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Comment by jxm262 | Hacker News Reader

> Instead, I need to pick projects that I care about and not spend long stretches of time on things I don’t.

I'm getting this feeling myself more and more lately. And I've only been doing this for a little over 5 years. Although, I wonder if I'll have this thought regardless of what field I am working in.

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After similar lines of thought, my conclusion is that you have to embrace the process of writing code and not get too personally invested in the end product - it doesn't belong to you, and a company can and will sell it, scrap it, or let it decay slowly. Step back and be grateful for the opportunity to apply your skills to help someone else create something they felt they needed, and don't worry about what they do with it after the fact. I've found over and over that caring about a project too much leads to disappointment - the more bleeding edge the project, the more interesting it is, and the more likely it is to die. Embrace the idea that your job is to help someone with a short term goal. It can be fun, but don't let it be your life. Life is about people, not things, and certainly not the code you wrote last week. Help someone by using your skills and move on, it's very rewarding.

Thank you. That was a much needed pick-me-up. And yeah, you're absolutely correct, but it's sometimes easy to get lost under pressure (speaking for myself).

This. So much this.

The brick does not love you. The company funding any project is a brick. No matter how much you love the project (or enjoy the people you're working with), it's temporary.

Detachment is the only way to stay sane long term, but then you're not viewed as "passionate."

That is so depressing. I'm not saying you're wrong, or wrong for saying it, but it's still depressing. For years I've taken pride in my ability to see beyond the code I'm working on, to how that code or other activities (e.g. teaching or even blogging) can contribute to business goals and/or make the computing world a better place. It's what we're supposed to do. We're told we'll be rewarded for it, and sometimes we are financially (thanks boss), but it still takes its mental and emotional toll. Others will undermine your efforts with a competing project or contrary message, or outright pull a project out from under you, often with the best of reasons or intentions, but it still leaves you feeling betrayed.

To end this on a more positive note, consider this: "we're not here to make friends" is EXACTLY WRONG. The friendships you make are the only thing that will last. The "legacy" of your code will become smaller and less valuable over time, even if it's really awesome code; more likely it'll just be tossed aside without a second thought by the next developer or exec with their own agenda to pursue. Your money will be spent. All of the companies I worked for twenty-plus years ago, their technical and financial assets gone as though they'd never been, but some of the friendships I made back then continue. Make code, make money, make friends, but only one of those will last.

My own view is evolving in this regard. There are some immensely compelling and critical problems facing humanity generally. Most offer little by way of "market opportunity", and much of what is marketable is ... at best irrelevant, and far too frequently, actively harmful. Finding how and where I can apply my skills to net benefit is an exceptionally challenging problem.

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