If yes, what specifically drives that fulfillment?
I often notice a dissonance when people claim they love their jobs. I suspect that for many, if the financial necessity were removed, the passion would fade quickly.
That said, there are absolutely some who find genuine enjoyment in employment v...
I often notice a dissonance when people claim they love their jobs. I suspect that for many, if the financial necessity were removed, the passion would fade quickly.
That said, there are absolutely some who find genuine enjoyment in employment versus those who see it as a means to an end.
If this is you, is it the specific problem space you work in? The structure it gives your day? The social connection?
Comments
I would work, not for my current employer (or any employer) but for myself. I would setup a one-man LLC or similar and build products I'm proud of. If some of them work out and bring money, good! If not, also good.
Also, I wouldn't work 40h/week on it. More like ~10h/week. I would take it very slow, focusing on the parts that I enjoy the most (like deciding the font of the website for my product, or deciding the dir. structure of my backend, or thinking about that algorithm for days or weeks until I got it right).
I don't like tech companies. I work for one because they pay good. I love my career nevertheless and I become better at it in my free time (that's another reason tech companies pay me good money, because I'm good at it... but I couldn't care less about their products; I pass their interviews with a fake facade)
By pllbnk 2026-01-1322:55 That’s the most refreshing take I have read on a public forum. I am really glad there are people like that. I have met a few people like that over my professional career and either coincidentally or not, they have been among the most competent and most pleasant to work with engineers. This is opposite view of the lunacy that LinkedIn is right now.
This comment feels almost as if I had written it myself.
By ferguess_k 2026-01-1319:41 No. Gonna dive 100% into my hobby xv6 OS project which I'm already working on.
I don't need $10M, 1 or 2 is good enough. I'm going to pay back all debts, rent a cabin (last checked about 127 CAD per night) for a few weeks and bring my son with me for a few nights. I'm also going to buy a telescope. 4-6 hours of kernel hacking at day, and 2-3 hours of stargazing during the night. Heaven!
By rockyj 2026-01-1320:38 Nope, I would probably even quit at 250K of savings. Take some time off, then maybe learn pixel art / design , and spend 2 years to make a game or SaaS to get around 2k income per month for 2 years and then repeat the cycle. The initial money secures basic housing and bills, and the small monthly income is good enough for me.
