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Ask HN: Working in software industry outdoors?

7 points by sakopov 11y ago

I'm a software engineer with 10 years of experience and a pretty crazy love for the outdoors. I hike, climb, go on adventures in the mountains and just like being outdoors in general. Are there any interesting companies that can fulfill the side of me? What kind of a job in the software industry would get me to do software engineering outside at least part of the time? And I'm not talking about working from home in my backyard :)

jeffmould 11y ago
I am sure if you could find a remote developer job you could work from wherever you please, as long as you were accessible when they needed you to be (i.e. Internet connectivity, conference calls, etc..). I know plenty of people who work from Starbucks, or other coffee shops/public locations, all day without an issue, so I don't see what the difference would be if you were in a tent in the middle of the woods or on top of a mountain. Another option may be to look for positions in areas that have extensive outdoor areas (i.e. Boulder, CO) to explore within walking distance or short commute.
atomical 11y ago
I'm a remote developer planning to work from campgrounds and mountains with a quasi standing desk that can be attached to a tree. I'm thinking about putting up a blog to track the experience and all the research I have done.
- hanniabu 11y ago
  How will you get power? Generator? Take breaks to charge at a facility?
  - atomical 11y ago
    Initially, a power inverter/car setup. If the lifestyle suits me I'll buy one of the quieter honda generators. Batteries seem adequate for working during day hikes.
pdx 11y ago
Back in 2000, I worked for a forklift company, developing a transmission controller. I spent a lot of time driving the forklift around outside, with my laptop zip-tied to a platform they welded on for me next to the steering wheel. I would put a load on the forks and do things like go up hills, lift the load, hit the brakes, flip from reverse to forward at full speed, etc., and evaluate how the truck responded. Based on that, I then stopped the truck wherever I happened to be (on the company owned test area), altered the source code, compiled, downloaded, and did the test again. It was a lot of fun. So I imagine your best bet is to develop firmware for vehicles, drones, or robots for land, air, or sea. There will be testing and modifications to be done in real-world (outside) conditions.