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But would you turn up to your work on Monday morning if it didn't pay you a salary? Even people that "love" work usually know that it isn't the thing they woul

But would you turn up to your work on Monday morning if it didn't pay you a salary? Even people that "love" work usually know that it isn't the thing they would most want to spend their time doing if they had the choice.

chrisseaton 8y ago
> But would you turn up to your work on Monday morning if it didn't pay you a salary? I literally did while doing my PhD! And I quit a previous paying job to do it even. I couldn’t literally do it for free now as I have commitments and dependents of course.
PakG1 8y ago
This is the real test. If money was taken care of, I'd probably be doing something else with my time. In my case, I've found the most fulfillment volunteering in very remote areas. My job is good, but I'm under no illusion that I love it or that it loves me.
- deleted 8y ago
  [deleted]
- thoman23 8y ago
  If money was already taken care of, I would absolutely be building software (and playing music). I just wouldn't be doing it at my current job (the software part...my music would be frowned upon at work).
TomVDB 8y ago
My hobby is essentially the same as my work, except I have way more resources (equipment) at work.
bearmcbearsly 8y ago
At Google and other recent tech giants, you'll find thousands of people who could live comfortably without working a day for the rest of their lives. They're clearly not doing it for the salary.
- paulcole 8y ago
  This is pretty unfathomable to me. Similar to how youth is wasted on the young, wealth is too often wasted on the wealthy. Don’t these people have any hobbies or ability to entertain themselves? Is going in to work their favorite thing to do or simply the only thing they know?
  - deleted 8y ago
    [deleted]
  - jkaye2012 8y ago
    It's not an accident... Success people are successful in part because they like doing these things. I see it all the time here and on Reddit: people eschew giving a shit about what they do, then turn around and complain that they can't get ahead. News flash: people that care about things are better at those things. I don't think this should be a surprise to anyone, but it sometimes feels like it is...
    - paulcole 8y ago
      I’m not complaining about not getting ahead. I know I’m a lazy loser with no ambition and even less follow-through. It’s just a foreign concept to me that someone with enough money to do whatever they want chooses to keep earning more money for their boss.
      - chrisseaton 8y ago
        > chooses to keep earning more money for their boss But they aren't choosing to keep earning money for their boss. They're choosing to keep doing what they enjoy. That happens to earn their company money as well - why's that an issue?
  - bearmcbearsly 8y ago
    Would you say the same thing about A-list actors or pro athletes? After a couple of successful movies or seasons, they could afford to retire too, but most choose to continue working as long as they possibly can.
ken 8y ago
That could be a good test of whether someone is being truthful in this claim. In my case, yes, I volunteer my time doing this, too.
d1zzy 8y ago
I'm pretty sure I would. I derive a lot of satisfaction from the things I'm making in software and if it wasn't my job then I'd definitely do that as a hobby (as I did in the past, when my job at the time didn't involve development, I was active developer in different open source projects). Software engineering is a very satisfying activity that I wish more people would have a chance to experience. It is _because_ my job already takes care of all my software development "needs", that I don't feel the need to do that anymore when I get home and instead pursue other passions.

chrisseaton 8y ago

> But would you turn up to your work on Monday morning if it didn't pay you a salary? I literally did while doing my PhD! And I quit a previous paying job to do it even. I couldn’t literally do it for free now as I have commitments and dependents of course.

PakG1 8y ago

This is the real test. If money was taken care of, I'd probably be doing something else with my time. In my case, I've found the most fulfillment volunteering in very remote areas. My job is good, but I'm under no illusion that I love it or that it loves me.

deleted 8y ago
[deleted]
thoman23 8y ago
If money was already taken care of, I would absolutely be building software (and playing music). I just wouldn't be doing it at my current job (the software part...my music would be frowned upon at work).

TomVDB 8y ago

My hobby is essentially the same as my work, except I have way more resources (equipment) at work.

bearmcbearsly 8y ago

At Google and other recent tech giants, you'll find thousands of people who could live comfortably without working a day for the rest of their lives. They're clearly not doing it for the salary.

paulcole 8y ago
This is pretty unfathomable to me. Similar to how youth is wasted on the young, wealth is too often wasted on the wealthy. Don’t these people have any hobbies or ability to entertain themselves? Is going in to work their favorite thing to do or simply the only thing they know?
- deleted 8y ago
  [deleted]
- jkaye2012 8y ago
  It's not an accident... Success people are successful in part because they like doing these things. I see it all the time here and on Reddit: people eschew giving a shit about what they do, then turn around and complain that they can't get ahead. News flash: people that care about things are better at those things. I don't think this should be a surprise to anyone, but it sometimes feels like it is...
  - paulcole 8y ago
    I’m not complaining about not getting ahead. I know I’m a lazy loser with no ambition and even less follow-through. It’s just a foreign concept to me that someone with enough money to do whatever they want chooses to keep earning more money for their boss.
    - chrisseaton 8y ago
      > chooses to keep earning more money for their boss But they aren't choosing to keep earning money for their boss. They're choosing to keep doing what they enjoy. That happens to earn their company money as well - why's that an issue?
- bearmcbearsly 8y ago
  Would you say the same thing about A-list actors or pro athletes? After a couple of successful movies or seasons, they could afford to retire too, but most choose to continue working as long as they possibly can.

ken 8y ago

That could be a good test of whether someone is being truthful in this claim. In my case, yes, I volunteer my time doing this, too.

d1zzy 8y ago

I'm pretty sure I would. I derive a lot of satisfaction from the things I'm making in software and if it wasn't my job then I'd definitely do that as a hobby (as I did in the past, when my job at the time didn't involve development, I was active developer in different open source projects). Software engineering is a very satisfying activity that I wish more people would have a chance to experience. It is _because_ my job already takes care of all my software development "needs", that I don't feel the need to do that anymore when I get home and instead pursue other passions.