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This. Having studied environmental and social science for 11 years, published and achieved multiple "degrees of knowledge" for a solid career base; it was so v

by merah 11y ago

This. Having studied environmental and social science for 11 years, published and achieved multiple "degrees of knowledge" for a solid career base; it was so very sad and frustrating that everyone seemingly persisted to "talk" around the elephant. It drove me bonkers and was labelled a pessimist by my peers. I left academia 3 years ago and now travel the world, programming and documenting tropical flora and fauna. Best decision I ever made, pity it cost me £20,000 to arrive at it though.

posnet 11y ago
Neat, I bet you have some amazing photos.
- merah 11y ago
  I have a lot of really bad ones too :)
Skunkleton 11y ago
> travel the world, programming and documenting tropical flora and fauna. That is damned cool. Tell us more.
- merah 11y ago
  I stumbled into a niche that somehow combines both my passions: programming and nature. Started with a linux server I built in a jungle that ran off of an off-grid power source serving over wifi. Many, many months later (and after losing two laptops, two smartphones, two DSLRs and three GPS units to Zeus and a crocodile)... it's a platform that runs across three continents and some days I double-take what I've built (I have no CS qualifications). I do have to remind myself that it is indeed cool, as some days I just want to pack it all in as I often feel out of my depth. A few months ago I was pulling 20-hour days to "get shit done". I'm not adverse to partnering with the right person to take the strain, in fact I'd welcome it now, alas I'm yet to find someone with similar passions who's also comfortable slumming it in tropics and is confident in high-risk foreign areas. Waking up to a Tapir in a tropical monsoon is cool, gettin robbed at gun point by narcos whilst rebooting your VM, less so. Tequila and some venezuelan narcos, those were some good times.
  - lisper 11y ago
    > I have no CS qualifications You do now :-) Links please?

by merah 11y ago

posnet 11y ago

Neat, I bet you have some amazing photos.

merah 11y ago
I have a lot of really bad ones too :)

Skunkleton 11y ago

> travel the world, programming and documenting tropical flora and fauna. That is damned cool. Tell us more.

merah 11y ago
I stumbled into a niche that somehow combines both my passions: programming and nature. Started with a linux server I built in a jungle that ran off of an off-grid power source serving over wifi. Many, many months later (and after losing two laptops, two smartphones, two DSLRs and three GPS units to Zeus and a crocodile)... it's a platform that runs across three continents and some days I double-take what I've built (I have no CS qualifications). I do have to remind myself that it is indeed cool, as some days I just want to pack it all in as I often feel out of my depth. A few months ago I was pulling 20-hour days to "get shit done". I'm not adverse to partnering with the right person to take the strain, in fact I'd welcome it now, alas I'm yet to find someone with similar passions who's also comfortable slumming it in tropics and is confident in high-risk foreign areas. Waking up to a Tapir in a tropical monsoon is cool, gettin robbed at gun point by narcos whilst rebooting your VM, less so. Tequila and some venezuelan narcos, those were some good times.
- lisper 11y ago
  > I have no CS qualifications You do now :-) Links please?