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this is very informative. I wouldn't have believed it, without the first person perspective. Before i read this, it was simply unbelievable to me that people

this is very informative. I wouldn't have believed it, without the first person perspective. Before i read this, it was simply unbelievable to me that people could be that bored without any life outside work. Speaking as someone who really values free time and has tons of hobbies and things to do outside of work, it's just unbelievable.

MattGaiser 6y ago
Most of the people I know are fairly new graduates, so that would skew things. My friends and I spent most of our lives since grade 9 doing school stuff or stuff to get into school stuff. In my case, couple that with introversion and an aversion to most normal activities and the easiest thing to do is be good at the get into school stuff. In university, most of my social activities revolved around the startup world, hackathons, or other competition-oriented activities as that is what I was good at. I went to one hackathon a weekend in my final academic year. So I became good at a lot of these types of things which all revolved around the academic world. I am not in university anymore, but I can still fill my time with the kinds of competitions and challenges in that world. If I couldn't, I doubt that I would know how to use my time. Even with those, I spend a ton of time commenting online. Most of the people I know are in the same kind of boat. They were good at one or two things (might be science fair, research, conference organizing, etc) back in university which consumed their time. Then they left and are now left wondering, "now what?"
- posix_me_less 6y ago
  Thank you for sharing. I can hear a shy cry for help. I think it's fine to spend a lot of time with computer, in general, I do it myself. There is so much to do, learn and help others. On the other hand, I think it is good to realize when it eventually becomes a replacement activity for lack of motivation/opportunities to do something harder. Then try to break that, take a challenge, do something new, either with computer (a personal project to make something cool?) or better, without it - for example, try some manual work with wood, do some science project with a friend, or get a pet and teach him tricks or something. Just don't spend yourself fully on the online/academic life, that sounds too ephemeral and can be a bit disappointing later on. I for sure regret spending so much time in academia.
  - WorkAllDay 6y ago
    Any ideas for a guy who lives in a downtown condo? Im that guy who logs in at 3AM to distract from the boredom of life.
    - posix_me_less 6y ago
      If you can't sleep at 3AM and would like to, plan to do anything else afternoon than staring at the screen - like, try to walk and find a path to a moderately distant place in your city you know/like but have no idea how to get there on feet, without using a phone unless you really get lost. This can be fun and long walk and navigation will tire you down. You can think about what you're gonna do next time too. Like taking up some challenges in life. Besides maintaining physical fitness and getting tired in the process, one thing I like is to create contraptions (does not have to be a "product") that could be useful to you or people you know. An air purifier, a charging station for a phone, a piece of wooden furniture, or anything else. Get some tools and get working. If you prefer social activity, plan to do the above with a friend.
- WorkAllDay 6y ago
  4 years out of school and yeah, I never managed to find anything to replace the profession and academic milestones.
WorkAllDay 6y ago
You move across the country to a city you don’t know, you end up there with no social skills and no real entry point it the social scene so you binge watch Netflix enroll in a masters degree and stare out of your condo window. Then you ssh in and work to fill the hole. Now I don’t even get to see my co-workers.

MattGaiser 6y ago

Most of the people I know are fairly new graduates, so that would skew things. My friends and I spent most of our lives since grade 9 doing school stuff or stuff to get into school stuff. In my case, couple that with introversion and an aversion to most normal activities and the easiest thing to do is be good at the get into school stuff. In university, most of my social activities revolved around the startup world, hackathons, or other competition-oriented activities as that is what I was good at. I went to one hackathon a weekend in my final academic year. So I became good at a lot of these types of things which all revolved around the academic world. I am not in university anymore, but I can still fill my time with the kinds of competitions and challenges in that world. If I couldn't, I doubt that I would know how to use my time. Even with those, I spend a ton of time commenting online. Most of the people I know are in the same kind of boat. They were good at one or two things (might be science fair, research, conference organizing, etc) back in university which consumed their time. Then they left and are now left wondering, "now what?"

posix_me_less 6y ago
Thank you for sharing. I can hear a shy cry for help. I think it's fine to spend a lot of time with computer, in general, I do it myself. There is so much to do, learn and help others. On the other hand, I think it is good to realize when it eventually becomes a replacement activity for lack of motivation/opportunities to do something harder. Then try to break that, take a challenge, do something new, either with computer (a personal project to make something cool?) or better, without it - for example, try some manual work with wood, do some science project with a friend, or get a pet and teach him tricks or something. Just don't spend yourself fully on the online/academic life, that sounds too ephemeral and can be a bit disappointing later on. I for sure regret spending so much time in academia.
- WorkAllDay 6y ago
  Any ideas for a guy who lives in a downtown condo? Im that guy who logs in at 3AM to distract from the boredom of life.
  - posix_me_less 6y ago
    If you can't sleep at 3AM and would like to, plan to do anything else afternoon than staring at the screen - like, try to walk and find a path to a moderately distant place in your city you know/like but have no idea how to get there on feet, without using a phone unless you really get lost. This can be fun and long walk and navigation will tire you down. You can think about what you're gonna do next time too. Like taking up some challenges in life. Besides maintaining physical fitness and getting tired in the process, one thing I like is to create contraptions (does not have to be a "product") that could be useful to you or people you know. An air purifier, a charging station for a phone, a piece of wooden furniture, or anything else. Get some tools and get working. If you prefer social activity, plan to do the above with a friend.
WorkAllDay 6y ago
4 years out of school and yeah, I never managed to find anything to replace the profession and academic milestones.

WorkAllDay 6y ago

You move across the country to a city you don’t know, you end up there with no social skills and no real entry point it the social scene so you binge watch Netflix enroll in a masters degree and stare out of your condo window. Then you ssh in and work to fill the hole. Now I don’t even get to see my co-workers.