29 ms·

You remind me myself a few years ago: a talented, but bored slacker who didn't see any point in investing any energy into that project. Turns out I was right: t

by dhuyrv 7y ago

You remind me myself a few years ago: a talented, but bored slacker who didn't see any point in investing any energy into that project. Turns out I was right: the project didn't go anywhere after I left and investing any extra time would be a clueless thing to do. So what's changed since then? Have I found meaning in work? No! I've become a professional slacker who knows all these psychological tricks, knows what body language to use to make the desired impression, what to say and what not to say. My managers think I'm a high performer who also makes valuable social contributions to our team and this is reflected in pay rises. I see my mission at work in carefully educating the overly enthusiastic co-workers by dropping a few seemingly random hints or observations that make them think and challenge their beliefs. Work is just work and unless you're curing cancer, you shouldn't put any effort into making some billionaires richer. Just do the minimum, get your paycheck and appreciate the fact that you don't need to worry about money. Very few people in the world have this level of freedom. But life is quite a bit more interesting than it seems. Learn applied psychology to understand what drives people. Learn about all these LLCs, corps, trusts and other fun stuff. Talk to a lawyer and try to start your own company. No need to leave your current job: you can use the gained knowledge to hide traces, while still being very legal and very cool. Even if you get caught, use the learned psychology tricks to negotiate: you may even find yourself in a VP position as few people can covertly pull this type of stuff. Even if it doesn't work, there is nothing to lose: 50 years later the only thing you will regret is not taking the risk because of some silly non competes with a company that no longer exists. Learn some Buddhism and some Tiberian phylosophy: it gives a very interesting and different outlook at life. Learn how pilot an airplane: like I said, there is nothing to lose.

joeyspn 7y ago
> Talk to a lawyer and try to start your own company. And if you have success, grow and you need to hire, then be aware of employees who preach to "not put any effort into making riches richer and just do the minimum!"
- spery 7y ago
  If they contribute and the company grows, who cares if you're paying them for their 10% or 110%? But I'll read your comment as a half-joke so forget what I said :)
- dhuyrv 7y ago
  I already have a team working for me and I don't understand why these people should exchange more time than necessary to make me financially independent.
reactspa 7y ago
This comment is pure gold. I found Scott Adams' recent books and Daniel Kahneman's work profoundly influential in changing my "observed personality" (i.e. the psychology I project to the world), and making me an order of magnitude more effective in dealing with work issues/co-workers. Please share a few books (or perhaps authors/youtubers) that you learned from. Thank you.
- abledon 7y ago
  which scott adams books? loserthink?
  - reactspa 7y ago
    Start with "How to fail...", then "Win Bigly", then "Loserthink". "How to fail..." is the most important IMHO. Also, read up on this: https://www.ribbonfarm.com/the-gervais-principle/ https://www.ribbonfarm.com/the-gervais-principle/
    - PhaedrusV 7y ago
      Second "How to fail.." and "Gervais"; didn't find "Win Bigly" or "Loserthink" very useful.
- zzzcarrot 7y ago
  Can you elaborate on the observed personality thing? How do you do this?
  - mindcrime 7y ago
    Not the parent poster, and this may or may not be what they were referring to, but FYI, there is an entire field of thought called "Impression Management" which may be of interest: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Impression_management https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Impression_management
  - reactspa 7y ago
    E.g.: I'm a jeans & t-shirt kinda guy. However, I now dress a little more formally (business casual) because it leads to better outcomes. I've not gotten around to wearing suits even though that would be even better. A little more strategic: I usually wear at least one item of clothing with my employer's logo visible on it. (Gives off a "corporate citizen" vibe.) A far cry from the recent past when I'd carry a laptop-bag with my ex-employer's (and a competitor of my current employer's) logo on it.
aphextron 7y ago
>I've become a professional slacker who knows all these psychological tricks, knows what body language to use to make the desired impression, what to say and what not to say. My managers think I'm a high performer who also makes valuable social contributions to our team and this is reflected in pay rises. i.e. the Gervais principle [0] [0] https://www.ribbonfarm.com/2009/10/07/the-gervais-principle-or-the-office-according-to-the-office/ https://www.ribbonfarm.com/2009/10/07/the-gervais-principle-...
- kreck 7y ago
  Thanks for the link. This is awesome.
- JimboOmega 7y ago
  Real question - is this possible to do as a woman? I often feel like the games of the office, especially the engineering office, are much more naturally suited (and familiar to) men. I've known people who seem to coast to leadership positions (showing no aptitude, and often, even interest in them!), people who are automatically first pick whenever a promotion becomes available almost from the moment they walk in the door... and they've always been men. Although I've never been on a team led by a woman, in practice it feels like when I'm on sub-teams with other women they function quite differently; the style is "cooperative dyadic relationships that are more emotion-focused and characterized by unstable hierarchies and strong egalitarian norms" is a pretty accurate description and empirically observed to quote[1]. It's also something I've observed directly - for instance, the women's communities I'm part of (be it WomEng, or outside of work) have a very large number of leads, who each lead a small aspect of things, e.g., there might be one person who is in charge of scheduling; another who sets the agenda, and a third who runs the meeting itself. Hierarchies come and go on an as needed basis, it just... operates very differently overall. A recent reorganization of communities requested that the communities all have 2 clear leads, and it was only WomEng that had a problem with that (one that almost dissolved the community as a result) It often feels that my biggest secret to continued employment is that I'm very good at talking to HR, which has been, again in practice, entirely women. Women view me as a strong contributor and highly capable; men view me as "untrustworthy" and lazy. At my previous job, I basically had to have HR in my one on ones to "translate", for instance. It's like two very different games; playing the men's one is unnatural and surprisingly difficult. My gut feeling is that this has more to do with personality differences that tend to exist between men and women, and not, say, sexism directly. Anyway... have you seen women play this game well? If so, how? Where did they learn, and what? [1] https://blogs.scientificamerican.com/beautiful-minds/taking-sex-differences-in-personality-seriously/ https://blogs.scientificamerican.com/beautiful-minds/taking-...
Nickersf 7y ago
This.
kradroy 7y ago
I second this as well. If you're really the type who's talented and motivated, then don't waste that talent and motivation on making someone else richer. Start your own thing. If you don't know how, then learn how. And if you're too afraid to do it, then spend your spare time on a hobby. Become a proficient pianist, learn to cook, run a marathon, anything other than making someone else richer.
- prfwue 7y ago
  What if you're poor and basically homeless without a salary?
  - jimbokun 7y ago
    Then you are definitely not contributing too much to making someone else wealthy!
dejj 7y ago
> Tiberian phylosophy How to pass the Kobayashi Maru test! > Wikipedia: The objective of the test is not for the cadet to outfight or outplan the opponent but rather to force the cadet into a no-win situation and simply observe how he or she reacts.
- twic 7y ago
  Oh, i assumed "Tiberian phylosophy" meant the teachings of Kane: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kane_(Command_%26_Conquer) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kane_(Command_%26_Conquer)
zzzcarrot 7y ago
Can you elaborate on the pyschological tricks and how you pull it off? How do you come off as a high performer?
- dhuyrv 7y ago
  I'd refer you to the small book called the gervais principle.
ChuckNorris89 7y ago
This blows my mind that in the US one can make such insane money in tech while still being a slacker and retire early with a dream house bought and paid for while in Europe devs are slaving away through SCRUM powered meat grinders burning themselves out for a 3% salary increase on a pitiful 40-80k/year, no stock options, without any hope of early retirement or owning a decent home without a 30 year loan or financial assistance from their parents. You guys don't know how good you have it. The behavior of slacker Googlers described here would have gotten them instantly fired in any European company(yes, the "you can't fire people in Europe" is just a meme). Reading OPs problem and some posts here where people are too bored of making ludicrous money left me with a bitter aftertaste that life really is unfair and success in life is more linked to the lottery of birth and opportunities available to you than any amount of hard work. Not hating, just saying. Good luck to you guys and hope you find a calling for a fulfilling job or a hobby that gives you meaning or purpose in life.
- deleted 7y ago
  [deleted]
- talkinghead 7y ago
  well said
- cm2012 7y ago
  Workers working for FANG in the USA also have much better quality of life than Americans in general.
  - deleted 7y ago
    [deleted]
- datalus 7y ago
  At least you weren't born like say during the Hundred Years War... :)
  - Andrew_nenakhov 7y ago
    That war was fought by slackers and procrastinators much worse than OP. "- Men, we need to take that castle! - Oh come on! It's already August, no way we can take it before fall! The roads will be muddy! Let's try next year!! Or next decade!!!"
stefek99 7y ago
"professional slacker who knows all these psychological tricks" You are my spiritual brother! Same here... I was really motivated in my 1st and 2nd job after leaving uni. Then the gravity kicks in, realized that noone wants me to work extra hard as that only makes other people look bad.
- bob33212 7y ago
  Just lean into that. Start automating peoples jobs or making their jobs irrelevant. The management will take note of the concerns of the others and put you in your own group. Now that you have established that you are 5x more productive than the other employees while only making 20% more, management will not care if you slack off and only work 5 hours a week.
seibelj 7y ago
Certainly that’s one way to look at life. In contrast, I try to always treat people with respect, work my hardest, be honest, and have love for family and friends. Having a healthy amount of skepticism for your employer and job is a good thing. But operating as a sociopath that sees everyone else at work as someone to manipulate in order to enhance your slacking abilities just seems exhausting. I think being a truthful and good person is the better plan.
- o-__-o 7y ago
  As someone who has glimpses into their own sociopathetic tendencies.. its less exhausting understanding that humans are really just slightly less dumb primates. That said I'm very low on that totem pole, and am easily pulled back into human behaviors with e.g. a surprise bonus. I have worked with sociopaths who have fully embraced themselves and it's nothing short of amazing how they can bend time and space around them to make people insanely productive
77544cec 7y ago
Fuck that attitude. This is why I'm considering switching careers.
Buge 7y ago
> I see my mission at work in carefully educating the overly enthusiastic co-workers by dropping a few seemingly random hints or observations that make them think and challenge their beliefs. Your mission is to make enthusiastic co-workers less enthusiastic? Why?
whatsmyusername 7y ago
None of you sound talented. You sound like lazy pieces of shit.
vbtemp 7y ago
I started to agree with you, but this took a different direction. In general, it's smart, informed work that matters. Not grinding yourself down hard work. I feel Ive developed enough good intuition and judgment over the years that I'm capable of making well informed, strategic input to my organization that is infinitely more valuable than grinding away in PRs or tickets all day. I feel successful, it benefits my company far more than me just grinding away on "work", and I have balance and satisfaction from my work.
- DrJokepu 7y ago
  My dude, I hope you realize that you're only one crappy and traitless newly hired manager or technical leader away from being extremely miserable at your job.
  - vbtemp 7y ago
    Curious why do you say that?
    - DrJokepu 7y ago
      Because such an unimaginative character will see no value in your input and will ignore everything you have to say, perhaps even going as far as excluding you from the decision making process and withholding information from you, therefore undermining your position within the organization. Don’t think it can’t happen to you, because it can.
      - kudokatz 7y ago
        I totally agree with this. I had a dream job vanish after just 3 months after two bad people came in. If that happens, just quit FAST if you can.
  - jimbokun 7y ago
    With a bad manager being miserable at your job isn't really avoidable.
cheeze 7y ago
... are you me?
killjoywashere 7y ago
> unless you're curing cancer, you shouldn't put any effort into making some billionaires richer As someone working on that particular problem, I really wonder how I would deal with someone like you in my team. Maybe a bit flips due to the problem and you actually do work? I wonder what I would see if I married your resume with this post.
- akersten 7y ago
  > deal with someone like you in my team Well - how are you measuring your team members' success? If they are successful, (and this is ignoring the domain they're working on), does it matter what their motivations are? I wouldn't think you'd "deal" with them any differently, as long as they're hitting targets.
  - killjoywashere 7y ago
    This concerns me greatly: > I see my mission at work in carefully educating the overly enthusiastic co-workers by dropping a few seemingly random hints or observations that make them think and challenge their beliefs. You see, a number of the folks on my team are what we internally call "vested". That is, they or an immediate family member have or have had cancer. They are fighting for their lives, quite literally. Someone walking around saying "you know, don't try too hard, it's probably not worth it" isn't a little annoying, it's the straw that could break the camel's back.
thrills 7y ago
>Work is just work and unless you're curing cancer, you shouldn't put any effort into making some billionaires richer. The same thing applies at small software companies. I find there are a bunch of family members and friends in the managerial positions who barely even turn up to work, and have no clue about programming or the work involved in the products that are making them their money. >Very few people in the world have this level of freedom. If you were honest with yourself, this is probably just coping with making a decision or living a life you know is wrong. People seem to have made a sport of dreaming up what life is like for people in various "third world countries". Anyway, my opinion for all programmers is treat everything like a war. If you are working at a small company, you should start duplicating their products at home in preparation of using your inside knowledge to launch a competitor. If you are working at a large company, you can do the same on a smaller project. You can also start thinking about how to invest the money you make in getting out of there from day 1.
aryamaan 7y ago
>I've become a professional slacker who knows all these psychological tricks, knows what body language to use to make the desired impression, what to say and what not to say. My managers think I'm a high performer who also makes valuable social contributions to our team and this is reflected in pay rises. I see my mission at work in carefully educating the overly enthusiastic co-workers by dropping a few seemingly random hints or observations that make them think and challenge their beliefs. Tell use more.
namelosw 7y ago
> Work is just work and unless you're curing cancer This sounds bad. But it is so true that people ignore it all the time. Big companies like Google asked their employees to do measurable contributions to the projects in order to be promoted in the performance review, while most projects don't have any measurable/non-measurable contribution to society. Some of the projects are even neither benefit to the society nor not profitable, they are completely pointless, and just wait to be abandoned years later.
pharrington 7y ago
Imagine the hellscape we'd live in if everyone followed this advice. Sociopathy doesn't scale very well.
- deleted 7y ago
  [deleted]

by dhuyrv 7y ago

joeyspn 7y ago

> Talk to a lawyer and try to start your own company. And if you have success, grow and you need to hire, then be aware of employees who preach to "not put any effort into making riches richer and just do the minimum!"

spery 7y ago
If they contribute and the company grows, who cares if you're paying them for their 10% or 110%? But I'll read your comment as a half-joke so forget what I said :)
dhuyrv 7y ago
I already have a team working for me and I don't understand why these people should exchange more time than necessary to make me financially independent.

reactspa 7y ago

This comment is pure gold. I found Scott Adams' recent books and Daniel Kahneman's work profoundly influential in changing my "observed personality" (i.e. the psychology I project to the world), and making me an order of magnitude more effective in dealing with work issues/co-workers. Please share a few books (or perhaps authors/youtubers) that you learned from. Thank you.

abledon 7y ago
which scott adams books? loserthink?
- reactspa 7y ago
  Start with "How to fail...", then "Win Bigly", then "Loserthink". "How to fail..." is the most important IMHO. Also, read up on this: https://www.ribbonfarm.com/the-gervais-principle/ https://www.ribbonfarm.com/the-gervais-principle/
  - PhaedrusV 7y ago
    Second "How to fail.." and "Gervais"; didn't find "Win Bigly" or "Loserthink" very useful.
zzzcarrot 7y ago
Can you elaborate on the observed personality thing? How do you do this?
- mindcrime 7y ago
  Not the parent poster, and this may or may not be what they were referring to, but FYI, there is an entire field of thought called "Impression Management" which may be of interest: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Impression_management https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Impression_management
- reactspa 7y ago
  E.g.: I'm a jeans & t-shirt kinda guy. However, I now dress a little more formally (business casual) because it leads to better outcomes. I've not gotten around to wearing suits even though that would be even better. A little more strategic: I usually wear at least one item of clothing with my employer's logo visible on it. (Gives off a "corporate citizen" vibe.) A far cry from the recent past when I'd carry a laptop-bag with my ex-employer's (and a competitor of my current employer's) logo on it.

aphextron 7y ago

>I've become a professional slacker who knows all these psychological tricks, knows what body language to use to make the desired impression, what to say and what not to say. My managers think I'm a high performer who also makes valuable social contributions to our team and this is reflected in pay rises. i.e. the Gervais principle [0] [0] https://www.ribbonfarm.com/2009/10/07/the-gervais-principle-or-the-office-according-to-the-office/ https://www.ribbonfarm.com/2009/10/07/the-gervais-principle-...

kreck 7y ago
Thanks for the link. This is awesome.
JimboOmega 7y ago
Real question - is this possible to do as a woman? I often feel like the games of the office, especially the engineering office, are much more naturally suited (and familiar to) men. I've known people who seem to coast to leadership positions (showing no aptitude, and often, even interest in them!), people who are automatically first pick whenever a promotion becomes available almost from the moment they walk in the door... and they've always been men. Although I've never been on a team led by a woman, in practice it feels like when I'm on sub-teams with other women they function quite differently; the style is "cooperative dyadic relationships that are more emotion-focused and characterized by unstable hierarchies and strong egalitarian norms" is a pretty accurate description and empirically observed to quote[1]. It's also something I've observed directly - for instance, the women's communities I'm part of (be it WomEng, or outside of work) have a very large number of leads, who each lead a small aspect of things, e.g., there might be one person who is in charge of scheduling; another who sets the agenda, and a third who runs the meeting itself. Hierarchies come and go on an as needed basis, it just... operates very differently overall. A recent reorganization of communities requested that the communities all have 2 clear leads, and it was only WomEng that had a problem with that (one that almost dissolved the community as a result) It often feels that my biggest secret to continued employment is that I'm very good at talking to HR, which has been, again in practice, entirely women. Women view me as a strong contributor and highly capable; men view me as "untrustworthy" and lazy. At my previous job, I basically had to have HR in my one on ones to "translate", for instance. It's like two very different games; playing the men's one is unnatural and surprisingly difficult. My gut feeling is that this has more to do with personality differences that tend to exist between men and women, and not, say, sexism directly. Anyway... have you seen women play this game well? If so, how? Where did they learn, and what? [1] https://blogs.scientificamerican.com/beautiful-minds/taking-sex-differences-in-personality-seriously/ https://blogs.scientificamerican.com/beautiful-minds/taking-...

Nickersf 7y ago

This.

kradroy 7y ago

I second this as well. If you're really the type who's talented and motivated, then don't waste that talent and motivation on making someone else richer. Start your own thing. If you don't know how, then learn how. And if you're too afraid to do it, then spend your spare time on a hobby. Become a proficient pianist, learn to cook, run a marathon, anything other than making someone else richer.

prfwue 7y ago
What if you're poor and basically homeless without a salary?
- jimbokun 7y ago
  Then you are definitely not contributing too much to making someone else wealthy!

dejj 7y ago

> Tiberian phylosophy How to pass the Kobayashi Maru test! > Wikipedia: The objective of the test is not for the cadet to outfight or outplan the opponent but rather to force the cadet into a no-win situation and simply observe how he or she reacts.

twic 7y ago
Oh, i assumed "Tiberian phylosophy" meant the teachings of Kane: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kane_(Command_%26_Conquer) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kane_(Command_%26_Conquer)

zzzcarrot 7y ago

Can you elaborate on the pyschological tricks and how you pull it off? How do you come off as a high performer?

dhuyrv 7y ago
I'd refer you to the small book called the gervais principle.

ChuckNorris89 7y ago

This blows my mind that in the US one can make such insane money in tech while still being a slacker and retire early with a dream house bought and paid for while in Europe devs are slaving away through SCRUM powered meat grinders burning themselves out for a 3% salary increase on a pitiful 40-80k/year, no stock options, without any hope of early retirement or owning a decent home without a 30 year loan or financial assistance from their parents. You guys don't know how good you have it. The behavior of slacker Googlers described here would have gotten them instantly fired in any European company(yes, the "you can't fire people in Europe" is just a meme). Reading OPs problem and some posts here where people are too bored of making ludicrous money left me with a bitter aftertaste that life really is unfair and success in life is more linked to the lottery of birth and opportunities available to you than any amount of hard work. Not hating, just saying. Good luck to you guys and hope you find a calling for a fulfilling job or a hobby that gives you meaning or purpose in life.

deleted 7y ago
[deleted]
talkinghead 7y ago
well said
cm2012 7y ago
Workers working for FANG in the USA also have much better quality of life than Americans in general.
- deleted 7y ago
  [deleted]
datalus 7y ago
At least you weren't born like say during the Hundred Years War... :)
- Andrew_nenakhov 7y ago
  That war was fought by slackers and procrastinators much worse than OP. "- Men, we need to take that castle! - Oh come on! It's already August, no way we can take it before fall! The roads will be muddy! Let's try next year!! Or next decade!!!"

stefek99 7y ago

"professional slacker who knows all these psychological tricks" You are my spiritual brother! Same here... I was really motivated in my 1st and 2nd job after leaving uni. Then the gravity kicks in, realized that noone wants me to work extra hard as that only makes other people look bad.

bob33212 7y ago
Just lean into that. Start automating peoples jobs or making their jobs irrelevant. The management will take note of the concerns of the others and put you in your own group. Now that you have established that you are 5x more productive than the other employees while only making 20% more, management will not care if you slack off and only work 5 hours a week.

seibelj 7y ago

Certainly that’s one way to look at life. In contrast, I try to always treat people with respect, work my hardest, be honest, and have love for family and friends. Having a healthy amount of skepticism for your employer and job is a good thing. But operating as a sociopath that sees everyone else at work as someone to manipulate in order to enhance your slacking abilities just seems exhausting. I think being a truthful and good person is the better plan.

o-__-o 7y ago
As someone who has glimpses into their own sociopathetic tendencies.. its less exhausting understanding that humans are really just slightly less dumb primates. That said I'm very low on that totem pole, and am easily pulled back into human behaviors with e.g. a surprise bonus. I have worked with sociopaths who have fully embraced themselves and it's nothing short of amazing how they can bend time and space around them to make people insanely productive

77544cec 7y ago

Fuck that attitude. This is why I'm considering switching careers.

Buge 7y ago

> I see my mission at work in carefully educating the overly enthusiastic co-workers by dropping a few seemingly random hints or observations that make them think and challenge their beliefs. Your mission is to make enthusiastic co-workers less enthusiastic? Why?

whatsmyusername 7y ago

None of you sound talented. You sound like lazy pieces of shit.

vbtemp 7y ago

I started to agree with you, but this took a different direction. In general, it's smart, informed work that matters. Not grinding yourself down hard work. I feel Ive developed enough good intuition and judgment over the years that I'm capable of making well informed, strategic input to my organization that is infinitely more valuable than grinding away in PRs or tickets all day. I feel successful, it benefits my company far more than me just grinding away on "work", and I have balance and satisfaction from my work.

DrJokepu 7y ago
My dude, I hope you realize that you're only one crappy and traitless newly hired manager or technical leader away from being extremely miserable at your job.
- vbtemp 7y ago
  Curious why do you say that?
  - DrJokepu 7y ago
    Because such an unimaginative character will see no value in your input and will ignore everything you have to say, perhaps even going as far as excluding you from the decision making process and withholding information from you, therefore undermining your position within the organization. Don’t think it can’t happen to you, because it can.
    - kudokatz 7y ago
      I totally agree with this. I had a dream job vanish after just 3 months after two bad people came in. If that happens, just quit FAST if you can.
- jimbokun 7y ago
  With a bad manager being miserable at your job isn't really avoidable.

cheeze 7y ago

... are you me?

killjoywashere 7y ago

> unless you're curing cancer, you shouldn't put any effort into making some billionaires richer As someone working on that particular problem, I really wonder how I would deal with someone like you in my team. Maybe a bit flips due to the problem and you actually do work? I wonder what I would see if I married your resume with this post.

akersten 7y ago
> deal with someone like you in my team Well - how are you measuring your team members' success? If they are successful, (and this is ignoring the domain they're working on), does it matter what their motivations are? I wouldn't think you'd "deal" with them any differently, as long as they're hitting targets.
- killjoywashere 7y ago
  This concerns me greatly: > I see my mission at work in carefully educating the overly enthusiastic co-workers by dropping a few seemingly random hints or observations that make them think and challenge their beliefs. You see, a number of the folks on my team are what we internally call "vested". That is, they or an immediate family member have or have had cancer. They are fighting for their lives, quite literally. Someone walking around saying "you know, don't try too hard, it's probably not worth it" isn't a little annoying, it's the straw that could break the camel's back.

thrills 7y ago

>Work is just work and unless you're curing cancer, you shouldn't put any effort into making some billionaires richer. The same thing applies at small software companies. I find there are a bunch of family members and friends in the managerial positions who barely even turn up to work, and have no clue about programming or the work involved in the products that are making them their money. >Very few people in the world have this level of freedom. If you were honest with yourself, this is probably just coping with making a decision or living a life you know is wrong. People seem to have made a sport of dreaming up what life is like for people in various "third world countries". Anyway, my opinion for all programmers is treat everything like a war. If you are working at a small company, you should start duplicating their products at home in preparation of using your inside knowledge to launch a competitor. If you are working at a large company, you can do the same on a smaller project. You can also start thinking about how to invest the money you make in getting out of there from day 1.

aryamaan 7y ago

>I've become a professional slacker who knows all these psychological tricks, knows what body language to use to make the desired impression, what to say and what not to say. My managers think I'm a high performer who also makes valuable social contributions to our team and this is reflected in pay rises. I see my mission at work in carefully educating the overly enthusiastic co-workers by dropping a few seemingly random hints or observations that make them think and challenge their beliefs. Tell use more.

namelosw 7y ago

> Work is just work and unless you're curing cancer This sounds bad. But it is so true that people ignore it all the time. Big companies like Google asked their employees to do measurable contributions to the projects in order to be promoted in the performance review, while most projects don't have any measurable/non-measurable contribution to society. Some of the projects are even neither benefit to the society nor not profitable, they are completely pointless, and just wait to be abandoned years later.

pharrington 7y ago

Imagine the hellscape we'd live in if everyone followed this advice. Sociopathy doesn't scale very well.

deleted 7y ago
[deleted]