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Are you arguing about the impossibility of getting to financial independence, or the fact that this young 21yo I-want-everything-but-have-done-nothing-beside-hi

Are you arguing about the impossibility of getting to financial independence, or the fact that this young 21yo I-want-everything-but-have-done-nothing-beside-highschool person should not pursue a full time employment because it is not “meaningful” for them and as such it would lead to burnout? To me the fairy tale here is that this person can think about doing meaningful work without having achieved significant experience in anything and without a financial safety net. My suggestion was a practical solution, which of course comes at a cost, to fix both issues and set them up for entrepreneurship in a few years.

junon 5y ago
I'm saying that the amount of work someone needs to put into a career in tech starting from nothing in 2022 far exceeds what is feasible or healthy for any individual person to do. The time have changed from a few decades ago where it was possible to climb up corporate ladders and secure equity. It's also a waste of your 20's, depending on your point of view.
- sillysaurusx 5y ago
  Hmm? All I’ll say is that this doesn’t match my experience. In fact I’m not sure what you’re saying. There seems to be no other career path as lucrative with comparatively little effort. Heck, I took a break from porting ML models to type this on my iPad, and the way things are going, I’ll probably be able to retire within a decade. Not too shabby. If you think a motivated 20 something can’t do this, it’s just not true. The trick is that you need to focus on money. Start negotiating salary aggressively, demonstrate your skills, and interview at multiple places on a regular basis.
  - nnoitra 5y ago
    It really does though. CS exams are hard and require a lot of studying and then there's leetcode, system design and everything else under the sun. What about dating, travelling, sports, family? Is one supposed to spend their entire time thinking of ways to speed-up algorithms. There's a reason fast algorithms are fast they utilize a lof of hard work and focus to create.
    - unfocussed_mike 5y ago
      > What about dating, travelling, sports, family? Is one supposed to spend their entire time thinking of ways to speed-up algorithms. I find it peculiarly reassuring that so many HN commenters are adding things like this -- my own experience of my twenties would have been better if people had stopped me more often to say "are you sure you're OK?" and "is this really all you want?"
- deanmoriarty 5y ago
  I truly do not know what your comment is talking about. There is no easier lucrative career to get into today than tech. I work at perhaps the most difficult FAANG to get into, and just my tiny org hires hundreds of 20-something each quarter with no experience at all who barely know what they are doing, and pays them 6 figures. Every other company does the same, just even easier to get into. And there is no need to climb the ladder, just get to mid level engineer, which requires virtually no effort, and with some frugal living you’ll be financially set.
- nnoitra 5y ago
  100% correct tech career in 2022 is a competition to become the biggest no-lifer. May be worhwhile in the US in the right circumstances but for Europe it's a waste of time.

junon 5y ago

I'm saying that the amount of work someone needs to put into a career in tech starting from nothing in 2022 far exceeds what is feasible or healthy for any individual person to do. The time have changed from a few decades ago where it was possible to climb up corporate ladders and secure equity. It's also a waste of your 20's, depending on your point of view.

sillysaurusx 5y ago
Hmm? All I’ll say is that this doesn’t match my experience. In fact I’m not sure what you’re saying. There seems to be no other career path as lucrative with comparatively little effort. Heck, I took a break from porting ML models to type this on my iPad, and the way things are going, I’ll probably be able to retire within a decade. Not too shabby. If you think a motivated 20 something can’t do this, it’s just not true. The trick is that you need to focus on money. Start negotiating salary aggressively, demonstrate your skills, and interview at multiple places on a regular basis.
- nnoitra 5y ago
  It really does though. CS exams are hard and require a lot of studying and then there's leetcode, system design and everything else under the sun. What about dating, travelling, sports, family? Is one supposed to spend their entire time thinking of ways to speed-up algorithms. There's a reason fast algorithms are fast they utilize a lof of hard work and focus to create.
  - unfocussed_mike 5y ago
    > What about dating, travelling, sports, family? Is one supposed to spend their entire time thinking of ways to speed-up algorithms. I find it peculiarly reassuring that so many HN commenters are adding things like this -- my own experience of my twenties would have been better if people had stopped me more often to say "are you sure you're OK?" and "is this really all you want?"
deanmoriarty 5y ago
I truly do not know what your comment is talking about. There is no easier lucrative career to get into today than tech. I work at perhaps the most difficult FAANG to get into, and just my tiny org hires hundreds of 20-something each quarter with no experience at all who barely know what they are doing, and pays them 6 figures. Every other company does the same, just even easier to get into. And there is no need to climb the ladder, just get to mid level engineer, which requires virtually no effort, and with some frugal living you’ll be financially set.
nnoitra 5y ago
100% correct tech career in 2022 is a competition to become the biggest no-lifer. May be worhwhile in the US in the right circumstances but for Europe it's a waste of time.