Challenge and Flow

I read the article as well as Paul Graham's 'How to Do What You Love (2006)' [http://www.paulgraham.com/love.html] that another commenter mentioned here and have come to realisation that I'm stuck in the area that both articles discuss - and I know that my 'archetype' or history (which is probably very typical in this line of work) contributes to.

Tell me if this my story rings true for you:

- You grew up in the the analog era when digital was coming into mainstream (80s for me)

- Tinkered with early computers and video games (C64 for me, onto early PC gaming in the 90s and dialup)

- Fascinated by sci-fi and technology

- Had some higher-than-average ability and affinity with computers - not prodigious

- Fell into some facet of the IT world as a result of being "good with computers"

- Ended up being able to succeed (for me, this was in the world of web dev from 2005-2019)

- Realised that even though it pays the bills and that you had developed some expertise (hilariously, much of my expertise also vanished when Flash died) - maybe it wasn't what you were supposed to be doing

- Tried startups or your own business (I freelanced and started a small digital agency)

- Moved countries / changed gears (I went to SG, tried my hand as a tech PM)

- Still in tech, still unsure whether this is what you should be doing or whether you're wasting the remainder of your time here building variations of the same thing

I get the feeling a lot of 'us' in the tech world come from similar backgrounds and personalities and thus end up in the same spot.

From the article,

“Prestige is like a powerful magnet that warps even your beliefs about what you enjoy. It causes you to work not on what you like, but what you'd like to like.”

Paul Graham, How to Do What You Love (2006)

http://www.paulgraham.com/love.html