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Comment by dpeterson | Hacker News Reader

Hmmm, "And if you go in on a Saturday afternoon, I can tell you which start-ups will succeed, without even knowing what they do. Being there on the weekend is a huge indicator of success" - Marissa Mayer

Maybe you can get away with doing just your job and going home to relax. I would wager, you may have difficulty finding your next job however. Have you never programmed so much you start having dreams that it takes steps to breath and you subsequently have a difficult time breathing? The physical toll takes years to manifest. I am in my 30s. If I did not exercise at least every other day I would not be able to continue doing what I do. You are most likely in your early 20s. Wait and see what a lifetime of programming does to your nervous system. I would not be surprised if a study reveals programming causes brain damage.

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>Maybe you can get away with doing just your job and going home to relax. I would wager, you may have difficulty finding your next job however.

That's just not how it works outside the Valley. I've only crammed extra hours in to meet a deadline a few days a year, and only at one company. I've worked at 3 different companies in two different cities 400 miles away. Nobody expected 80 hours a week or whatever and I, quite frankly, wouldn't do it because I value time with my family and I'm not productive 80 hours a week. We also highly value experienced programmers and they command a higher salary. I don't have a government job either and I never have. "Valley culture" isn't synonymous with programming as a profession.

Any Marissa Mayer? Isn't she mocked for her poor leadership?

There's a lot more to running a successful business than people being physically present on Saturdays.

You're running into quite the hyperbole. If programming literally makes your lungs stop working why keep doing it?

>You are most likely in your early 20s.

I am in my late 30s.

Programming in general is a really good cushy job. Valley culture is what is toxic. I'm sure it you worked construction 80 hours a week for however many years you'd be in much worse shape than if you were getting paid a large salary to write some CRUD app.

This. So true. No disrespect to the author of (grand-) parent comment, but working in SV or a startup is not always refelective of working elsewhere (in the US or further afield). I'm based in the UK, and had to endure long working hours/insane deadlines early in my career while working for various consultancy firms. Once I moved away from these 'churn and burn' factories, I made a point of working for employers who take care of their employees. Since then I rarely work weekends (never in my current role), and would rarely work more than the required 45 hours a week. Despite this, I find I'm more productive, and achieve more than I ever did earlier in my career when I was working long hours.

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