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It’s strange to me you feel compelled to professionally justify your job through the lens of social justice. I feel no such obligation when people ask me what I

It’s strange to me you feel compelled to professionally justify your job through the lens of social justice. I feel no such obligation when people ask me what I do. As for my personal time, money, and issues that are important to me that’s a very different story. It feels a little bit to me that we’ve so eroded our personal lives compared to professional lives that people are starting to have a hard time distinguishing the two.

uniclaude 6y ago
This is a great thing that people intend to align what they’re paid to do the greater part of their lives with what they find just. This is hackernews, the place where people intend to make positive change with their brain, their time, and sometimes, their money.
the_only_law 6y ago
> It feels a little bit to me that we’ve so eroded our personal lives compared to professional lives that people are starting to have a hard time distinguishing the two. It comes up a lot on this site that a job is just a job, and thus you shouldn't focus so much on it to find meaning, fulfillment, etc., but I'll consider this when it doesn't take up majority of my daylight hours.
- yunohn 6y ago
  +1 to this. Jobs take up the majority of our mental space and energy and hours in the day. Why shouldn’t we strive to achieve something more meaningful within it?
scsilver 6y ago
The money isnt filling the void man.
mhh__ 6y ago
If you want to do something that makes a difference in the world what's wrong with that?
avz 6y ago
This has nothing to do with the alleged erosion of personal lives. Money is simply not the only aspect of a job that determines how rewarding it is. Other parameters that people find relevant include meaningful mission, ethical concerns, work relationships, power, travel, ability to open source code, to publish and to give talks, access to expensive hardware, innovation, leading others, helping people in need... etc. I find it a bizarrely narrow view to insist that getting paid is the sole motivation to work. In fact, from conversations with folks older and more experienced than me I am under the impression that as we age all these other aspects of our work keep gaining in importance over paycheck. That said, I understand that in the absence of money the need to get it is an overriding concern. However, I find the focus on money very surprising for a site full of software engineers who by and large can afford the freedom to pursue meaning and self-actualization in their work.
PlugTunin 6y ago
Many in the medical profession find their job rewarding b/c they enjoy improving the quality of other people's lives. Not the same as social justice but also for a worthy cause. Hats off to those folks...

uniclaude 6y ago

This is a great thing that people intend to align what they’re paid to do the greater part of their lives with what they find just. This is hackernews, the place where people intend to make positive change with their brain, their time, and sometimes, their money.

the_only_law 6y ago

> It feels a little bit to me that we’ve so eroded our personal lives compared to professional lives that people are starting to have a hard time distinguishing the two. It comes up a lot on this site that a job is just a job, and thus you shouldn't focus so much on it to find meaning, fulfillment, etc., but I'll consider this when it doesn't take up majority of my daylight hours.

yunohn 6y ago
+1 to this. Jobs take up the majority of our mental space and energy and hours in the day. Why shouldn’t we strive to achieve something more meaningful within it?

scsilver 6y ago

The money isnt filling the void man.

mhh__ 6y ago

If you want to do something that makes a difference in the world what's wrong with that?

avz 6y ago

This has nothing to do with the alleged erosion of personal lives. Money is simply not the only aspect of a job that determines how rewarding it is. Other parameters that people find relevant include meaningful mission, ethical concerns, work relationships, power, travel, ability to open source code, to publish and to give talks, access to expensive hardware, innovation, leading others, helping people in need... etc. I find it a bizarrely narrow view to insist that getting paid is the sole motivation to work. In fact, from conversations with folks older and more experienced than me I am under the impression that as we age all these other aspects of our work keep gaining in importance over paycheck. That said, I understand that in the absence of money the need to get it is an overriding concern. However, I find the focus on money very surprising for a site full of software engineers who by and large can afford the freedom to pursue meaning and self-actualization in their work.

PlugTunin 6y ago

Many in the medical profession find their job rewarding b/c they enjoy improving the quality of other people's lives. Not the same as social justice but also for a worthy cause. Hats off to those folks...