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> and about 11 hours a day looking at screens of any kind. That is so depressing, but thinking about it myself, 11 is probably a minimum. I have to change care

• vkjv 8y ago
  Despite earning marginally more than minimum wage, being a lifeguard is still the happiest I've ever been at a job.
  • oblio 8y ago
    Sounds good, but: 1. Can you do it for 30+ years? 2. What do you do if you get sick/injured? 3. What will you do after 30 years of working for a bit more than minimum wage? I don't think you can save a lot for a rainy day...
    • EpicEng 8y ago
      I think the point is that it's not practical to work as a life guard, but the job made them happy.
  • rambleramble 8y ago
    The summer after high school, I worked for the parks department of my city. I just did general maintenance things, sold tokens for batting cages, emptied trash, "ensured the safety of the people in the park". I remember being so thrilled when I got an offer for a "real job" doing software development. I miss working at the park. And I'm pretty sure it's not just nostalgia. I liked being outside. I liked working with the people there. I've been doing pretty well at work lately, but I don't seem to get any happier with any type of promotion I receive. It's just more of a challenge, which I like, but it doesn't make me any happier. I make more money now, and I just keep working hoping that I'll get to a point where I'm happy with my job, where I find something I like, but it doesn't really seem to be happening. --- I made a throwaway for this because after I typed it up, I realized it's just me lamenting about growing up.. but I figure it's worth saying anyway.
    • themodelplumber 8y ago
      You can get that feeling back, and usually you can do it without changing jobs. I've helped people make just this kind of change. The trick is, it's a mix of 1) abstracting the fun parts of the enjoyable job such that the individual elements can be spotted and "farmed" at the current job and 2) setting boundaries with and pushing back on any elements that compete against this process. (This is apart from work-external considerations, like having things to look forward to every day after work, etc.) In learning to do this, people become more motivated than they would be if they just changed jobs. Patience, analysis, and cleverness are required but those skills when strengthened also tend to make people feel like they're in control of their lives again. Believe me, you're not lamenting about growing up. Look at the details and it's probably closer to a situation that could genuinely use some rebalancing in your favor. Your career should be supporting you and not vice-versa.
    • bonestamp2 8y ago
      Happiness is not something you find, it's something you make when you recognize what is missing in your life and you make that thing part of your life. It sounds like you're halfway there if you've identified what did make you happy. If you enjoy your job, you're still well ahead of most people there too, even if it doesn't make you happy. Use your spare time to do the things you miss about working in the park, get outside, help people, etc. Maybe you could start a meetup.com group to give hiking tours of local trails/parks. Talk to a park ranger and find out if there's anything you can do with your group while in the park that would help the park.
      • sp527 8y ago
        Happiness is exactly the opposite. It's realizing that nothing external or material can leave you perfectly content for any length of time because that violates what it is to be human. Happiness is a choice you make and a mindset you adopt.
  • hackeraccount 8y ago
    My first job during / out of High School was washing dishes and doing prep work at a really crap restaurant. I used to think that every subsequent job was a little better then the one before that. My job now is essentially solving puzzles and stopping problems before they happen. And I have time to write something non-work related while I'm at work. Sometimes though I wonder if it really is better. My current job can be frustrating. Sometimes I come up with solutions that make me feel incompetent. It took too long and the answer is inelegant. When I was working at that restaurant all I had to do was put forth effort. It was physical and stressful to be sure but it never made me feel bad about myself.
  • wastedhours 8y ago
    Same sort of thing, happiest I've been "working" was helping a mate with some labouring of a weekend back when I was 17. It's amazing the satisfaction you get at the end of the day feeling 100% exhausted, but with several tonnes of concrete mixed, or a few thousand bricks moved (even seemingly arbitrarily from one spot to another). Not something you really want to be doing for 30+ years though, but to be fair, I'm not sure the prospect of staring at this screen for 30+ is especially appealing either...
  • city41 8y ago
    My favorite job ever was making glasses at LensCrafters. So satisfying, so zen-like. I wonder if I'd still feel like that if I did it for my entire career.
• elorant 8y ago
  That's why I don't own a smartphone. I'm behind a screen 8 hours a day. I don't want to keep watching one when I'm off work.
  • basejumping 8y ago
    How about if there was a locked down smartphone OS with only call/messaging/camera and maps functionality. No other apps possible
    • tjr225 8y ago
      I made a similar comment like this a couple months ago...it seems like it would be hard to draw the line on what to include and what not to include. I'm considering getting a dumb phone for on-call and talking to my friends/family...but if I wanted all of that other functionality I could just delete the apps that are addicting off of my phone.
      • maxerickson 8y ago
        Just don't get a data plan. Then you can use maps stored on the device and get a modern camera and lots of storage and so on but you aren't constantly checking apps for notifications and whatever.
        • ab71e5 8y ago
          This is what I do. I use HERE WeGO for offline maps, check messages when there's wifi. Saves a lot of money too! Never experienced problems so far. I think it's easier when you never had a data plan, going 'back' might be tough as you've changed your habits to rely on a data plan.
        • tjr225 8y ago
          This is a good idea!
    • freeone3000 8y ago
      So, a feature phone?
• dictum 8y ago
  > I have to change careers to selling ice creams at the beach or something You will learn to loathe ice cream, the beach, and even the nicest people you could see there. (Quoth Kierkegaard: https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/7141047-marry-and-you-will-regret-it-don-t-marry-you-will https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/7141047-marry-and-you-will-...)
  • LUmBULtERA 8y ago
    That was a depressing quote.
    • jerryr 8y ago
      Perhaps it wasn’t the intent, but I find it inspiration not to dwell on my past decisions but to move on and make new ones.
      • pc86 8y ago
        He who collects the most regrets wins?
        • _jal 8y ago
          "It's better to regret something you have done then something you haven't". -- Gibby Haynes (And/or lots of other people)
          • pc86 8y ago
            As someone who regrets a lot of things I've done and a handful of things I haven't, I'm very much inclined to agree.
            • mitchty 8y ago
              Learn from that then, for the future, do what you won't regret in the future. But be aware, it can cause its own issues. Example, dating and saying what you really feel when you do. It can cause things to end quickly, but at the very least you won't regret not having said what you felt. :) Regrets are chains you put on your own legs that weigh you down for the rest of your lifes journey. Just put them aside and agree not to wear them again in the future.
• tw1010 8y ago
  Take long 6 hours walks every day after work. No need to do something as drastic as changing careers. I bet ya that you'll get bored with outside play soon enough, and you'll come back with more appreciation for the comforts of an engineering life.
• protonimitate 8y ago
  For now, we still have a choice. While the article points out that we have a hard time resisting the urge to use our phones when they are in room, what happens with AR/VR becomes so embedded that we can no longer distinguish between what is real and what is augmented? Most of us are already choosing to give into screen time, what happens when we no longer have an easy choice?
  • Mediterraneo10 8y ago
    > what happens with AR/VR becomes so embedded that we can no longer distinguish between what is real and what is augmented You might enjoy Vernor Vinge’s novel Rainbows End, which offers a version of a future where augmented reality is so pervasive that people stop really caring about the difference. I must say that my own takeaway from the novel is that that idyllic AR future is only going to work out if, as Vinge assumes, driverless cars also become a reality soon. We already have people walking into dangerous traffic situations because they are looking down at their phones, imagine the chaos if people start moving into dangerous paths because they are chasing something shown by the AR view.
    • maxerickson 8y ago
      I think most people would end up choosing AR that clearly marked dangerous areas. So they wouldn't chase the butterfly into the stampede or whatever.
  • EGreg 8y ago
    Please elaborate. Are you gonna have games that mess with your mind when you’re away from them?
    • apocalyptic0n3 8y ago
      I think the suggestion is more along the Ready Player One lines where the virtual world feels more real than the real world and most choose to spend most of their lives there.
• cableshaft 8y ago
  Think of it this way: we spend 16 hours a day looking at things in general. Over 50% of our brain's cortex is dedicated to processing visual information. It makes sense that we're going to gravitate towards devices that provide us with an easy means of giving us visual information. We're just structured that way. If over 50% of our brain's cortex was dedicated to processing aural information, or physical touch, or smell, then the dominant devices nowadays would be related to that. The main problem with screens (and the reason why I try not to do it as much as I used to) are 1) If you're interacting with a screen all the time, you're probably not interacting with someone in person, and everyone's ability to read body language and subtle cues probably goes way down when they do interact in person. 2) The current screens emit light that at the very least probably harm our biorhythms, but may harm us in other ways as well. Meanwhile the Kindle isn't much different than looking at a book or a sign. and 3) Screens provide a limited window into another world, and at least right now, that window has zero depth (and doesn't engage our other senses either while we're at it). We don't get to take advantage of having two eyes and seeing depth while we're on a screen. This may change once VR becomes more and more viable and realistic. I do try to do things more analog myself now though. Writing or designing on paper while outside in good weather is much preferable to inside on a screen. It's also why I've gravitated to more offscreen hobbies, such as board games and board game design, as opposed to staying on screens and programming games and apps in my off hours. Screens can let you get those things done faster, though (i.e. it's much faster and less straining on my hands to type than to write all of my thoughts).
  • azeirah 8y ago
    One slightly good thing about all of this is that at least the issue of light that is potentially harmful is fixable with technology. We will at some point have colored high-refreshrate e-ink monitors, I'm convinced of it. I'm looking forward to e-ink, paper-like laptops and phones that work well in the sun!
    • cableshaft 8y ago
      Yeah me too. I'm sick of having to work inside whenever I need to do something on the computer. I'd also appreciate some sort of AR headset with input via thoughts (or some other inobtrusive and precise, but portable, new input method). I'd love to be able to work on a computer while walking on a trail, for example.