5 ms·

You are not your career/job

60 points by justWells 5y ago

That is all

bitwit123 5y ago
Amen!
ssss11 5y ago
Very important to keep in mind.
GoToRO 5y ago
Well you could be and be really happy about it, but if you go 100% on the job there are all the others that will go 100% in exploiting you.
Day1 5y ago
- jf22 5y ago
  Please share and talk to people. I'm here to listen even if I don't say anything back. Expressing how you feel isn't "cringe", it's human.
oumua_don17 5y ago
`Do your work seriously, but don't take your work seriously` is the mantra that has helped me find the right work life balance.
nly 5y ago
Most of us probably spend 40-45% of our waking lifetime either in the office or on our way to or from the office. And most of us will spend 30-40 years of our lives, including all your prime years, spending that 40-45% to serve somelse's desires. Even if you in enjoy your job, the reality is work is one of the biggest parts of our lives and wrapped up in our sense of self worth and identity.
- lmarcos 5y ago
  IMHO: There is a difference between the job you do and your career. My career (programmer/software developer/software engineer/computer scientist) will last my whole life. It's something I like (I chose it) and it's something I can do on my own. It is independent from money and any material thing. It matters to me. My job (currently: senior software engineer) is a different beast, even if it touches on aspects of my career. I do it to pay the bills. I do it in a professional way but that's all about it.
- qazpot 5y ago
  > Even if you in enjoy your job, the reality is work is one of the biggest parts of our lives and wrapped up in our sense of self worth and identity. This is true for all living beings, all animals spend a large part of their day in collecting/scavenging/hunting food, prepaing shelter etc.
- HeyLaughingBoy 5y ago
  > wrapped up in our sense of self worth and identity Speak for yourself. I can completely fail at work, go home, and sleep like a baby. Conversely, I can have an amazingly good day, enjoy it and then completely forget about it the next day. It's just a job.
  - bradlys 5y ago
    Guess it depends on your employer. Many where I am will fire you depending on your performance and very hastily so. They’ll also try to make your life miserable along the way.
- codingdave 5y ago
  That is exactly the point - that leaves 55-60% of our waking time not working. Why let the minority of your time define your self worth and identity? Sure, our work time serves someone else's desires... in exchange for money that we use to build the home and life that we want. Hopefully spending our time and energy with the people and family we want. Work is a tool to empower everything else. Do that work - do it well. But let the "everything else" define you.
Wonnk13 5y ago
I'm not a woulda/coulda/shoulda kind of guy, but one of my few genuine regrets is skipping scheduled vacations for client fire drills and just generally not taking more time off in my 20s. I am thankful that my perspective changed before I lost my 30s as well. HN certainly has a selection bias toward founders and early stage employees, but I feel very strongly that your career cannot be your sole source of meaning. Be well.
- dsauerbrun 5y ago
  if it's any consolation I'm going through the exact opposite. In my 20s I took a year off to travel, came back and only cared about taking jobs that would give me enough flexibility to work remotely and have lots of vacation so I could travel. Now I'm in my early 30s seeing some of my peers from college making double my salary. Big tech doesn't seem all that interested in me so I'm kind of stuck working for smaller companies. I really do enjoy my job and like the people I'm working with but doubling my salary would be life changing for me so I feel like I should have been more balanced in my 20s.
  - bluefirebrand 5y ago
    There's no guarantee you'd have double your salary now if you'd worked harder in your 20s. A lot of salary in tech is just location. A few years ago I nearly doubled my salary just by moving to a new city and taking on a new job there. Also I love working for smaller companies even if they do pay less than big tech. The opportunity to work on greenfield projects and actually have meaningful input into the direction even as an IC is extremely cool to me.
    - dsauerbrun 5y ago
      In hindsight I would have done the "Silicon Valley University" thing and worked in SF for a year or two. Having big tech or growth startup on your resume appears to be quite important.
      - jasfi 5y ago
shetill 5y ago
don't think anyone associates so much with their career, it's all for money and that's my only motivation to work
ksec 5y ago
That cant be right. I thought you were suppose to bring your whole self to work. And work equals you? Especially in Tech and Silicon Valley. Unless you are suggesting to me they are wrong? Or they have been wrong for 10 years and counting?
jasfi 5y ago
I don't think it's that simple. Yes, you are not 100% your career/job, but to what extent are you? For many of us, it's a really big part of who we are. I would also say, if your work forms a large part of who you are, then consider starting your own business. I'm working on a platform to help people to do just that: https://cxo.industries https://cxo.industries
captainredbeard 5y ago
You say that but the majority of success in our society is tied to money, especially for men. That means career.
- frollo 5y ago
  And so what? Enjoy your life and just be extremely rude to whoever takes exception at your choices.

60 points by justWells 5y ago

That is all

bitwit123 5y ago

Amen!

ssss11 5y ago

Very important to keep in mind.

GoToRO 5y ago

Well you could be and be really happy about it, but if you go 100% on the job there are all the others that will go 100% in exploiting you.

Day1 5y ago

jf22 5y ago
Please share and talk to people. I'm here to listen even if I don't say anything back. Expressing how you feel isn't "cringe", it's human.

oumua_don17 5y ago

`Do your work seriously, but don't take your work seriously` is the mantra that has helped me find the right work life balance.

nly 5y ago

Most of us probably spend 40-45% of our waking lifetime either in the office or on our way to or from the office. And most of us will spend 30-40 years of our lives, including all your prime years, spending that 40-45% to serve somelse's desires. Even if you in enjoy your job, the reality is work is one of the biggest parts of our lives and wrapped up in our sense of self worth and identity.

lmarcos 5y ago
IMHO: There is a difference between the job you do and your career. My career (programmer/software developer/software engineer/computer scientist) will last my whole life. It's something I like (I chose it) and it's something I can do on my own. It is independent from money and any material thing. It matters to me. My job (currently: senior software engineer) is a different beast, even if it touches on aspects of my career. I do it to pay the bills. I do it in a professional way but that's all about it.
qazpot 5y ago
> Even if you in enjoy your job, the reality is work is one of the biggest parts of our lives and wrapped up in our sense of self worth and identity. This is true for all living beings, all animals spend a large part of their day in collecting/scavenging/hunting food, prepaing shelter etc.
HeyLaughingBoy 5y ago
> wrapped up in our sense of self worth and identity Speak for yourself. I can completely fail at work, go home, and sleep like a baby. Conversely, I can have an amazingly good day, enjoy it and then completely forget about it the next day. It's just a job.
- bradlys 5y ago
  Guess it depends on your employer. Many where I am will fire you depending on your performance and very hastily so. They’ll also try to make your life miserable along the way.
codingdave 5y ago
That is exactly the point - that leaves 55-60% of our waking time not working. Why let the minority of your time define your self worth and identity? Sure, our work time serves someone else's desires... in exchange for money that we use to build the home and life that we want. Hopefully spending our time and energy with the people and family we want. Work is a tool to empower everything else. Do that work - do it well. But let the "everything else" define you.

Wonnk13 5y ago

I'm not a woulda/coulda/shoulda kind of guy, but one of my few genuine regrets is skipping scheduled vacations for client fire drills and just generally not taking more time off in my 20s. I am thankful that my perspective changed before I lost my 30s as well. HN certainly has a selection bias toward founders and early stage employees, but I feel very strongly that your career cannot be your sole source of meaning. Be well.

dsauerbrun 5y ago
if it's any consolation I'm going through the exact opposite. In my 20s I took a year off to travel, came back and only cared about taking jobs that would give me enough flexibility to work remotely and have lots of vacation so I could travel. Now I'm in my early 30s seeing some of my peers from college making double my salary. Big tech doesn't seem all that interested in me so I'm kind of stuck working for smaller companies. I really do enjoy my job and like the people I'm working with but doubling my salary would be life changing for me so I feel like I should have been more balanced in my 20s.
- bluefirebrand 5y ago
  There's no guarantee you'd have double your salary now if you'd worked harder in your 20s. A lot of salary in tech is just location. A few years ago I nearly doubled my salary just by moving to a new city and taking on a new job there. Also I love working for smaller companies even if they do pay less than big tech. The opportunity to work on greenfield projects and actually have meaningful input into the direction even as an IC is extremely cool to me.
  - dsauerbrun 5y ago
    In hindsight I would have done the "Silicon Valley University" thing and worked in SF for a year or two. Having big tech or growth startup on your resume appears to be quite important.
    - jasfi 5y ago

shetill 5y ago

don't think anyone associates so much with their career, it's all for money and that's my only motivation to work

ksec 5y ago

That cant be right. I thought you were suppose to bring your whole self to work. And work equals you? Especially in Tech and Silicon Valley. Unless you are suggesting to me they are wrong? Or they have been wrong for 10 years and counting?

jasfi 5y ago

I don't think it's that simple. Yes, you are not 100% your career/job, but to what extent are you? For many of us, it's a really big part of who we are. I would also say, if your work forms a large part of who you are, then consider starting your own business. I'm working on a platform to help people to do just that: https://cxo.industries https://cxo.industries

captainredbeard 5y ago

You say that but the majority of success in our society is tied to money, especially for men. That means career.

frollo 5y ago
And so what? Enjoy your life and just be extremely rude to whoever takes exception at your choices.