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When I see this kind of lists I always think of getting some of these books and reading them. However, I feel like reading books that have no relationship with

When I see this kind of lists I always think of getting some of these books and reading them. However, I feel like reading books that have no relationship with my job (software engineer) is a waste. Do any feel the same? Is this a harmful mindset and should stop worrying about "wasting" my free time?

jcynix 6y ago
Your free time should be the time when you do things unrelated to your professional work. A healthy advise I got from Usenet a long time ago is that one should have a hobby unrelated to computers. That advise was given when there where no eBook readers, Smartphones or other mobile stuff. But it's still a good advise IMO as long as you use these tools for mainly recreational activities. So long note, short answer: reading books isn't a waste of time.
- happy_path 6y ago
  Well, my native language is not English, so I could think that reading in English improve that language skill. What about if I feel I'm not a good software engineer?
  - lentil_soup 6y ago
    I'd advise you try to not think of all reading as something that needs to "improve" something in you. We do many things just for pleasure; we go on holiday, we have friends, we eat dessert, we go for walks, we read books. If you feel you need to improve your English or your technical skills, that's fine, you can study. But that's unrelated to all the other activities you might do for your own pleasure.
    - rramadass 6y ago
      >I'd advise you try to not think of all reading as something that needs to "improve" something in you. Well said! This is the curse of the modern society/economy that everything you do should be towards some "improvement" either materially or otherwise. The concept and importance of "play" has all but been forgotten. Incidentally, much of Science progressed only because many of the Scientists actually loved "playing" with what interested them. The actual inventions/discoveries were more accidental like. Knowledge for Knowledge's sake is a very good thing.
  - xenocratus 6y ago
    A lot of the time I feel the same way, just a bit more broadly, that everything I do must improve me in some way, especially in the technical realm (I'm a software engineer as well). Even when I do stuff for "fun", I try to be strict about it and sort of analyse the fun to make sure I'm getting my time's worth. But then reading your message made me think: this sounds a lot like Sartre's waiter [1]. I don't think I can change the way I feel and approach life, and I'm quite comfortable with my approach, but if you're not and you want to make a change, you might want to dig into why that's the case. [1] https://existentialcomics.com/comic/101 https://existentialcomics.com/comic/101
  - purple-again 6y ago
    I will go against the grain here a bit because on anonymous forums humans (myself included) have this nasty habit of forgetting they might be talking to a 12 year old child and instead imprint a vague version of themselves on the people they talk to. If you are close to the beginning of your journey, like say 1-3 years ago you didn't know how to program at all, them I would take the advice you are getting with a grain of salt. I would recommend pouring your free time into your trade, gaining both a breadth of knowledge about software engineering (like spending 3 hours learning about C++ not to write a program in it but to be able to understand what it is and what it isn't so you can carry a brief conversation when the topic turns to it) and a depth of knowledge with your preferred toolset (like 200+ hours going through 3-4 ground up resources on Python because its your most reached for language to get work done). Once you have that strong foundation, the other advice here is very sound. Turn your computer off and go do wood working, or read a comprehensive history series that tackles each decade (and then do it again from an Asian focused author rather than a Western focused one), or find a solid podcast to listen to while you go for long walks in nature, etc. Pretty much anything other than sitting at your computer for both your job and your hobby.
  - mrlala 6y ago
    >What about if I feel I'm not a good software engineer? Then you might actually be a descent software engineer. It's when you stop worrying if you're good enough that you are most likely falling behind.
digikazi 6y ago
Reading books that are unrelated to what you do for a living is not a waste - not in my opinion at least. The stuff you read "for work" will undoubtedly increase your technical knowledge and make you a better software engineer, but the books you read for pleasure might just soothe your soul, increase your knowledge about the world you live in (good, interesting biographies, history books, etc) or they might just be good fun and a good way to switch off. So while I don't necessarily think your mindset is harmful per se, I do think it is perhaps a little self limiting. That's just my opinion of course - I like literature so for me books are definitely a pleasure. Your mileage might vary :)
- happy_path 6y ago
  Thank you. I needed to read that.
  - dwighttk 6y ago
    Lists like these are great for finding books that are worth reading. Find someone you respect and then just pick one of the books they recommended. Or look at a few lists and see if there is one that keeps popping up. Books are a bit of commitment so it is nice to have at least the promise that a book is going to be good when you are just starting to read for more than work.
why5s 6y ago
I don't think it's a waste. A good chunk of my reading involves content unrelated to my job (software engineer). Not every hour of the day has to be spent chasing "productivity". Unstructured free time outside of work is essential to keeping me productive at work.
Ma8ee 6y ago
I certainly hope you consider yourself something more than a software engineer. As a human, living with other people in a society, reading other books will not only help you and make your life richer, but also enhance the lives of the people around you.
- happy_path 6y ago
  Good question, but being a software engineer is a big part of my life. Maybe a too big part.
  - bawolff 6y ago
    Learning about a variety of topics can help with that - the world is not full of discrete boxes, skills from different things often will indirectly improve your abilities in other areas.
  - rramadass 6y ago
    Your Identity != Your Profession
janekm 6y ago
Unless you're a "code monkey" being a software engineer involves using creativity, which in my experience requires giving your brain enough "downtime" as well as a broad range of inputs. Reading a broad range of books (fiction too) will give your brain the stimulus to create the connections that enable creativity.
- happy_path 6y ago
  I'm not a code monkey but, in my current place of work, there is no much place for creativity (micromanaging) and I miss that. I'm trying to learn some things on the side (because I'm not assigned enough challenging tasks.
  - janekm 6y ago
    Well, I don't necessarily mean just creativity in that sense but also where you have a problem to solve and during a walk or shower you get that flash of inspiration, a way to solve it that comes from your brain making unexpected connections... I find that one of the most satisfying aspects of the work. Though maybe I'm lucky in that I have very broad architectural responsibilities in my job...
yoz-y 6y ago
As a software engineer who didn't read almost any books about software engineering I have a question: How did reading any books about SWE changed the way you work? I found that reading books on other subjects (from non-fiction I've read some biographies, some economics books, the usual suspects like Sapiens and such). I find that knowing a bit about everything is mainly a good way to keep conversations going because it enables you to chip in on many different subjects while otherwise it might be hard to find a common interest. It also helps to see some issues that one might overlook. An example would be American Kingpin which shows how a good technical idea with no moral oversight might end up creating something that ultimately makes world a little bit worse.
- happy_path 6y ago
  Reading technical books has helped me pass some interviews and improve my programming skills. It also helps me learn new languages (Go) and do some personal projects. No personal project has helped me get a job though... Usually the part of out-of-scope of software is dealt by product managers. Maybe it is a problem of working in a big corporation?
  - yoz-y 6y ago
    > Usually the part of out-of-scope of software is dealt by product managers. Life happens outside of work too, it's nice to be able to talk about other things than coding. Out of scope questions can be also useful when asked the feared "do you have questions?" question during recruitment.
1e-9 6y ago
Reading immersive fiction makes me significantly more productive. I believe there are two main benefits: 1) It hones my ability to stay focused, and 2) It exercises the world-simulation part of my brain, which I use heavily for understanding problems and visualizing solutions. Whenever I go more than a few weeks or so without reading fiction, I tend to notice a drop in my productivity and problem-solving ability. Binge-reading a good book fixes it every time.
- happy_path 6y ago
  Could you recommend any fiction books?
  - lentil_soup 6y ago
    given your interest in tech and not being used to fiction maybe try some science fiction short stories? I'd recommend Issac Asimov's short stories. The robot series for example: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robot_series https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robot_series. You can read a few of those in a sitting.
  - thr0w3345 6y ago
    I really enjoyed salvation by peter f Hamilton lately if you’re into sci-fi :)
  - purple-again 6y ago
    If you want a breadth of grounded fantasy (IE takes place in our world but contains elements that don't really exist in our world) then I would recommend picking through Stephen King. If you want to completely escape our world then I recommend the old Conan books or the modern Brandon Sanderson starting with Stormlight Archive. You have received plenty of Sci Fi recommendations but I will add my own personal favorite (this is one novel in the series): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/In_Death_Ground https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/In_Death_Ground If you want fiction that is grounded in reality with little to no fantasy elements then the murder mystery genre has quite a few gems that are fun to try and guess the twist of when you are reading. Murder on the Orient Express is great if you havn't experienced the story yet.
rob74 6y ago
There's an (apparently untranslatable) word in German for people who are only interested in amassing knowledge in their own domain and totally ignorant of anything else: "Fachidiot" (see also https://english.stackexchange.com/questions/327748/is-there-really-no-english-equivalent-to-germans-fachidiot https://english.stackexchange.com/questions/327748/is-there-...) - it's not really a flattering term. So, in my book, expanding your horizons is a good thing. Of course, Sherlock Holmes would disapprove (https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3605300 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3605300).
- RMPR 6y ago
  Further in that thread https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3605851 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3605851
- codetrotter 6y ago
  It's translatable to Norwegian though. The Norwegian word for it is fagidiot. IPA: /faːɡ.i.di.uːt/ https://naob.no/ordbok/fagidiot https://naob.no/ordbok/fagidiot https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/fagidiot#Norwegian_Bokmål https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/fagidiot#Norwegian_Bokmål
- newdude116 6y ago
  Sorry could not resist: Kraftidioten https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2675914/ https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2675914/
  - rob74 6y ago
    Fascinating... "Kraftidioten" could also be a German word, but with a different meaning. In Norwegian, the "kraft" ("powerful") refers to the idiocy, whereas in German it refers to the idiot. That's why the film was called "Einer nach dem anderen" in German - "Kraftidioten" wouldn't have gone down well with bodybuilders...
- ctrlp 6y ago
  In English was that person a 'Fachingidiot'.
katnegermis 6y ago
Ha, initially misread your question as its opposite (~"would reading technical/non-work related books in my spare time be a waste of time") and immediately thought no, of course not! To me, doing non-work related things outside of working is what makes _both_ activities things fun. Don't be hard on yourself for not spending every waking minute of your life working, preparing for work, or feeling bad because you "should" be doing one of those two. That's a very quick way get burned out. YMMV, but in my experience, even if you want to optimize your life for doing the best work possible, not working all the time is a winning strategy!
gadders 6y ago
Don't let your job run your life. You're more than an employee, even if development is your passion. And if you read the same books as everyone else, you'll have the same ideas as everyone else :-) Read about other industries - do they have stuff you can re-use? Read some of the great books and learn about history and human nature. Develop a "hinterland" - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hinterland https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hinterland
ferkad 6y ago
There is a book that might change your mind and it is actually on the list Range: Why Generalists Triumph in a Specialized World" by David Epstein.
Scarblac 6y ago
Especially software engineering is one side technical knowledge about programming, and the other side the ability to understand new problem domains from scratch so you understand what is needed.
keiferski 6y ago
You are a human being first and a [profession] second.
- rramadass 6y ago
  Very well said!
wmxsk 6y ago
Ironically, one of the book he recommended 'Range' is about expanding your horizons.
allie1 6y ago
Read "poor charlie's almanack" - it will illuminate you on why you should read across different topics. In short, if you only have one mental model (way of thinking) through which you're viewing the world, you will incorrectly apply it to everything around you. As you read more broadly and learn different ways of thinking and will apply the appropriate one to each situation.
PlugTunin 6y ago
I understand where you're coming from. What you might consider is that many ideas can be abstracted out and applied to aspects of life that, on the surface, aren't closely related. For instance, Range, one of the books that Gates recommends, isn't specific to any occupation, but can inform one's general perspective on the hazards (or benefits) of taking a software job that is more specialized, and whether it's the best thing for your career in the long-term. Relatedly, I can't tell you exactly what genre the You're Not So Smart or Freakonomics podcasts fit into, but like a lot of good books, each fleshes out all sorts of high-level ideas that can relate to day-to-day life. I really enjoy learning about behavioral psychology/economics-type stuff.
rramadass 6y ago
>I feel like reading books that have no relationship with my job (software engineer) is a waste. Do any feel the same? Is this a harmful mindset and should stop worrying about "wasting" my free time? This is very harmful to your "intellectual growth" and you should break out of the mindset that everything you read should be oriented towards your job and career only. Something from the book The 7 habits of highly successful people which i had read a long time ago stayed with me. There is a concept of P (for Production) and PC (for Production Capability/Capacity) mentioned in that book. P is what gets you a job in the present time since you are employed to "Produce" something for the Company immediately. However your future growth, both professionally and personally depends on how well you cultivate your "Production Capability/Capacity" so as to take advantage of whatever the future might throw at you. This is why expanding your mind and intellectual horizons by reading on widely different domains is so important. Don't limit yourself by reading only job/career related stuff. Go outside your comfort zones and expose yourself to various ideas and concepts. Life is much more fulfilling that way. One thing to note is that you don't read all books cover-to-cover. You skim and jump back-and-forth to quickly identify the gist and essentials. Only then do you sit down for serious study of the identified sections. Also don't try to remember everything you study; only the essence/core is to be assimilated, for everything else keep a mental bookmark so that you know where to look for when you need the details later.
chiefalchemist 6y ago
Reading is rarely a waste of time. Who knows, maybe you won't be an engineer forever? Maybe you'll become management, or leadership? Reading will help. Maybe you'll read something that will inspire you to switch careers? More reading will help you get there. And then of course there's reading to start and carry conversations. You'll be surprised what asking, "Have a book you recommend?" can do. Finally, if you have children, reading is a great habit to instill in them. Trial and error is a good way to learn, but it's time consuming and sometimes painful. Reading is one of few shortcuts in life that's not a fool's errand.
Brajeshwar 6y ago
I suggest reading the book -- How To Be A Programmer[0, 1] and see how you want to move ahead with more books. 0. https://braydie.gitbooks.io/how-to-be-a-programmer/content/en/ https://braydie.gitbooks.io/how-to-be-a-programmer/content/e... (Free to read, Community Edition) 1. https://www.amazon.com/How-Be-Programmer-Robert-Read-ebook/dp/B00PP5FA00/ https://www.amazon.com/How-Be-Programmer-Robert-Read-ebook/d...
minkeymaniac 6y ago
In that case read the book "Range: Why Generalists Triumph in a Specialized World" from that list first. You will notice that the people that came up with solutions came from a total different discipline, while the people in that field were stuck
- parkersweb 6y ago
  Or another book recommendation from Gates Notes ‘Where Good Ideas Come From” https://www.gatesnotes.com/Books/Where-Good-Ideas-Come-From https://www.gatesnotes.com/Books/Where-Good-Ideas-Come-From which argues that some of the most innovative discoveries from history come from exaptation - the application of ideas from one discipline to an unrelated field.
- quercusa 6y ago
  Agreed - that's a useful book.
rv-de 6y ago
Well, one could at least argue that reading a book that has no relationship to you in any way might be a waste. But narrowing this down to only your work - yeah, that's a harmful mindset for sure. You are not just your work ...
slampig 6y ago
You should definitely rethink your priorities. You go to work to support the rest of your life. You don't live to work.
- selykg 6y ago
  This is super important. I think a lot of people would understand this better if they experienced burn out. I used to spend a lot of time working. Then over time that just started destroying me. I got let go from my job and while I had noticed this a bit, particularly on vacations, I had no idea how to "not work." My stress level was through the roof and I had no outlets for anything. 2020 has been the year of me trying to create a life outside of work. Kind of a weird ass year to try it but despite 2020 being 2020, I've rediscovered my love of reading, really started learning music theory, and a bunch of smaller things. I should be able to go into 2021 a lot better as a person and feel my life is "better" in a lot of ways that it was previously pretty poor. I still don't think my life is amazing or great or anything, but baby steps. A big change in mindset to accomplish a lot of this is that my job exists to plan for the future (planning for retirement has been a big deal this year), it pays for me to have fun (enjoy the now), and it pays for me to pay my bills to live. My job is not my life, it's a means to an end. I show up, I do my job, and I leave at the end of the day and I don't think about work until I come back in the next morning.
iamacyborg 6y ago
Amusingly, one of the books in his list (Range) is precisely about this. Reading more about areas outside of your own domain of expertise can only be a good thing as it introduces you to thoughts and concepts you otherwise wouldn't know about. Frankly, more people in your field should read more broadly, particularly in the humanities.
bluGill 6y ago
It is more important for software people to know a wide range of subjects. Our job is to automate away the job of other industries, and every time we succeed we need to move on to a new domain and automate it. You should consider it a personal success when your current employer lays you off because the current version is good enough that they don't need as many people. Your best bet to success in this industry is to know a lot about something that isn't automated enough yet.
arolihas 6y ago
Do you have no interests outside your job?
delaynomore 6y ago
While I do read non-technical books, I don't read fiction for the same reason. It does feel like a waste of time when I could simply watch TV/surf the net instead :)
- gibspaulding 6y ago
  I read a lot of SciFi, and have actually found that while I might not learn a ton from a book directly, I'm often inspired to do nonfiction reading on ideas or events mentioned in the book.
selykg 6y ago
Why don't you give it a try? Think of it like a proof of concept. You don't just write perfect code every single time you sit down, right? Sometimes you write something and test whether it'll work. Sometimes you find it works, other times it doesn't. I encourage people to try to do the same with their life. I was always of the mind "Meditation is some kind of stupid mumbo jumbo and it's dumb and a waste of time" I now meditate, because I tried it and realized it was helping me. You don't have to go into some idea thinking this is the rest of your life, it's not, you can try something, see if it helps you or you enjoy it. If you aren't enjoying it or you don't see it actually helping you then stop and do something different. I read a lot, over 20 books this year, most of it fiction. It has replaced watching tv in 2020 and I set a goal to read at least 30 minutes a day.

jcynix 6y ago

Your free time should be the time when you do things unrelated to your professional work. A healthy advise I got from Usenet a long time ago is that one should have a hobby unrelated to computers. That advise was given when there where no eBook readers, Smartphones or other mobile stuff. But it's still a good advise IMO as long as you use these tools for mainly recreational activities. So long note, short answer: reading books isn't a waste of time.

happy_path 6y ago
Well, my native language is not English, so I could think that reading in English improve that language skill. What about if I feel I'm not a good software engineer?
- lentil_soup 6y ago
  I'd advise you try to not think of all reading as something that needs to "improve" something in you. We do many things just for pleasure; we go on holiday, we have friends, we eat dessert, we go for walks, we read books. If you feel you need to improve your English or your technical skills, that's fine, you can study. But that's unrelated to all the other activities you might do for your own pleasure.
  - rramadass 6y ago
    >I'd advise you try to not think of all reading as something that needs to "improve" something in you. Well said! This is the curse of the modern society/economy that everything you do should be towards some "improvement" either materially or otherwise. The concept and importance of "play" has all but been forgotten. Incidentally, much of Science progressed only because many of the Scientists actually loved "playing" with what interested them. The actual inventions/discoveries were more accidental like. Knowledge for Knowledge's sake is a very good thing.
- xenocratus 6y ago
  A lot of the time I feel the same way, just a bit more broadly, that everything I do must improve me in some way, especially in the technical realm (I'm a software engineer as well). Even when I do stuff for "fun", I try to be strict about it and sort of analyse the fun to make sure I'm getting my time's worth. But then reading your message made me think: this sounds a lot like Sartre's waiter [1]. I don't think I can change the way I feel and approach life, and I'm quite comfortable with my approach, but if you're not and you want to make a change, you might want to dig into why that's the case. [1] https://existentialcomics.com/comic/101 https://existentialcomics.com/comic/101
- purple-again 6y ago
  I will go against the grain here a bit because on anonymous forums humans (myself included) have this nasty habit of forgetting they might be talking to a 12 year old child and instead imprint a vague version of themselves on the people they talk to. If you are close to the beginning of your journey, like say 1-3 years ago you didn't know how to program at all, them I would take the advice you are getting with a grain of salt. I would recommend pouring your free time into your trade, gaining both a breadth of knowledge about software engineering (like spending 3 hours learning about C++ not to write a program in it but to be able to understand what it is and what it isn't so you can carry a brief conversation when the topic turns to it) and a depth of knowledge with your preferred toolset (like 200+ hours going through 3-4 ground up resources on Python because its your most reached for language to get work done). Once you have that strong foundation, the other advice here is very sound. Turn your computer off and go do wood working, or read a comprehensive history series that tackles each decade (and then do it again from an Asian focused author rather than a Western focused one), or find a solid podcast to listen to while you go for long walks in nature, etc. Pretty much anything other than sitting at your computer for both your job and your hobby.
- mrlala 6y ago
  >What about if I feel I'm not a good software engineer? Then you might actually be a descent software engineer. It's when you stop worrying if you're good enough that you are most likely falling behind.

digikazi 6y ago

Reading books that are unrelated to what you do for a living is not a waste - not in my opinion at least. The stuff you read "for work" will undoubtedly increase your technical knowledge and make you a better software engineer, but the books you read for pleasure might just soothe your soul, increase your knowledge about the world you live in (good, interesting biographies, history books, etc) or they might just be good fun and a good way to switch off. So while I don't necessarily think your mindset is harmful per se, I do think it is perhaps a little self limiting. That's just my opinion of course - I like literature so for me books are definitely a pleasure. Your mileage might vary :)

happy_path 6y ago
Thank you. I needed to read that.
- dwighttk 6y ago
  Lists like these are great for finding books that are worth reading. Find someone you respect and then just pick one of the books they recommended. Or look at a few lists and see if there is one that keeps popping up. Books are a bit of commitment so it is nice to have at least the promise that a book is going to be good when you are just starting to read for more than work.

why5s 6y ago

I don't think it's a waste. A good chunk of my reading involves content unrelated to my job (software engineer). Not every hour of the day has to be spent chasing "productivity". Unstructured free time outside of work is essential to keeping me productive at work.

Ma8ee 6y ago

I certainly hope you consider yourself something more than a software engineer. As a human, living with other people in a society, reading other books will not only help you and make your life richer, but also enhance the lives of the people around you.

happy_path 6y ago
Good question, but being a software engineer is a big part of my life. Maybe a too big part.
- bawolff 6y ago
  Learning about a variety of topics can help with that - the world is not full of discrete boxes, skills from different things often will indirectly improve your abilities in other areas.
- rramadass 6y ago
  Your Identity != Your Profession

janekm 6y ago

Unless you're a "code monkey" being a software engineer involves using creativity, which in my experience requires giving your brain enough "downtime" as well as a broad range of inputs. Reading a broad range of books (fiction too) will give your brain the stimulus to create the connections that enable creativity.

happy_path 6y ago
I'm not a code monkey but, in my current place of work, there is no much place for creativity (micromanaging) and I miss that. I'm trying to learn some things on the side (because I'm not assigned enough challenging tasks.
- janekm 6y ago
  Well, I don't necessarily mean just creativity in that sense but also where you have a problem to solve and during a walk or shower you get that flash of inspiration, a way to solve it that comes from your brain making unexpected connections... I find that one of the most satisfying aspects of the work. Though maybe I'm lucky in that I have very broad architectural responsibilities in my job...

yoz-y 6y ago

As a software engineer who didn't read almost any books about software engineering I have a question: How did reading any books about SWE changed the way you work? I found that reading books on other subjects (from non-fiction I've read some biographies, some economics books, the usual suspects like Sapiens and such). I find that knowing a bit about everything is mainly a good way to keep conversations going because it enables you to chip in on many different subjects while otherwise it might be hard to find a common interest. It also helps to see some issues that one might overlook. An example would be American Kingpin which shows how a good technical idea with no moral oversight might end up creating something that ultimately makes world a little bit worse.

happy_path 6y ago
Reading technical books has helped me pass some interviews and improve my programming skills. It also helps me learn new languages (Go) and do some personal projects. No personal project has helped me get a job though... Usually the part of out-of-scope of software is dealt by product managers. Maybe it is a problem of working in a big corporation?
- yoz-y 6y ago
  > Usually the part of out-of-scope of software is dealt by product managers. Life happens outside of work too, it's nice to be able to talk about other things than coding. Out of scope questions can be also useful when asked the feared "do you have questions?" question during recruitment.

1e-9 6y ago

Reading immersive fiction makes me significantly more productive. I believe there are two main benefits: 1) It hones my ability to stay focused, and 2) It exercises the world-simulation part of my brain, which I use heavily for understanding problems and visualizing solutions. Whenever I go more than a few weeks or so without reading fiction, I tend to notice a drop in my productivity and problem-solving ability. Binge-reading a good book fixes it every time.

happy_path 6y ago
Could you recommend any fiction books?
- lentil_soup 6y ago
  given your interest in tech and not being used to fiction maybe try some science fiction short stories? I'd recommend Issac Asimov's short stories. The robot series for example: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robot_series https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robot_series. You can read a few of those in a sitting.
- thr0w3345 6y ago
  I really enjoyed salvation by peter f Hamilton lately if you’re into sci-fi :)
- purple-again 6y ago
  If you want a breadth of grounded fantasy (IE takes place in our world but contains elements that don't really exist in our world) then I would recommend picking through Stephen King. If you want to completely escape our world then I recommend the old Conan books or the modern Brandon Sanderson starting with Stormlight Archive. You have received plenty of Sci Fi recommendations but I will add my own personal favorite (this is one novel in the series): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/In_Death_Ground https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/In_Death_Ground If you want fiction that is grounded in reality with little to no fantasy elements then the murder mystery genre has quite a few gems that are fun to try and guess the twist of when you are reading. Murder on the Orient Express is great if you havn't experienced the story yet.

rob74 6y ago

There's an (apparently untranslatable) word in German for people who are only interested in amassing knowledge in their own domain and totally ignorant of anything else: "Fachidiot" (see also https://english.stackexchange.com/questions/327748/is-there-really-no-english-equivalent-to-germans-fachidiot https://english.stackexchange.com/questions/327748/is-there-...) - it's not really a flattering term. So, in my book, expanding your horizons is a good thing. Of course, Sherlock Holmes would disapprove (https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3605300 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3605300).

RMPR 6y ago
Further in that thread https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3605851 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3605851
codetrotter 6y ago
It's translatable to Norwegian though. The Norwegian word for it is fagidiot. IPA: /faːɡ.i.di.uːt/ https://naob.no/ordbok/fagidiot https://naob.no/ordbok/fagidiot https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/fagidiot#Norwegian_Bokmål https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/fagidiot#Norwegian_Bokmål
newdude116 6y ago
Sorry could not resist: Kraftidioten https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2675914/ https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2675914/
- rob74 6y ago
  Fascinating... "Kraftidioten" could also be a German word, but with a different meaning. In Norwegian, the "kraft" ("powerful") refers to the idiocy, whereas in German it refers to the idiot. That's why the film was called "Einer nach dem anderen" in German - "Kraftidioten" wouldn't have gone down well with bodybuilders...
ctrlp 6y ago
In English was that person a 'Fachingidiot'.

katnegermis 6y ago

Ha, initially misread your question as its opposite (~"would reading technical/non-work related books in my spare time be a waste of time") and immediately thought no, of course not! To me, doing non-work related things outside of working is what makes _both_ activities things fun. Don't be hard on yourself for not spending every waking minute of your life working, preparing for work, or feeling bad because you "should" be doing one of those two. That's a very quick way get burned out. YMMV, but in my experience, even if you want to optimize your life for doing the best work possible, not working all the time is a winning strategy!

gadders 6y ago

Don't let your job run your life. You're more than an employee, even if development is your passion. And if you read the same books as everyone else, you'll have the same ideas as everyone else :-) Read about other industries - do they have stuff you can re-use? Read some of the great books and learn about history and human nature. Develop a "hinterland" - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hinterland https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hinterland

ferkad 6y ago

There is a book that might change your mind and it is actually on the list Range: Why Generalists Triumph in a Specialized World" by David Epstein.

Scarblac 6y ago

Especially software engineering is one side technical knowledge about programming, and the other side the ability to understand new problem domains from scratch so you understand what is needed.

keiferski 6y ago

You are a human being first and a [profession] second.

rramadass 6y ago
Very well said!

wmxsk 6y ago

Ironically, one of the book he recommended 'Range' is about expanding your horizons.

allie1 6y ago

Read "poor charlie's almanack" - it will illuminate you on why you should read across different topics. In short, if you only have one mental model (way of thinking) through which you're viewing the world, you will incorrectly apply it to everything around you. As you read more broadly and learn different ways of thinking and will apply the appropriate one to each situation.

PlugTunin 6y ago

I understand where you're coming from. What you might consider is that many ideas can be abstracted out and applied to aspects of life that, on the surface, aren't closely related. For instance, Range, one of the books that Gates recommends, isn't specific to any occupation, but can inform one's general perspective on the hazards (or benefits) of taking a software job that is more specialized, and whether it's the best thing for your career in the long-term. Relatedly, I can't tell you exactly what genre the You're Not So Smart or Freakonomics podcasts fit into, but like a lot of good books, each fleshes out all sorts of high-level ideas that can relate to day-to-day life. I really enjoy learning about behavioral psychology/economics-type stuff.

rramadass 6y ago

>I feel like reading books that have no relationship with my job (software engineer) is a waste. Do any feel the same? Is this a harmful mindset and should stop worrying about "wasting" my free time? This is very harmful to your "intellectual growth" and you should break out of the mindset that everything you read should be oriented towards your job and career only. Something from the book The 7 habits of highly successful people which i had read a long time ago stayed with me. There is a concept of P (for Production) and PC (for Production Capability/Capacity) mentioned in that book. P is what gets you a job in the present time since you are employed to "Produce" something for the Company immediately. However your future growth, both professionally and personally depends on how well you cultivate your "Production Capability/Capacity" so as to take advantage of whatever the future might throw at you. This is why expanding your mind and intellectual horizons by reading on widely different domains is so important. Don't limit yourself by reading only job/career related stuff. Go outside your comfort zones and expose yourself to various ideas and concepts. Life is much more fulfilling that way. One thing to note is that you don't read all books cover-to-cover. You skim and jump back-and-forth to quickly identify the gist and essentials. Only then do you sit down for serious study of the identified sections. Also don't try to remember everything you study; only the essence/core is to be assimilated, for everything else keep a mental bookmark so that you know where to look for when you need the details later.

chiefalchemist 6y ago

Reading is rarely a waste of time. Who knows, maybe you won't be an engineer forever? Maybe you'll become management, or leadership? Reading will help. Maybe you'll read something that will inspire you to switch careers? More reading will help you get there. And then of course there's reading to start and carry conversations. You'll be surprised what asking, "Have a book you recommend?" can do. Finally, if you have children, reading is a great habit to instill in them. Trial and error is a good way to learn, but it's time consuming and sometimes painful. Reading is one of few shortcuts in life that's not a fool's errand.

Brajeshwar 6y ago

I suggest reading the book -- How To Be A Programmer[0, 1] and see how you want to move ahead with more books. 0. https://braydie.gitbooks.io/how-to-be-a-programmer/content/en/ https://braydie.gitbooks.io/how-to-be-a-programmer/content/e... (Free to read, Community Edition) 1. https://www.amazon.com/How-Be-Programmer-Robert-Read-ebook/dp/B00PP5FA00/ https://www.amazon.com/How-Be-Programmer-Robert-Read-ebook/d...

minkeymaniac 6y ago

In that case read the book "Range: Why Generalists Triumph in a Specialized World" from that list first. You will notice that the people that came up with solutions came from a total different discipline, while the people in that field were stuck

parkersweb 6y ago
Or another book recommendation from Gates Notes ‘Where Good Ideas Come From” https://www.gatesnotes.com/Books/Where-Good-Ideas-Come-From https://www.gatesnotes.com/Books/Where-Good-Ideas-Come-From which argues that some of the most innovative discoveries from history come from exaptation - the application of ideas from one discipline to an unrelated field.
quercusa 6y ago
Agreed - that's a useful book.

rv-de 6y ago

Well, one could at least argue that reading a book that has no relationship to you in any way might be a waste. But narrowing this down to only your work - yeah, that's a harmful mindset for sure. You are not just your work ...

slampig 6y ago

You should definitely rethink your priorities. You go to work to support the rest of your life. You don't live to work.

selykg 6y ago
This is super important. I think a lot of people would understand this better if they experienced burn out. I used to spend a lot of time working. Then over time that just started destroying me. I got let go from my job and while I had noticed this a bit, particularly on vacations, I had no idea how to "not work." My stress level was through the roof and I had no outlets for anything. 2020 has been the year of me trying to create a life outside of work. Kind of a weird ass year to try it but despite 2020 being 2020, I've rediscovered my love of reading, really started learning music theory, and a bunch of smaller things. I should be able to go into 2021 a lot better as a person and feel my life is "better" in a lot of ways that it was previously pretty poor. I still don't think my life is amazing or great or anything, but baby steps. A big change in mindset to accomplish a lot of this is that my job exists to plan for the future (planning for retirement has been a big deal this year), it pays for me to have fun (enjoy the now), and it pays for me to pay my bills to live. My job is not my life, it's a means to an end. I show up, I do my job, and I leave at the end of the day and I don't think about work until I come back in the next morning.

iamacyborg 6y ago

Amusingly, one of the books in his list (Range) is precisely about this. Reading more about areas outside of your own domain of expertise can only be a good thing as it introduces you to thoughts and concepts you otherwise wouldn't know about. Frankly, more people in your field should read more broadly, particularly in the humanities.

bluGill 6y ago

It is more important for software people to know a wide range of subjects. Our job is to automate away the job of other industries, and every time we succeed we need to move on to a new domain and automate it. You should consider it a personal success when your current employer lays you off because the current version is good enough that they don't need as many people. Your best bet to success in this industry is to know a lot about something that isn't automated enough yet.

arolihas 6y ago

Do you have no interests outside your job?

delaynomore 6y ago

While I do read non-technical books, I don't read fiction for the same reason. It does feel like a waste of time when I could simply watch TV/surf the net instead :)

gibspaulding 6y ago
I read a lot of SciFi, and have actually found that while I might not learn a ton from a book directly, I'm often inspired to do nonfiction reading on ideas or events mentioned in the book.

selykg 6y ago

Why don't you give it a try? Think of it like a proof of concept. You don't just write perfect code every single time you sit down, right? Sometimes you write something and test whether it'll work. Sometimes you find it works, other times it doesn't. I encourage people to try to do the same with their life. I was always of the mind "Meditation is some kind of stupid mumbo jumbo and it's dumb and a waste of time" I now meditate, because I tried it and realized it was helping me. You don't have to go into some idea thinking this is the rest of your life, it's not, you can try something, see if it helps you or you enjoy it. If you aren't enjoying it or you don't see it actually helping you then stop and do something different. I read a lot, over 20 books this year, most of it fiction. It has replaced watching tv in 2020 and I set a goal to read at least 30 minutes a day.