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Comment by passivate | Hacker News Reader

IMO, at any company, you will be directly or indirectly providing capital support to AdTech/E-Commerce/Fossil-fuel industries at some level. Its highly unlikely you'll find a company or a trade that doesn't have to advertise its products/services, and/or doesn't need shipping/material/transport/etc. I don't find your claims to be ridiculous, its just that the world is a shitty place - for an idealist. IMO, Its best to frame things as leaving the world a better place, rather than finding that one job that grants you immunity from the evil stuff.

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> I don't find your claims to be ridiculous, its just that the world is a shitty place.

If there were ever a misanthropic worldview, this is it.

To be alive in the year 2021 and think that all is bad or worse than some halcyon prior age is, if not ridiculous, horrifying.

If you and OP are not familiar with anything you feel is worthwhile to work on as a company, then I pity anyone who has to be around you. My advice to OP is to figure out why he/she is unable to see enough good in the world and has to ask HN for where that value is.

I don't really get what the point of your comment was?

>To be alive in the year 2021 and think that all is bad or worse than some halcyon prior age is, if not ridiculous, horrifying.

and think that [..] -> is your own assumption. I don't think this. Now that you know, maybe we can have a more positive conversation.

>My advice to OP is to figure out why he/she is unable to see enough good in the world and has to ask HN for where that value is.

'Figure it out' is not good advice in any situation. Its along the lines of "If you can't see why you're wrong then its your fault".

The point of my comment is that if a person finds the world a "shitty place" and doesn't think that it's ridiculous that they can't find a positive industry to work in, they have a problem.

And I believe that problem will not be solved with whatever industry they go into, because it's a fundamental problem of psychology and outlook.

That's my constructive advice. Thousands of years of humans have managed to find meaning without hating everything, and the era we live in isn't uniformly worse enough to think those humans had it easier than we did.

> that if a person finds the world a "shitty place"

Again, can you please stop with the assumptions? I don't believe this. I clearly said if you're an idealist you will find the world shitty place. I don't know what about my phrasing was confusing (though admittedly, English is not my native language). Are you honestly wanting to have a good faith conversation?

Just because I don't find things ridiculous doesn't mean I align with someones beliefs. I can disagree with someone without disparaging them. And I'm quite certain you can too.

> I clearly said if you're an idealist you will find the world shitty place.

No you didn't. You edited it after the fact. My quote was as-is, with the period.

Whether or not you have that view, the OP clearly does, because he/she can't seem to find value in anything and has to ask people. So the advice would be (in your modified post): "don't be an idealist." If your "ideals" cause you to be so oblivious to potential good things in the world, you're a misanthrope and I look down on your morals.

Or - You replied while I was still editing.

>because he/she can't seem to find value in anything and has to ask people.

That's the point - I think your interpretation is incorrect.

> at any company, you will be directly or indirectly providing capital support to AdTech/E-Commerce/Fossil-fuel industries at some level.

At many industries you won't. But it can be quite an effort to find such jobs - and of course succeeding at the interview unless salary/location are suboptimal.

Honest question - Can you provide some examples?

Late answer but still... Companies providing products for other tech companies, popular examples are places like Redhat, Canonical or many Telcos. Recently I've also seen a number of companies in the recycling/upcycling space. Also there are tons of small companies that are not startups, it's possible to find them on websites of local technology hubs.

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