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I liked this until the "my life is my work" part. What is it with Silicon Valley that always ends up in "you spend all your life at work and it's a good thing"

I liked this until the "my life is my work" part. What is it with Silicon Valley that always ends up in "you spend all your life at work and it's a good thing" ?

Nimitz14 11y ago
I understood it differently: He's saying work is a large part of life and therefore should not be treated as if it's something apart/different. That does not mean that one 'should spend all your life at work'. It means one should try and have fun and not take things so seriously all the time. And I would completely agree with that. In STEM I'd say the majority does not understand the concept.
- HappyTypist 11y ago
  I think you're right. Treating your work life as a separate component of your life is not something that's natural for humans and our social traits. Treating work life as part of your life does not imply anything about how long you work.
CaptSpify 11y ago
I don't think it should be surprising that one of the biggest, highest-earning science/engineering areas of the world are filled with people who enjoy "spending their life at work". Maybe that lifestyle is not for everyone, and that's fine, but you don't typically get to the top without some sacrifice: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uRf-sRZBiHo https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uRf-sRZBiHo
- thatfrenchguy 11y ago
  Yeah, I can get the "spending my life at work because it's fun/I like it" thing (although most SV companies are more into "spending my life at work" than actually be working productively most of the time), but "highest-earning" as an advantage ? Well, if you spend your whole life at work and have 2 weeks of vacation a year, I don't see how you can use that money :-). And being a software engineer anywhere, even in 40-hours-a-week-and-9-weeks-of-vacation France will make you earn a lot of money (relative to the cost of living).
  - JoeAltmaier 11y ago
    Americans are so beleaguered - only 2 weeks of vacation! Not counting 10 paid holidays. And oh, those 2 days off out of every 7. No time to have fun! Just those 124 days out of 365.
  - CaptSpify 11y ago
    I meant highest-earning as companies, not engineers, but I guess that also applies. To a lot of people, earning more money is a "high-score". They don't care that they never get a chance to spend it. I'm also not saying I agree with this mindset. I'm just answering your question: > What is it with Silicon Valley that always ends up in "you spend all your life at work and it's a good thing" ?

I liked this until the "my life is my work" part. What is it with Silicon Valley that always ends up in "you spend all your life at work and it's a good thing" ?

Nimitz14 11y ago

I understood it differently: He's saying work is a large part of life and therefore should not be treated as if it's something apart/different. That does not mean that one 'should spend all your life at work'. It means one should try and have fun and not take things so seriously all the time. And I would completely agree with that. In STEM I'd say the majority does not understand the concept.

HappyTypist 11y ago
I think you're right. Treating your work life as a separate component of your life is not something that's natural for humans and our social traits. Treating work life as part of your life does not imply anything about how long you work.

CaptSpify 11y ago

I don't think it should be surprising that one of the biggest, highest-earning science/engineering areas of the world are filled with people who enjoy "spending their life at work". Maybe that lifestyle is not for everyone, and that's fine, but you don't typically get to the top without some sacrifice: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uRf-sRZBiHo https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uRf-sRZBiHo

thatfrenchguy 11y ago
Yeah, I can get the "spending my life at work because it's fun/I like it" thing (although most SV companies are more into "spending my life at work" than actually be working productively most of the time), but "highest-earning" as an advantage ? Well, if you spend your whole life at work and have 2 weeks of vacation a year, I don't see how you can use that money :-). And being a software engineer anywhere, even in 40-hours-a-week-and-9-weeks-of-vacation France will make you earn a lot of money (relative to the cost of living).
- JoeAltmaier 11y ago
  Americans are so beleaguered - only 2 weeks of vacation! Not counting 10 paid holidays. And oh, those 2 days off out of every 7. No time to have fun! Just those 124 days out of 365.
- CaptSpify 11y ago
  I meant highest-earning as companies, not engineers, but I guess that also applies. To a lot of people, earning more money is a "high-score". They don't care that they never get a chance to spend it. I'm also not saying I agree with this mindset. I'm just answering your question: > What is it with Silicon Valley that always ends up in "you spend all your life at work and it's a good thing" ?