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I used to work in software sales in a call center. I hated my job and the highlight of my week was the Monday burrito special down the street at a place where t

I used to work in software sales in a call center. I hated my job and the highlight of my week was the Monday burrito special down the street at a place where the employees shouted "Welcome to Moe's!" whenever customers entered. When thinks ultimately fell apart at that job, I went to Moe's and somehow managed to get a job despite a lack of food service experience. I lasted a while—months, I think—but eventually got fired. I don't know that there's a moral to that, but I guess I tend to look at the urge to bail and go to unskilled (or really, differently-skilled) labor less as a virtuous thing and more a sign that some in-place re-evaluation is needed with mental health in mind. I still occasionally say "I should become a farmer" but take it more as a sign that there's something I probably need to address within my current situation and/or I need to get back on the wagon of going on morning walks.

euroderf 2y ago
Maybe you needed to work with your hands for a while.
gopher_space 2y ago
> somehow managed to get a job despite a lack of food service experience. I lasted a while—months, I think—but eventually got fired. Bit of a tangent; I switch between knowledge work and labor a bit, and the biggest mistake I see people make is not altering their caloric intake or sleep schedule.
- bulletninja 2y ago
  Could you elaborate on that? Altering caloric intake and sleep schedule as a reaction to what? And how would you change between the two regimes? Increase/decrease how much? etc.
  - mathgeek 2y ago
    Not GP, but being on your feet all day will lead to needing more calories and sleep for proper recovery.
    - jorvi 2y ago
      I can't speak to sleep, but you are wrong about the calories. Kurzgesagt has a really interesting video on it: https://youtu.be/lPrjP4A_X4s https://youtu.be/lPrjP4A_X4s The caloric part quite blew my mind. I know its not the most scientific source but digging deeper in it it does seem to match up.
      - aaronbrethorst 2y ago
        Herman Pontzer, an anthropology professor, talks quite a bit about a study he did on the calorie needs of people who are highly active on this podcast: https://www.msnbc.com/msnbc-podcast/examining-energy-evolution-herman-pontzer-podcast-transcript-n1270125 https://www.msnbc.com/msnbc-podcast/examining-energy-evoluti... Spoiler alert: you burn basically the same number of calories per day sitting on your butt as you do being quite physically active.
        Alupis 2y ago
        > Herman Pontzer, an anthropology professor > you burn basically the same number of calories per day sitting on your butt as you do being quite physically active Can you provide more evidence for this, because it sounds entirely bogus. Perhaps you mean one's base metabolic rate? If you are physically active, you will consume more calories than sitting all day - because, you know, you are exerting yourself. Also, an anthropology professor is not a credible source on diet, exercise, fitness and health.
        aaronbrethorst 2y ago
        https://www.science.org/content/article/scientist-busts-myths-about-how-humans-burn-calories-and-why https://www.science.org/content/article/scientist-busts-myth...
        Alupis 2y ago
        Your citation is to another piece by the same guy?
raffraffraff 2y ago
Oof, never become a farmer. Farming is generally something you (reluctantly?) inherit along with the farm. It's insanely expensive to buy your way in. Even if you inherit the land, the cost of buying and upkeep of machinery is extremely expensive. Everything you invest after that point (in livestock, seed, fuel, time) is a risk. Bad luck or bad weather can ruin a crop. The hours are long. The stress is monumental - suddenly you really care about the weather. And unlike some small tech startups you absolutely have to employ people, but the people who end up working as farm labourers "fall" into it because they can't do anything else (kinda like the building trade). Not that you'll be complaining when you have to pay their wages. No you'll complain when the umpteenth stupid costly mistake is made. Unless you're thinking about larping as a farm labourer, runaway.
- daemin 2y ago
  I think when tech people think of becoming a farmer they're thinking of doing something small like this https://www.sbs.com.au/ondemand/tv-series/gourmet-farmer https://www.sbs.com.au/ondemand/tv-series/gourmet-farmer and maybe something like Clarkson's Farm (Series on Amazon Prime) rather than going to build and manage a modern industrial farm. In some ways this idea of becoming a farmer can be thought of as rich people cosplaying at being a farmer rather than actually running a for-profit farm. For some this might work out and be an actual career that they are good at, but for others it might just be a hobby. Though both the TV shows I mentioned show how much hard work there is in actually running a farm and producing food.
  - sandworm101 2y ago
    Hence the term "hobby farm". It is a retirement dream: buy some land, hire some locals to do the lifting, and spend a few months each year pretending to be a farmer ... but one not fettered by financial concerns. Such people toy with various farm-related schemes but invariably settle in to a low-work pace with a few farm animals as pets, a back acre strewn with the various implements they bought and discarded after a season or two. Clarkson seems pretty open about this. I'm not sure whether he means to be entertaining, to show the absurdity of the process, or whether he actually enjoys it.
Cthulhu_ 2y ago
Farming is a pretty big thing though, if you want to get into that it might be better off buying property and slowly turning it into a smallholding. Or work at a farm as a farmhand. Anyway, not parent commenter specifically, but if you're in a situation where you have loads of money but don't know what to do with yourself, volunteer work is always an option, and there's loads of things you could do, be it formal volunteer work (e.g. homeless shelters, retirement homes) or informal (set up IT classes at your local library, go around your neighbourhood and pick up trash, pick up a conversation with a random lonely stranger)
magpi3 2y ago
This happened to me, and I actually did it. I burned out of an IT job and joined an intentional community where I worked with people with disabilities on a farm. There was also a vegetable garden and a craft shop. I lived there for two years. It was an Americorps position, and I made $150 a month (although housing and food from the organic farm were all free). Probably the most formative two years of my life, although afterward it was definitely hard to explain to employers why I decided to take an Americorps position in my 30s. I never went back to work in IT, although I still read about programming/the IT world almost every day.
ericmcer 2y ago
Customer service jobs are great because you feel useful and you never wake up stressed wondering if you will be able to do your work well that day. I did 5 years at Trader Joe’s, would easily do it for 30 if they paid 150k lol.
sethammons 2y ago
My farmer near-equivalent is, "I hear janitorial work can be rewarding." No, I do enjoy software work, but sometimes I do just want to turn my mind off or not deal with all the politics

euroderf 2y ago

Maybe you needed to work with your hands for a while.

gopher_space 2y ago

> somehow managed to get a job despite a lack of food service experience. I lasted a while—months, I think—but eventually got fired. Bit of a tangent; I switch between knowledge work and labor a bit, and the biggest mistake I see people make is not altering their caloric intake or sleep schedule.

bulletninja 2y ago
Could you elaborate on that? Altering caloric intake and sleep schedule as a reaction to what? And how would you change between the two regimes? Increase/decrease how much? etc.
- mathgeek 2y ago
  Not GP, but being on your feet all day will lead to needing more calories and sleep for proper recovery.
  - jorvi 2y ago
    I can't speak to sleep, but you are wrong about the calories. Kurzgesagt has a really interesting video on it: https://youtu.be/lPrjP4A_X4s https://youtu.be/lPrjP4A_X4s The caloric part quite blew my mind. I know its not the most scientific source but digging deeper in it it does seem to match up.
    - aaronbrethorst 2y ago
      Herman Pontzer, an anthropology professor, talks quite a bit about a study he did on the calorie needs of people who are highly active on this podcast: https://www.msnbc.com/msnbc-podcast/examining-energy-evolution-herman-pontzer-podcast-transcript-n1270125 https://www.msnbc.com/msnbc-podcast/examining-energy-evoluti... Spoiler alert: you burn basically the same number of calories per day sitting on your butt as you do being quite physically active.
      - Alupis 2y ago
        > Herman Pontzer, an anthropology professor > you burn basically the same number of calories per day sitting on your butt as you do being quite physically active Can you provide more evidence for this, because it sounds entirely bogus. Perhaps you mean one's base metabolic rate? If you are physically active, you will consume more calories than sitting all day - because, you know, you are exerting yourself. Also, an anthropology professor is not a credible source on diet, exercise, fitness and health.
        aaronbrethorst 2y ago
        https://www.science.org/content/article/scientist-busts-myths-about-how-humans-burn-calories-and-why https://www.science.org/content/article/scientist-busts-myth...
        Alupis 2y ago
        Your citation is to another piece by the same guy?

raffraffraff 2y ago

Oof, never become a farmer. Farming is generally something you (reluctantly?) inherit along with the farm. It's insanely expensive to buy your way in. Even if you inherit the land, the cost of buying and upkeep of machinery is extremely expensive. Everything you invest after that point (in livestock, seed, fuel, time) is a risk. Bad luck or bad weather can ruin a crop. The hours are long. The stress is monumental - suddenly you really care about the weather. And unlike some small tech startups you absolutely have to employ people, but the people who end up working as farm labourers "fall" into it because they can't do anything else (kinda like the building trade). Not that you'll be complaining when you have to pay their wages. No you'll complain when the umpteenth stupid costly mistake is made. Unless you're thinking about larping as a farm labourer, runaway.

daemin 2y ago
I think when tech people think of becoming a farmer they're thinking of doing something small like this https://www.sbs.com.au/ondemand/tv-series/gourmet-farmer https://www.sbs.com.au/ondemand/tv-series/gourmet-farmer and maybe something like Clarkson's Farm (Series on Amazon Prime) rather than going to build and manage a modern industrial farm. In some ways this idea of becoming a farmer can be thought of as rich people cosplaying at being a farmer rather than actually running a for-profit farm. For some this might work out and be an actual career that they are good at, but for others it might just be a hobby. Though both the TV shows I mentioned show how much hard work there is in actually running a farm and producing food.
- sandworm101 2y ago
  Hence the term "hobby farm". It is a retirement dream: buy some land, hire some locals to do the lifting, and spend a few months each year pretending to be a farmer ... but one not fettered by financial concerns. Such people toy with various farm-related schemes but invariably settle in to a low-work pace with a few farm animals as pets, a back acre strewn with the various implements they bought and discarded after a season or two. Clarkson seems pretty open about this. I'm not sure whether he means to be entertaining, to show the absurdity of the process, or whether he actually enjoys it.

Cthulhu_ 2y ago

Farming is a pretty big thing though, if you want to get into that it might be better off buying property and slowly turning it into a smallholding. Or work at a farm as a farmhand. Anyway, not parent commenter specifically, but if you're in a situation where you have loads of money but don't know what to do with yourself, volunteer work is always an option, and there's loads of things you could do, be it formal volunteer work (e.g. homeless shelters, retirement homes) or informal (set up IT classes at your local library, go around your neighbourhood and pick up trash, pick up a conversation with a random lonely stranger)

magpi3 2y ago

This happened to me, and I actually did it. I burned out of an IT job and joined an intentional community where I worked with people with disabilities on a farm. There was also a vegetable garden and a craft shop. I lived there for two years. It was an Americorps position, and I made $150 a month (although housing and food from the organic farm were all free). Probably the most formative two years of my life, although afterward it was definitely hard to explain to employers why I decided to take an Americorps position in my 30s. I never went back to work in IT, although I still read about programming/the IT world almost every day.

ericmcer 2y ago

Customer service jobs are great because you feel useful and you never wake up stressed wondering if you will be able to do your work well that day. I did 5 years at Trader Joe’s, would easily do it for 30 if they paid 150k lol.

sethammons 2y ago

My farmer near-equivalent is, "I hear janitorial work can be rewarding." No, I do enjoy software work, but sometimes I do just want to turn my mind off or not deal with all the politics