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Great! Now quit your job and take some time to just explore. I'm not talking about places; I mean thoughts, ideas, and projects. Sure, sounds great, but is qui

by groaner 16y ago

Great! Now quit your job and take some time to just explore. I'm not talking about places; I mean thoughts, ideas, and projects. Sure, sounds great, but is quitting really necessary for that? I did say that I do have spare time now, and although I'm not addicted to a paycheck, I don't think I can just leap into the abyss either. Unfortunately, right now my "ground state" (as so eloquently described here: http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1536432 http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1536432) seems to be mindless worrying, and I think quitting my job will simply enable me to do that full-time. By the way, have you already put in your 10 years of coding on projects that push at and stretch your programming ability? If not, you really have no justification in saying you're not capable of being a good programmer. http://norvig.com/21-days.html http://norvig.com/21-days.html I don't doubt that I'm capable, I just don't think I'm there yet. I've been programming for more than 10 years, but not all of it counts as deliberate practice.

jey 16y ago
but is quitting really necessary for that? Short answer: Yes. Why are you so attached to having a full-time job? Is the point of life to just spend all of it working and accumulating cash? You're in a great position to grant yourself a sabbattical/mini-retirement/etc. I also have no idea what abyss you're worried about falling into; it sounds like you're already in one. Jobs are a commodity, lifetimes aren't. Or you could look at it as a new job: you're going to be employed by yourself with the objective of reinventing yourself and learning to live. Your task is to spend 40 hours/week on moving toward self-actualization: learning to be independent, having a girlfriend, and finding your passions. (Edit: And spend time volunteering and making a difference in others' lives as people have suggested in this thread.) Where in California are you? I know a couple of "hacker houses" in Berkeley and SF that are filled with interesting and passionate people. You could spend a couple months in one and immerse yourself in a fun, interesting, engaging environment. Relevant: http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1112823,00.html http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1112823,00.... You should also check out the book "4 Hour Work Week". I don't subscribe to the literal idea of a 4 hour work week, but the life-optimization philosophy explained in it is inspirational and makes a lot of sense.

by groaner 16y ago

jey 16y ago

but is quitting really necessary for that? Short answer: Yes. Why are you so attached to having a full-time job? Is the point of life to just spend all of it working and accumulating cash? You're in a great position to grant yourself a sabbattical/mini-retirement/etc. I also have no idea what abyss you're worried about falling into; it sounds like you're already in one. Jobs are a commodity, lifetimes aren't. Or you could look at it as a new job: you're going to be employed by yourself with the objective of reinventing yourself and learning to live. Your task is to spend 40 hours/week on moving toward self-actualization: learning to be independent, having a girlfriend, and finding your passions. (Edit: And spend time volunteering and making a difference in others' lives as people have suggested in this thread.) Where in California are you? I know a couple of "hacker houses" in Berkeley and SF that are filled with interesting and passionate people. You could spend a couple months in one and immerse yourself in a fun, interesting, engaging environment. Relevant: http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1112823,00.html http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1112823,00.... You should also check out the book "4 Hour Work Week". I don't subscribe to the literal idea of a 4 hour work week, but the life-optimization philosophy explained in it is inspirational and makes a lot of sense.