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Comment by raheemm | Hacker News Reader

Just curious. What makes you hangout at HN?

I am a total nerd/geek. A 6'2" 215lb dyed-in-the-wool technology buff. While I enjoy hard blue collar work, I also enjoy chilling in front of a computer. I have some idea that, perhaps, someday I can try my hand at getting paid to code... or just contribute to OSS in a meaningful way, which I have done from time to time. Hopefully to better the fire/ems service or pre-hospital stuff. Or just scrape the shit out of the web for profit... lol.

Just curious: What makes you ask?

Legitimate question as it was also quite surprising for me to see a firefighter respond to an ask HN. Though op does have apps in the app store and tinkers with Python so this is their hobby I take it.

It's a weird idea that somehow only certain professions are deemed natural minglers in the HN crowd.

I am a factory worker, truck driver, what have you - a real grunting morlock. Am I trespassing? Ought I confine my interest to topics not too far beyond my station, or what is it exactly you are implying here?

Chill :). I doubt 'raheemm and 'joshbaptiste meant anything negative in those questions.

It's just that this site is dominated mostly by people in software engineering and related fields. It's interesting to know what makes people from other fields to come here and _stay here_, given that most topics are about software. To be clear: I appreciate all kinds of people from all fields being here; almost every week I learn something new and interesting from someone who's not in software.

There was an Ask HN a while ago that pretty much asked "Why are you here?" that received a lot of responses. IIRC, there was a fire lookout and some other interesting jobs that stood out... You're certainly not trespassing. To me, HN is just a better-moderated Reddit. Makes sense that it'd attract pretty much anyone (with a bias towards tech).

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