3 ms·

Yeah, I thought the joy over kids is sometimes just a self-delusion or a way of resolve cognitive dissonance (as a lot of time is 'lost'). Obviously I can't pro

Yeah, I thought the joy over kids is sometimes just a self-delusion or a way of resolve cognitive dissonance (as a lot of time is 'lost'). Obviously I can't prove what I'm saying, but 1) it's an infinite source of happiness and joy 2) my wife can actually work much more efficiently since she takes care of her, as somehow she's not that distracted in her (less) 'free time'.

mattgreenrocks 13y ago
Don't forget #3: careerism's benefits are vastly overstated in culture because that's what Western society fixates on. Reading LinkedIn's 'influencer' articles makes me want to vomit: yet another treatise on why I'm not working hard enough to get the precious corner office or that promotion. (Who writes this crap?) As I get older I get wiser, and I'm not so stupidly entertained by the occasional trinkets thrown to me by my career. Everything works better when it's in it's proper place -- balanced. It took several years of imbalance, lots of misplaced ambition, and a severe burnout to realize this. I don't expect that I would have figured it out until I experienced it firsthand. It's just a job. It doesn't define you, and you don't have to make a difference to be a worthwhile person.
- dasil003 13y ago
  Also one of the benefits of being a programmer is that "working smarter, not harder" is really a thing. If you're blessed with the curiosity and tenacity that being a programmer requires, then reflecting and improving your craft can make outsize returns far more than simply grinding yourself down to a nubbin (which for some jobs in some places is the only way to survive).
  - mattgreenrocks 13y ago
    Exactly. I put a lot of time and thinking into music because it gives the developer side of me time to breathe, think, and ruminate on the hammock to arrive at better insights. I think a lot of this "always on" crap that people want to think they have to do stems from insecurity. Definitely do side projects/open source/other things as you want to, but it's not required in any form. The result is substantially better when you do it because you really want to, not because you're trying to level up your resume.

mattgreenrocks 13y ago

Don't forget #3: careerism's benefits are vastly overstated in culture because that's what Western society fixates on. Reading LinkedIn's 'influencer' articles makes me want to vomit: yet another treatise on why I'm not working hard enough to get the precious corner office or that promotion. (Who writes this crap?) As I get older I get wiser, and I'm not so stupidly entertained by the occasional trinkets thrown to me by my career. Everything works better when it's in it's proper place -- balanced. It took several years of imbalance, lots of misplaced ambition, and a severe burnout to realize this. I don't expect that I would have figured it out until I experienced it firsthand. It's just a job. It doesn't define you, and you don't have to make a difference to be a worthwhile person.

dasil003 13y ago
Also one of the benefits of being a programmer is that "working smarter, not harder" is really a thing. If you're blessed with the curiosity and tenacity that being a programmer requires, then reflecting and improving your craft can make outsize returns far more than simply grinding yourself down to a nubbin (which for some jobs in some places is the only way to survive).
- mattgreenrocks 13y ago
  Exactly. I put a lot of time and thinking into music because it gives the developer side of me time to breathe, think, and ruminate on the hammock to arrive at better insights. I think a lot of this "always on" crap that people want to think they have to do stems from insecurity. Definitely do side projects/open source/other things as you want to, but it's not required in any form. The result is substantially better when you do it because you really want to, not because you're trying to level up your resume.