5 ms·

You know there’s an upcoming generation of developers who are so jealous of you? Not your fault or anything. We managed to make the latter irrelevant or by no

You know there’s an upcoming generation of developers who are so jealous of you? Not your fault or anything. We managed to make the latter irrelevant or by no means a high earner. Everything is expensive, tech took over all the jobs, now tech itself has found ways to end those jobs. You either have to be a medical professional/media person now to live without worry.

insom 6mo ago
I'm in the same situation as GP and while I think you're right (we're some of the last well paid software developers who aren't also founders) it doesn't help with feeling less guilty! It's a weird kind of guilt because it's not like we individually created these economic conditions; we were just there at the right time to take advantage of them before they were gone. I tend to think of this as "useless guilt" (vs. guilt about taking a transatlantic flight or other high-impact activity -- which I still do, but I think that guilt is societally useful)
anticorporate 6mo ago
> You know there’s an upcoming generation of developers who are so jealous of you? Not your fault or anything. I do, and and I think that's part of the reason I feel guilty about not working. Why should I get an easy ride when other people did not? I suppose there's some small element of worrying that I'm wrong about my future needs . I know I have some skills that are still useful and I can put them to work now, but I'm less sure I'd be able to do that in five years. That part of it is probably not maladaptive, however, even though it probably comes from the same place of growing up with very little.
- bluefirebrand 6mo ago
  > I do, and and I think that's part of the reason I feel guilty about not working. Why should I get an easy ride when other people did not? Devils Advocate: Why don't you feel guilty for continuing to work, continuing to absorb a salary that doesn't really matter for you but could be life changing for someone else who is looking for their chance? Just a slightly different perspective
  - anticorporate 6mo ago
    That's certainly a consideration. The story I tell myself is that brought a skill set to the job that the organization I work for otherwise couldn't afford and took a salary well below the market rate for the position. It's a worker-owned cooperative retailer with a relatively flat pay scale that doesn't differentiate between types of roles, only levels, so I'm on the same pay ladder as our cashiers and dishwashers. I am, though, perhaps taking a job from someone else who wanted to pivot their career. There are no perfect answers.
    - jimbokun 6mo ago
      Sounds like you’re living the FIRE dream.
- jimbokun 6mo ago
  Working a paid job does nothing to help those less fortunate than you. Maybe by retiring early you can free up time to help others in more creative ways?
engineer_22 6mo ago
> You either have to be a medical professional/media person now to live without worry. No, you just need to live within your means. The internet is amazing, I like to watch videos from developing nations, where people live on a fraction of western budgets... what strikes me is the happy, free people I see. That's hard to fake.
- adithyassekhar 6mo ago
  What you see is the happy side of things, of a particular section of society, packaged in a way to make the viewers feel good and not sad. They’re either too poor and uneducated or too rich. Most of us, educated, are aware of the fact that we are one medical emergency away from being bankrupt. > No, you just need to live within your means. I politely disagree. Means for me personally includes not worrying about healthcare, losing a job, unexpected expenses, affording the facilities to participate in society rather than becoming a travelling nomad. It’s easy to be blind to your own blessings, even more so if you have already lived a life. These are life goals for people of my generation in my country. People, educated ones, are no longer marrying. Guess why?
  - engineer_22 6mo ago
    > What you see is [...] packaged in a way to make the viewers feel good and not sad. Maybe. Or maybe they are genuinely young, free, and happy. > Most of us, educated, are aware of the fact that we are one medical emergency away from being bankrupt. Yes, but being aware of your mortality is inextricably linked to the human experience. Not a bug, a feature. > Means for me personally includes not worrying about healthcare, losing a job, unexpected expenses, affording the facilities to participate in society rather than becoming a travelling nomad. My friend, I do not know your circumstances so I venture carefully. Your reply seems to be focused on risk, rather than what a person can control by their own behavior. Risk is a part of life - we all have different tolerance of risk. What I mean by "live within your means" is to spend less than you earn. I understand the difficulties, but it is not impossible. I have been in poverty in my life, and I feel fortunate that we were able to escape it. > People, educated ones, are no longer marrying. Guess why? I have my own theories, but I'd be happy to know yours
alphawhisky 6mo ago
> You either have to be a medical professional/media person now to live without worry. Civil Engineer here. Used to get clowned on by other STEM students for going into one of the "lowest paying" engineering majors. Post grad, I can't imagine a more stable job, and my generational cohort is having a hard time. Boy do I feel smart. And the bonuses after construction season? Forget about it.
- adithyassekhar 6mo ago
  Ah yes, forgot about Civil/Mechanical/Electrical. These I believe are foundational disciplines.
- wing-_-nuts 6mo ago
  I would think the biggest reward in civil engineering is seeing some tangible piece of infrastructure you designed, built, and serving society. Software engineering has been an interesting career, but I die a little inside when software I've written gets blown away like a Tibetan sand painting.
- jimbokun 6mo ago
  Well played. Atoms >> Bytes.
stronglikedan 6mo ago
> You either have to be a medical professional not even any longer, unfortunately

insom 6mo ago

I'm in the same situation as GP and while I think you're right (we're some of the last well paid software developers who aren't also founders) it doesn't help with feeling less guilty! It's a weird kind of guilt because it's not like we individually created these economic conditions; we were just there at the right time to take advantage of them before they were gone. I tend to think of this as "useless guilt" (vs. guilt about taking a transatlantic flight or other high-impact activity -- which I still do, but I think that guilt is societally useful)

anticorporate 6mo ago

> You know there’s an upcoming generation of developers who are so jealous of you? Not your fault or anything. I do, and and I think that's part of the reason I feel guilty about not working. Why should I get an easy ride when other people did not? I suppose there's some small element of worrying that I'm wrong about my future needs . I know I have some skills that are still useful and I can put them to work now, but I'm less sure I'd be able to do that in five years. That part of it is probably not maladaptive, however, even though it probably comes from the same place of growing up with very little.

bluefirebrand 6mo ago
> I do, and and I think that's part of the reason I feel guilty about not working. Why should I get an easy ride when other people did not? Devils Advocate: Why don't you feel guilty for continuing to work, continuing to absorb a salary that doesn't really matter for you but could be life changing for someone else who is looking for their chance? Just a slightly different perspective
- anticorporate 6mo ago
  That's certainly a consideration. The story I tell myself is that brought a skill set to the job that the organization I work for otherwise couldn't afford and took a salary well below the market rate for the position. It's a worker-owned cooperative retailer with a relatively flat pay scale that doesn't differentiate between types of roles, only levels, so I'm on the same pay ladder as our cashiers and dishwashers. I am, though, perhaps taking a job from someone else who wanted to pivot their career. There are no perfect answers.
  - jimbokun 6mo ago
    Sounds like you’re living the FIRE dream.
jimbokun 6mo ago
Working a paid job does nothing to help those less fortunate than you. Maybe by retiring early you can free up time to help others in more creative ways?

engineer_22 6mo ago

> You either have to be a medical professional/media person now to live without worry. No, you just need to live within your means. The internet is amazing, I like to watch videos from developing nations, where people live on a fraction of western budgets... what strikes me is the happy, free people I see. That's hard to fake.

adithyassekhar 6mo ago
What you see is the happy side of things, of a particular section of society, packaged in a way to make the viewers feel good and not sad. They’re either too poor and uneducated or too rich. Most of us, educated, are aware of the fact that we are one medical emergency away from being bankrupt. > No, you just need to live within your means. I politely disagree. Means for me personally includes not worrying about healthcare, losing a job, unexpected expenses, affording the facilities to participate in society rather than becoming a travelling nomad. It’s easy to be blind to your own blessings, even more so if you have already lived a life. These are life goals for people of my generation in my country. People, educated ones, are no longer marrying. Guess why?
- engineer_22 6mo ago
  > What you see is [...] packaged in a way to make the viewers feel good and not sad. Maybe. Or maybe they are genuinely young, free, and happy. > Most of us, educated, are aware of the fact that we are one medical emergency away from being bankrupt. Yes, but being aware of your mortality is inextricably linked to the human experience. Not a bug, a feature. > Means for me personally includes not worrying about healthcare, losing a job, unexpected expenses, affording the facilities to participate in society rather than becoming a travelling nomad. My friend, I do not know your circumstances so I venture carefully. Your reply seems to be focused on risk, rather than what a person can control by their own behavior. Risk is a part of life - we all have different tolerance of risk. What I mean by "live within your means" is to spend less than you earn. I understand the difficulties, but it is not impossible. I have been in poverty in my life, and I feel fortunate that we were able to escape it. > People, educated ones, are no longer marrying. Guess why? I have my own theories, but I'd be happy to know yours

alphawhisky 6mo ago

> You either have to be a medical professional/media person now to live without worry. Civil Engineer here. Used to get clowned on by other STEM students for going into one of the "lowest paying" engineering majors. Post grad, I can't imagine a more stable job, and my generational cohort is having a hard time. Boy do I feel smart. And the bonuses after construction season? Forget about it.

adithyassekhar 6mo ago
Ah yes, forgot about Civil/Mechanical/Electrical. These I believe are foundational disciplines.
wing-_-nuts 6mo ago
I would think the biggest reward in civil engineering is seeing some tangible piece of infrastructure you designed, built, and serving society. Software engineering has been an interesting career, but I die a little inside when software I've written gets blown away like a Tibetan sand painting.
jimbokun 6mo ago
Well played. Atoms >> Bytes.

stronglikedan 6mo ago

> You either have to be a medical professional not even any longer, unfortunately