Comment by Harkins | Hacker News Reader

Comment by Harkins | Hacker News Reader

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This is the correct answer, and I'm speaking as someone who got a large raise last week as I was forcibly switched from part time to full time. I'm working in a generally low-profit area and the numbers stopped working.

I started it because I'd repeatedly burned out of full-time jobs. Working 3 days/week was a great 4.5 years for me, far more rewarding than the added salary I passed on could have been. Aside from lower work anxiety, I had time to write two books, give three conference talks, get engaged, get married, take up several hobbies, and enjoy life thoroughly. My work has been overwhelmingly better: I stay out of rabbit holes, I recognize deep patterns, I prioritize ruthlessly, I deliver the things my users didn't realize they need. It's not magic, it's just downtime for my unconscious to noodle around with problems without pressure.

I think working part time is a hugely valuable experience for anyone who doesn't have a pressing need for dollars in the door (eg to pay off US medical bills or student loans). There are plenty of blogs out there on frugal living + investing (I recommend MrMoneyMustache and Bogleheads wiki), so you can live comfortably and still save significantly towards retirement.

I can't argue the financial math of why it rarely works, but I'd do 3 or 4 days a week again in a heartbeat. (15 year dev, currently Rails/Django/Haskell, Chicago/Remote, peter@valent.io if anyone's looking.)

I can second the "more time for subconscious to noodle around" benefit.

I spent 7 years working remotely part of the year while living in coastal South America, and I've been transitioning to a 3-day week now that I moved back to the States and married someone from my hometown.

I believe it results in better software.

(For contrast, I had a previous approach which was itself pretty good, if somewhat adventurous -- I took fewer projects per year, with a target of working only 1 day out of every 4 in a year. That way, when I worked on a project I was able to be unreasonably focused on it because I was craving collaboration).

Sounds like my dream, how did you initially get into 3days/week? New job? Negotiated for it at an old job?

Asked for it in the initial interview. I thought I was going to give back a day in negotiation and do 4d/w, but it didn't come up. I figured I could always come back after and ask for more hours if I need the money or couldn't fill the time.

I have heard of exactly two other devs at 3d/w in the last 5 years so I wouldn't pin any hopes on that, but there's plenty of people at 4d/w.

I'm currently doing 2 days a week on a contract. It's a fixed monthly rate contract.

When summer is over I'll likely move to 3 or 4 days a week (my choice). It's a sacrifice in money, not to mention the work is for a non-profit open source project. But it's relaxing.

What project may I ask?

I'm currently doing ~2d/w at our company. The arrangement was - I'd spend as much time working as I could and want. However a baby and the other matters tend to take their share of time, leaving 60-70 hours of work per month on the average.

There are a few other developers/devops in the same office who are working on the same arrangement.

I wouldn't think that this situation is unique to the industry.

I've just been doing 3 d/w for the last 3 months. Negotiated it on a contract. I did it initially to decide whether to start a startup, but at the same I sorted out loads of admin, bought a guitar, and learnt loads of other stuff. I loved it.

Mind you, where I am is incredibly flexible with me. Last year I worked 1 d/w remotely for the summer (two mornings a week in fact, not even a whole day :-)).

It's probably easier to get this on a contract (and it'll probably help with the IR35 thing if that ever comes up)...

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