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CS Degree from 1996, been working for startup then big company, startup then big company, over and over for, yikes 30 years. I'm now at big company again and I'

CS Degree from 1996, been working for startup then big company, startup then big company, over and over for, yikes 30 years. I'm now at big company again and I've completely lost the urge to "change the world" and the product my big company makes isn't even a product I use myself. (Not that it's bad, just not my thing.) I'm in it now for the people and the tech. You'll never find that fulfillment you are seeking in working for the right company doing what you think is important. Just pick one and fall in love with your co-workers, make them friends, and do tech for the sake of tech.

anoojb 2y ago
This is a great response. I'm about 10 years sooner in my career than you. With young kids at home...I'm still holding hope that I can effectively balance my own health, family, spirituality, etc. with a product/technology I'm passionate about. Maybe I'm just not seeking out the right groups/networks...but I increasingly struggle to trade-off a project that I'm passionate about with time spent focusing on health/family.
- andrewfromx 2y ago
  I remember going to a psychiatrist for the first time when I was around 30 and I told him "well there is fun code and unfun code". I was explaining how I hated my job at the time I had to write unfun code all day long but my side projects, that was fun code. He looked at me like I was literally a crazy person and said, "Ok, explain more what you mean by un-fun code..." At the time I sighed and thought oh geeze, this is so painfully obvious how do I even explain the difference. BUT looking back now, nope. He was right. That is crazy. It's all just code. The people and your attitude make all the difference. Before enlightenment: write code, fix bugs. After enlightenment: write code, fix bugs.
- kingkongjaffa 2y ago
  On the other hand I think it’s an awful response. > pick one and fall in love with your co-workers, make them friends, and do tech for the sake of tech. Not caring about what you are building and why is how we got here. Too many hyper focused people in tech only interested if they could do things without wondering if they should. Precisely how we now have technology-oligarchs who got rich off of the work of such single minded people now destroying the country. Enough people thinking like this is what has led to people like Peter Thiel and Curtis Yarvin to thrive and become influential. Sure that algorithm is cool and all but it’s been used for techno-fascism.
AbstractH24 2y ago
> I've completely lost the urge to "change the world" and I’m there as well. Working for a agency at the moment and trying to figure out how to balance “shutting up and doing as I’m told with out concern for the why or the outcome,” with making the client feel I’m “bought in” when I’m truly not, I just want to do my hours execute the project they think they need, and move on to the next client
- andrewfromx 2y ago
  here's your challenge then, without quitting (actual or quiet) embrace the job. Yeah _this_ job. It's perfect. Find a way to enjoy this and then life will reward you with both peace AND maybe a year from now, without even trying, all of a sudden you'll be placed on this amazing team doing something cool. But if you force it. Go out and make it happen tomorrow, life will give you the opposite. </end yoda talk>
  - AbstractH24 2y ago
    “Finding a way to enjoy it” is a lot of what I decided I need to do (as of like 96 hours ago), didn’t quite phrase it that way but that’s a good way to put it. Thanks for sharing
    - deleted 2y ago
      [deleted]
mettamage 2y ago
What about being a teacher? I've started out my career being a teacher. That felt quite impactful
swat535 2y ago
This is a great point, I think the only other thing I would add is that if you happen to have a passion in a certain hobby, try to find technical work around it (if possible). For example you like running, look into sport tech, or if you like biology, look into biotech companies.
- AbstractH24 2y ago
  That is great advice. It’s something I’m actually working on.
bruce511 2y ago
>> I've completely lost the urge to "change the world" Changing the world sounds like a lofty goal, but in practice is just a cop out. I too started out with that in mind, but looking back with more maturity I see it differently now. "Changing the world" means what? A billion users? More? Less? What I got instead was hundreds to thousands of users. But to those folk my software really matters. It makes every day suck a bit less, and if that's "all" I've achieved then I'm happy with that. Here's an analogy (not my field at all). Do you think writing a program that allows 100 blind people to navigate the world is less satisfying than say improving ad-tech? And if helping blind people is perhaps a fulfilling goal, then what groups of metaphorical "blind" people are all around you? You change the world by changing one person's life. And if what you make can remove just a little bit of pain from just a few people, then rest assured, that's good enough.
- AbstractH24 2y ago
  Less satisfying? Not necessarily. Less likely to make an impact? Statistically, yes because it touches so many less people. It’s similar to the generalist vs specialist debate or the quality vs quantity. No one right answer.

anoojb 2y ago

This is a great response. I'm about 10 years sooner in my career than you. With young kids at home...I'm still holding hope that I can effectively balance my own health, family, spirituality, etc. with a product/technology I'm passionate about. Maybe I'm just not seeking out the right groups/networks...but I increasingly struggle to trade-off a project that I'm passionate about with time spent focusing on health/family.

andrewfromx 2y ago
I remember going to a psychiatrist for the first time when I was around 30 and I told him "well there is fun code and unfun code". I was explaining how I hated my job at the time I had to write unfun code all day long but my side projects, that was fun code. He looked at me like I was literally a crazy person and said, "Ok, explain more what you mean by un-fun code..." At the time I sighed and thought oh geeze, this is so painfully obvious how do I even explain the difference. BUT looking back now, nope. He was right. That is crazy. It's all just code. The people and your attitude make all the difference. Before enlightenment: write code, fix bugs. After enlightenment: write code, fix bugs.
kingkongjaffa 2y ago
On the other hand I think it’s an awful response. > pick one and fall in love with your co-workers, make them friends, and do tech for the sake of tech. Not caring about what you are building and why is how we got here. Too many hyper focused people in tech only interested if they could do things without wondering if they should. Precisely how we now have technology-oligarchs who got rich off of the work of such single minded people now destroying the country. Enough people thinking like this is what has led to people like Peter Thiel and Curtis Yarvin to thrive and become influential. Sure that algorithm is cool and all but it’s been used for techno-fascism.

AbstractH24 2y ago

> I've completely lost the urge to "change the world" and I’m there as well. Working for a agency at the moment and trying to figure out how to balance “shutting up and doing as I’m told with out concern for the why or the outcome,” with making the client feel I’m “bought in” when I’m truly not, I just want to do my hours execute the project they think they need, and move on to the next client

andrewfromx 2y ago
here's your challenge then, without quitting (actual or quiet) embrace the job. Yeah _this_ job. It's perfect. Find a way to enjoy this and then life will reward you with both peace AND maybe a year from now, without even trying, all of a sudden you'll be placed on this amazing team doing something cool. But if you force it. Go out and make it happen tomorrow, life will give you the opposite. </end yoda talk>
- AbstractH24 2y ago
  “Finding a way to enjoy it” is a lot of what I decided I need to do (as of like 96 hours ago), didn’t quite phrase it that way but that’s a good way to put it. Thanks for sharing
  - deleted 2y ago
    [deleted]

mettamage 2y ago

What about being a teacher? I've started out my career being a teacher. That felt quite impactful

swat535 2y ago

This is a great point, I think the only other thing I would add is that if you happen to have a passion in a certain hobby, try to find technical work around it (if possible). For example you like running, look into sport tech, or if you like biology, look into biotech companies.

AbstractH24 2y ago
That is great advice. It’s something I’m actually working on.

bruce511 2y ago

>> I've completely lost the urge to "change the world" Changing the world sounds like a lofty goal, but in practice is just a cop out. I too started out with that in mind, but looking back with more maturity I see it differently now. "Changing the world" means what? A billion users? More? Less? What I got instead was hundreds to thousands of users. But to those folk my software really matters. It makes every day suck a bit less, and if that's "all" I've achieved then I'm happy with that. Here's an analogy (not my field at all). Do you think writing a program that allows 100 blind people to navigate the world is less satisfying than say improving ad-tech? And if helping blind people is perhaps a fulfilling goal, then what groups of metaphorical "blind" people are all around you? You change the world by changing one person's life. And if what you make can remove just a little bit of pain from just a few people, then rest assured, that's good enough.

AbstractH24 2y ago
Less satisfying? Not necessarily. Less likely to make an impact? Statistically, yes because it touches so many less people. It’s similar to the generalist vs specialist debate or the quality vs quantity. No one right answer.