on his deathbed ever said, 'I wish I had spent more time at the office.'" - The late Massachusetts Senator Paul Tsongas, speaking at another Harvard Commencement

No, but I bet a lot of men have said, at least to themselves if not out loud, "I wish I'd had sex with a lot more gorgeous women." cf. Little Miss Sunshine.

Spending more time at the office is a fairly reliable way of upping your odds when you're not at the office.

Re: I don't want to work very hard

#95

Post by dmoney »

olefoo wrote: post #47

So, if on average you were pushing an (hours worked/hours present) ratio of between 0.5-.15 how much of the money paid to you would the hours you were present but not engaged be worth to you? I should mention that I too find the application of industrial age factory schedules to intellectual production to be equally ludicrous, but have so far found the transaction costs of alternative compensation structures to be to…

...but have so far found the transaction costs of alternative compensation structures to be too expensive and or risky.

From an employer's or employee's perspective?

Re: I don't want to work very hard

#97

Post by ecuzzillo »

zupatol wrote: post #27

Have you tried working part-time? I'm not sure this would help, because I don't really understand how you can love coding and hate working at the same time. Here is what I do: I have an arrangement with my employer that I will not work full-time for more than 9 months straight. After 9 months I have a 6 months break. The arrangement is tacit, it's not in a contract, but it has been working for the last 3 years. It to…

What's the hobby?

Re: I don't want to work very hard

#98

Post by ggrot »

webwright wrote: post #67

"I think I've found a niche with a need, and if I can put enough in my pocket that I can buy insured and very low-risk securities to quietly live off a trickle of interest." Markets are pretty efficient. It's pretty unlikely that you've found a niche where you can make a good living without any work. If you do, it won't be long before someone who wants to work hard comes around and blows your business out of the wate…

Job markets are not as efficient as real markets where you buy and sell things because jobs are not liquid. If I find a job paying $50/hour and someone else is working doing the same job earning $30/hour, I can't exactly make any profit arbitraging the market to efficiency.

For a pretty small investment in time and money, most grocery store cashiers could learn to become plumbers. Plumbing routinely pays 4x a grocery store cashier, but it is harder/nastier work and often deals with fecal matter.

Re: I don't want to work very hard

#99

Post by GrandMasterBirt »

BigCanOfTuna wrote: post #14

"The thought of having to expend my creative energy on things that make practical everyday life more refined, with a bleak capital gain as the goal, was unbearable to me. - Einstein I think most people on HN could relate to this quote. Like it or not, as professional developers, we rarely create, but simply refine. It was fun at the start of my career, but now my professional life seems rather unimaginative.

At some point though we start to create problems for ourselves. It depends on the job. Some jobs let your creativity go wild by pushing your limits and mental capabilities. Sometimes they don't and they feel stale and not moving anywhere.

The stale jobs (and I see this) cause good thinkers to start thinking up big problems to solve. They don't like to be bored with monkey work (coding where no amazing creativity is necessary).

My last job pushed my capabilities to their limits. However my current one does not. And right now I feel like I am not learning anything, not getting better (getting worse if anything), but I try to learn from anything I can. Eventually if this job does not pick up I will be forced to leave not due to bad people, but due to boredom.

Last job I went on google news, hacker news, the daily wtf when I had down time. Here I do it because its the only way to keep sane. Damn you economic recession!

In any case next interview ask the question: "I like a challenge and chance to improve myself in things I am good or bad at and feel that my job should be something that forces me to become better than I am today. Do you think this position will challenge my abilities to their limit, and I don't mean can I do a 10 day project in 5?"

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