9 ms·

Probably because being sat in front of a computer all day just sucks the life out of you, and programmers make enough money to experiment with something differe

Probably because being sat in front of a computer all day just sucks the life out of you, and programmers make enough money to experiment with something different

morleytj 2y ago
Definitely a big part of it -- I think that sitting in front of a computer all day is a situation that makes you feel detached from your work, and it's harder to feel like it has meaning. I wrote this largely because I was curious to drill down into why that was the case and whether it was unique to tech workers, or if everyone was feeling this to some degree, and perhaps tech workers were just the most able to transition to other fields like you mentioned.
- gibbitz 2y ago
  I went through a phase about 10 years ago of daydreaming about being a landscaper. The appeal of it was that digging a ditch is easier than the stress and responsibility of deciding where to dig it. Worst case, you fill it in and dig another. Dirt and gravity doesn't have breaking changes and people aren't about to stop caring how their lawns look. At the time I was working in pre-react post Flash UI development at a marketing firm. I could see how Flash had ended and could only see the other things I was doing as suffering the same fate. Add the typical deadline and technical debt stressors and I was ready to get out. Today, what's happening with AI and the message that even when it's not really viable businesses are lined up to replace me with it really doesn't foster loyalty or commitment to my profession. At least if I grow my own crops I'll have something to eat. The problem is subsistence farming is all but illegal now with agricorps owning the genomes of the seeds. So I guess I'll keep doing this until they kick me out on the street.
  - nradov 2y ago
    You can buy "heirloom" seeds for just about anything you want to grow without any IP concerns. The genetically modified seeds are mainly only of interest to large farms growing huge amounts of staple row crops.
Ancalagon 2y ago
For me it’s also the existential aspect of realizing I’m spending the best years of my life just being in front of a screen. In my mind part of the reason good engineers are paid well us because they can mentally compartmentalize that fact and still be effective over years of the career.
- nradov 2y ago
  There's nothing special about engineers. A lot of knowledge workers spend their life in front of a screen now.
- recursive 2y ago
  I've always maintained hobbies outside of software. No one can claim I spent any years of my life behind a screen. Maybe just work hours. I highly recommend having hobbies.
bigstrat2003 2y ago
It's really just "the grass is always greener on the other side of the fence" all over again. I grew up on a farm, and that career absolutely will suck the life out of you as well, just in different ways. I wouldn't ever choose to give up my tech career for that, because even though I know it has very real downsides I know the downsides of doing physical labor all day to get by are worse.
- colechristensen 2y ago
  But "retiring" to do leisurely amounts of farming is quite different than making it your career. It has always been a consideration for me.
  - bigstrat2003 2y ago
    Sure, but anything is more fun as a retiree hobby. That goes for programming as well as farming - if you can work (or not) at your own pace on the projects you think are interesting, that doesn't really suck the life out of you.
- Guthur 2y ago
  Wait until the overproduction of code from AI and see how you feel then. Every industry that has suffered from over production ends up cheapening and removing significant elements of artisanal beauty. If the AI hype is to be believed we are in the cusp of that for software engineering and just about any other knowledge work for that matter. Fields -> factory -> office -> ?
  - bigstrat2003 2y ago
    First, I don't believe the AI hype and I would advise you to not believe it either. People are notoriously bad at predicting the future. When I was in high school everyone said that programming was a dead career because it would all be outsourced to India, and that you should pursue a career as a PC repairman because it couldn't be outsourced. Needless to say, those predictions aged like milk. And even right now, AI isn't nearly as capable as the hype club makes it out to be. All that we can do is remain on our toes and be adaptive to change, but that's always been the case. Anyone who figures they will retire from this business doing the same exact job they started with has always been in for a rude awakening. Second, even if my job gets destroyed by changing tech that doesn't make farming an attractive option. It's dangerous, it wears your body down super hard, and the pay is garbage (which isn't very just tbh, but economics rarely are). I don't know what I'll do if my career goes up in a poof of smoke next year, but farming will be very low on the list no matter what I do.
jonnycoder 2y ago
This is exactly the reason why I spend all of my non-desk time outside working out, hiking, skiing, snowboarding, archery hunting, golfing and camping. I even choose to shovel snow over using the snowblower.
yayoohooyahoo 2y ago
Interesting that one of the top comments is so negative. Do you guys not like your job at all? I've done that all my life, I love it, and I still have plenty of time to enjoy life and do other stuff.
- NegativeLatency 2y ago
  I can simultaneously like and dislike parts of my career/job/company/coworkers.

Probably because being sat in front of a computer all day just sucks the life out of you, and programmers make enough money to experiment with something different

morleytj 2y ago

Definitely a big part of it -- I think that sitting in front of a computer all day is a situation that makes you feel detached from your work, and it's harder to feel like it has meaning. I wrote this largely because I was curious to drill down into why that was the case and whether it was unique to tech workers, or if everyone was feeling this to some degree, and perhaps tech workers were just the most able to transition to other fields like you mentioned.

gibbitz 2y ago
I went through a phase about 10 years ago of daydreaming about being a landscaper. The appeal of it was that digging a ditch is easier than the stress and responsibility of deciding where to dig it. Worst case, you fill it in and dig another. Dirt and gravity doesn't have breaking changes and people aren't about to stop caring how their lawns look. At the time I was working in pre-react post Flash UI development at a marketing firm. I could see how Flash had ended and could only see the other things I was doing as suffering the same fate. Add the typical deadline and technical debt stressors and I was ready to get out. Today, what's happening with AI and the message that even when it's not really viable businesses are lined up to replace me with it really doesn't foster loyalty or commitment to my profession. At least if I grow my own crops I'll have something to eat. The problem is subsistence farming is all but illegal now with agricorps owning the genomes of the seeds. So I guess I'll keep doing this until they kick me out on the street.
- nradov 2y ago
  You can buy "heirloom" seeds for just about anything you want to grow without any IP concerns. The genetically modified seeds are mainly only of interest to large farms growing huge amounts of staple row crops.

Ancalagon 2y ago

For me it’s also the existential aspect of realizing I’m spending the best years of my life just being in front of a screen. In my mind part of the reason good engineers are paid well us because they can mentally compartmentalize that fact and still be effective over years of the career.

nradov 2y ago
There's nothing special about engineers. A lot of knowledge workers spend their life in front of a screen now.
recursive 2y ago
I've always maintained hobbies outside of software. No one can claim I spent any years of my life behind a screen. Maybe just work hours. I highly recommend having hobbies.

bigstrat2003 2y ago

It's really just "the grass is always greener on the other side of the fence" all over again. I grew up on a farm, and that career absolutely will suck the life out of you as well, just in different ways. I wouldn't ever choose to give up my tech career for that, because even though I know it has very real downsides I know the downsides of doing physical labor all day to get by are worse.

colechristensen 2y ago
But "retiring" to do leisurely amounts of farming is quite different than making it your career. It has always been a consideration for me.
- bigstrat2003 2y ago
  Sure, but anything is more fun as a retiree hobby. That goes for programming as well as farming - if you can work (or not) at your own pace on the projects you think are interesting, that doesn't really suck the life out of you.
Guthur 2y ago
Wait until the overproduction of code from AI and see how you feel then. Every industry that has suffered from over production ends up cheapening and removing significant elements of artisanal beauty. If the AI hype is to be believed we are in the cusp of that for software engineering and just about any other knowledge work for that matter. Fields -> factory -> office -> ?
- bigstrat2003 2y ago
  First, I don't believe the AI hype and I would advise you to not believe it either. People are notoriously bad at predicting the future. When I was in high school everyone said that programming was a dead career because it would all be outsourced to India, and that you should pursue a career as a PC repairman because it couldn't be outsourced. Needless to say, those predictions aged like milk. And even right now, AI isn't nearly as capable as the hype club makes it out to be. All that we can do is remain on our toes and be adaptive to change, but that's always been the case. Anyone who figures they will retire from this business doing the same exact job they started with has always been in for a rude awakening. Second, even if my job gets destroyed by changing tech that doesn't make farming an attractive option. It's dangerous, it wears your body down super hard, and the pay is garbage (which isn't very just tbh, but economics rarely are). I don't know what I'll do if my career goes up in a poof of smoke next year, but farming will be very low on the list no matter what I do.

jonnycoder 2y ago

This is exactly the reason why I spend all of my non-desk time outside working out, hiking, skiing, snowboarding, archery hunting, golfing and camping. I even choose to shovel snow over using the snowblower.

yayoohooyahoo 2y ago

Interesting that one of the top comments is so negative. Do you guys not like your job at all? I've done that all my life, I love it, and I still have plenty of time to enjoy life and do other stuff.

NegativeLatency 2y ago
I can simultaneously like and dislike parts of my career/job/company/coworkers.