3 ms·

Ask HN: What do you suggest I do?

3 points by sschfxhb 12y ago

skorecky 12y ago
Have you tried taking some time off and just traveling and trying new things? You have quite a bit saved up and you could probably take a leave of absence or something. Maybe get a difference perspective. I think there are a ton of emerging markets that you could do well in, but obviously better if you can find something new that you can be passionate about.
- sschfxhb 12y ago
  That's been in the front of my mind. I think 1-3 months completely disconnected could do some good. I always fear though that either nothing will come out of it and/or my current gig won't be waiting for me. I do make a point to travel as much as I can each year; I usually visit at least one new US city, and at least one foreign country. It's something I'm incredibly passionate about. But it's more for a typical vacation rather than a personal improvement trip.
abfan1127 12y ago
As a contractor, can you cut back your hours, to split it between the "bill paying" work and the "soul-feeding" work you want to do? Have you looked at other means of happiness; like volunteering, teaching kids to code, etc?
- sschfxhb 12y ago
  I haven't asked but I don't think that would be possible. It would probably depend on the project I'm currently on. There's times I'm working solo on something and can easily afford to not be around for some time. But most of the time, I'm working with a team both on our end and the client end, we have daily calls and collaboration, strict deadlines, and every so often I'm the one leading things. If I were to say I'd only be around 20 hours, my guess is they would find someone else to take my place. That's a good thing you brought up - looking at other things that could bring some alternate forms of happiness. The answer is no. I'm so fixated on fixing/changing my situation that I haven't thought of anything outside of that -- except when the weekend rolls around where I try to leave everything at the desk.
Red_Tarsius 12y ago
> It's hard to explain to people the job I have, how easy it is, how I work from home, answer to no one, make about 120K/year, and I'm miserable about it. How do you explain that? I'm not sure you realize how lucky you've been until now. There are people out there who would kill for 120K/year and people who will never have that much savings after a lifetime of work. Never forget your blessings!
- sschfxhb 12y ago
  I know - I don't argue what you said at all. I know it sounds horrible when I put it that way. Maybe I was a little too blunt. I obviously appreciate it and know I've been very lucky and fortunate. It's a shame that I write off what most would consider a winning lottery ticket. But in the end, I really hate doing it and waking up every morning to. I feel like I'm just wasting every single day that passes. And the money isn't making it any better. Maybe it's because I've never struggled for money so I don't appreciate it as much.
  - sschfxhb 12y ago
    It's also what you said that prevents me from just walking away from it. I feel like you'd have to be insane to..
    - Red_Tarsius 12y ago
      Forgive me, I wrote that last night. I realize now my post does sound very preachy and I should not guilt trip you into keeping your job! I showed you sympathy instead of empathy. So here's an actual advice: take 1 year off with your girlfriend to travel around the world and brainstorm business ideas. http://blog.alexmaccaw.com/how-to-travel-around-the-world-for-a-year/ http://blog.alexmaccaw.com/how-to-travel-around-the-world-fo... Alex Maccaw spent $22.000 (you'll spend at worst +-$44K with your girlfriend) and most of that money went into the flight tickets he bought at http://www.oneworld.com/ http://www.oneworld.com/ (check it out, you can design your own journey around the world). There are many ways to make it even cheaper. If you want to gain some kind of following or traction, you could have a blog where you describe your adventures and realizations about business, life, everything. I'm telling you because this is one of my dreams as well. I highly recommend you to read the whole article... you may even find out that you like the idea of programming on the road. If you're interested in other nomadic-related articles, check out: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8971345 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8971345

3 points by sschfxhb 12y ago

Have you tried taking some time off and just traveling and trying new things? You have quite a bit saved up and you could probably take a leave of absence or something. Maybe get a difference perspective. I think there are a ton of emerging markets that you could do well in, but obviously better if you can find something new that you can be passionate about.

sschfxhb 12y ago
That's been in the front of my mind. I think 1-3 months completely disconnected could do some good. I always fear though that either nothing will come out of it and/or my current gig won't be waiting for me. I do make a point to travel as much as I can each year; I usually visit at least one new US city, and at least one foreign country. It's something I'm incredibly passionate about. But it's more for a typical vacation rather than a personal improvement trip.

abfan1127 12y ago

As a contractor, can you cut back your hours, to split it between the "bill paying" work and the "soul-feeding" work you want to do? Have you looked at other means of happiness; like volunteering, teaching kids to code, etc?

sschfxhb 12y ago
I haven't asked but I don't think that would be possible. It would probably depend on the project I'm currently on. There's times I'm working solo on something and can easily afford to not be around for some time. But most of the time, I'm working with a team both on our end and the client end, we have daily calls and collaboration, strict deadlines, and every so often I'm the one leading things. If I were to say I'd only be around 20 hours, my guess is they would find someone else to take my place. That's a good thing you brought up - looking at other things that could bring some alternate forms of happiness. The answer is no. I'm so fixated on fixing/changing my situation that I haven't thought of anything outside of that -- except when the weekend rolls around where I try to leave everything at the desk.

Red_Tarsius 12y ago

> It's hard to explain to people the job I have, how easy it is, how I work from home, answer to no one, make about 120K/year, and I'm miserable about it. How do you explain that? I'm not sure you realize how lucky you've been until now. There are people out there who would kill for 120K/year and people who will never have that much savings after a lifetime of work. Never forget your blessings!

sschfxhb 12y ago
I know - I don't argue what you said at all. I know it sounds horrible when I put it that way. Maybe I was a little too blunt. I obviously appreciate it and know I've been very lucky and fortunate. It's a shame that I write off what most would consider a winning lottery ticket. But in the end, I really hate doing it and waking up every morning to. I feel like I'm just wasting every single day that passes. And the money isn't making it any better. Maybe it's because I've never struggled for money so I don't appreciate it as much.
- sschfxhb 12y ago
  It's also what you said that prevents me from just walking away from it. I feel like you'd have to be insane to..
  - Red_Tarsius 12y ago
    Forgive me, I wrote that last night. I realize now my post does sound very preachy and I should not guilt trip you into keeping your job! I showed you sympathy instead of empathy. So here's an actual advice: take 1 year off with your girlfriend to travel around the world and brainstorm business ideas. http://blog.alexmaccaw.com/how-to-travel-around-the-world-for-a-year/ http://blog.alexmaccaw.com/how-to-travel-around-the-world-fo... Alex Maccaw spent $22.000 (you'll spend at worst +-$44K with your girlfriend) and most of that money went into the flight tickets he bought at http://www.oneworld.com/ http://www.oneworld.com/ (check it out, you can design your own journey around the world). There are many ways to make it even cheaper. If you want to gain some kind of following or traction, you could have a blog where you describe your adventures and realizations about business, life, everything. I'm telling you because this is one of my dreams as well. I highly recommend you to read the whole article... you may even find out that you like the idea of programming on the road. If you're interested in other nomadic-related articles, check out: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8971345 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8971345