Hacker News Reader

Comment by maxxxxx | Hacker News Reader

If I had to choose careers again I would probably think more about finding something that’s more active and outside. My current job keeps me permanently at my desk or meeting rooms. No physical activity, no outside,no travel. This together with commuting being in a cube without daylight is really impacting my mental and physical wellbeing.

View on HN

I’m volunteering with my local EMS service am loving it. It’s just about the opposite work environment as coding.

I’m outside, moving around, helping people and working hand-on in a small & highly focused team. Knowing the basics of emergency medical care is a great life skill too.

Interestingly the skill of “debugging” translates pretty well and is quite useful.

Find remote work. I've been working remotely for over a decade, because I felt an office confining and I missed being able to go outside.

With no commute, I also use that extra time to spend with my family.

I have my own office and many times work outside in the summer. I've even traveled to other states/countries and worked from there. You just need a good Internet connection.

It does take a lot of discipline. I basically have no manager now after proving that I can get my work done without being watched.

I've seen lots of remote developers come and go because they couldn't handle working remotely without someone sitting over their shoulder/telling them what to do.

> I also use that extra time to spend with my family

Remote can be nice if you already have a family. Otherwise one could end up simply trading office desk and meeting rooms for their own desk and own room, still staying inside.

I think it is more that remote is nice when work is a part of your life and not the center of your life. Swap family with other major life pursuits. Family is often a forcing function for people to learn to balance work and the rest of their life. Remote affords more flexibility, but that means it requires more experience and discipline to balance your life.

If you already have the skill, remote gives you more flexibility to balance. But if you're not intentional about it being remote gives you more rope to hang yourself with, so to speak.

How do you turn work off? I have worked remotely the last several months and I feel like I am always at work to the detriment of my family life. I find myself sitting at my desk working when if I was in an office job I would be spending time with my kids or doing things for myself.

What do you find difficult? I'm working remotely and when 6pm comes I get up and close my email client. I might use the same computer later in the evening for whatever non work related activity I want.

But I wouldn't stay at the office after hours, and I don't find it more difficult when the office is in my house.

I feel like that sometimes too. I find going for a run at lunch helps a lot.

It also helps my reality in check - when the weather is nasty, I get to go back inside after my run is done. That wouldn't be the case if I had to work outdoors...

I’m in the Army Reserve for this reason. It’s a great hobby for a programmer to have.

You're not the only software engineer I know who's in the Reserves. The way my colleague talks about it, it feels like more duty than hobby. What tips it toward hobby for you? Asking as someone who has been curious about joining in a reserve force or volunteer SAR organization.

I'm not sure if you mean a duty in a negative sense? Or in an obligation sense? I'm not obligated to do it and I'm sure they'd get by fine without me.

It's a hobby because it's challenging, social, physical, rewarding and just fun.

Go and see your local Reserve unit now if you are even remotely curious!

Reply on news.ycombinator.com