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Comment by eggsmediumrare | Hacker News Reader

This line of thinking falls apart if you think about it for more than 30 seconds. Unfortunately, people don't do that and end up creating legislation with this assumption... That people could just get better jobs (and the implication that they don't because they're lazy).

It makes no sense, though. Who is going to clear tables and wash dishes? Who is going to pick fruit? I picked fruit as a teenager. It sucked. I hated every minute of it, but it has to happen. Your suggestion seems to be making it suck more than it has to in the name of what... motivation? Why not make it possible for every member of our society to live a decent life, even if they happen to not have the necessary faculties (not to mention money, support and time) to be an engineer?

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Nothing of the kind.

I think everyone should have to pick fruit, wash cars, wait tables, drive taxis, stock shelves, work construction, answer phones, cook at a fast food restaurant, or join the military.

Not go to college and eat on their parents dime.

And they should do those things as a life lesson on their way to becoming a doctor, an engineer, an artist, a jurist, a philosopher or a writer.

This is how life is actually discovered. People who are born rich never do anything of value.

Bitching about picking fruit, while you're doing it, is fine. But then let's get on with it and stop viewing it as if it's a permanent form of oppression.

FWIW I'd definitely hire someone who picked fruit and could write decent code versus someone who had a CS degree.

I generally agree with most of what you have said on this page, but I think you are being too hard on rich people here. Newton, Gates, Zuckerberg off the top of my head. People are complicated and there are a lot of different paths.

Zuckerberg does not belong in the same complimentary sentence as Newton. Newton pushed humanity forward, Zuckerberg is ripping society apart for money.

Thanks for clarifying. I took a less charitable interpretation of your view, can't disagree with this though!

> I picked fruit as a teenager. It sucked. I hated every minute of it, but it has to happen.

And I dug holes by hand and loaded trucks with tractors.

I've started to realize that when I share that fact with people, they either look down on you as an animal, or they realize you can do more than close Jira stories.

I don't think the second group is common.

Personally, working non-software jobs has been hugely helpful for me in my professional work. I've learned things from every "lesser" job. Many people who have only had professional jobs, especially those in the former group you mention, have no idea how limited their perspectives are.

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