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Comment by tambourine_man | Hacker News Reader

> What am I trying to say? I have a programming addiction? (Maybe.)

I think all of us do, to some degree. You have to to endure hours on end staring at a glowing screen and banging your head against a mechanical keyboard.

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Not necessarily. At least for those of us from Asian cultures, it's not that unusual to sacrifice and do something you hate or at least are ambivalent towards because it's a well paying stable career.

I love programming. More each day and I’ve done it for decades.

But I think everyone who enjoys the process of squeezing their thoughts through the rigors of a machine is at least a little bit funny in the head. I love it, but it’s bonkers.

I’ve been programming professionally for over 25 years. I have not written a line of code for “fun” since I graduated from college.

But did you have fun while being payed to write those lines? I hope so.

It’s not fun or not fun. It’s a necessity like going to the bathroom.

It’s the easiest method I have to support my addiction to food and shelter.

Not OP, but not really. I do not hate it, but enjoyment is not something I get out of coding. It has gotten better over the years, as I have become a better programmer. Liking what you are good at is natural, after all.

Still, I failed to find a career where what I enjoy is tied to what I am getting paid for. I am pretty sure that is the case for most people around the world. Life can be good regardless (and is for me), but actually enjoying what you are doing professionally, that is a cheat code for living well.

This makes me sad.

Do you mean you coded for fun before graduating and not since, or ever?

Like you never coded a little game or a shell function to make your commandline usage easier or anything like that just for your own use, for fun?

Honestly it’s a double edged sword to like coding because then you get opinions about languages.

I could never be a mercenary in anything though. If I didn’t like coding I’d be a destitute individual.

Why would I?

I spent from 1996 (when I graduated) -2012 as a part time fitness instructor, active runner and a weightlifter.

I spent from 1996-2002 and 2006-2012 hanging out with friends and dating (I was married from 2002-2006.

From 2012-2022 I spent my time with family (got remarried in 2012).

By the end of 2022, my wife and I had gotten rid of everything that wouldn’t fit into three suitcases and decided to be “hybrid digital nomads” where we stay in our “vacation home” from October - early February and we fly around to different cities in the US for the other 7 months.

I’ve also taken back up running.

There is so much more to life than pecking on a computer during my free time.

Software development is a means to an end - nothing more.

For you, maybe. Some of us find it a lot more fascinating than that. But whatever works.

Any marriage advice? (Most of my divorced friends would say "Never marry" lol)

I don’t really follow you. This roughly implies everyone is addicted to their jobs…

Or more like the paycheck is an enabler for an unhealthy escape

Seems like an extremely unrealistic representation of people's motivations to work, to me.

There is a group who focusses on the paycheck. In my experience they often aren't the better ones. For many there however is also some intrinsic motivation in doing something "worthwhile" or "challenging"

For me money is a necessity, but not the goal. I could do jobs I care less about for more money (which of course makes my boss happy, that I don't change)

Most people are. Even stuff you might not like, such as pressure, can be addictive.

I know I’ve felt “withdraw” symptoms on extended holidays after intense work sprints. And I consider myself a lazy bastard.

Haha, I don't think you should try to generalize your emotions - "withdrawal" symptoms on vacation could easily just be your stressed out body finally resting, or one of many other emotions. None of what you have said tracks for me. I can shut off work in a minute and I feel glorious when I do it; it's purely a practical thing. I will stop the minute I can, which I seem to be about 30% of the way to

Not generalizing my emotions, there’s even a term for it: workaholic. It’s a thing.

You may not experience it, but your “I can stop whenever I want” kind of phrase doesn’t help you make your point.

This whole conversation is a ridiculous stretch - you just misquoted me to imply I’m a workaholic, and implied everyone else is too. Enough.

I think I might have hit a nerve. Not my intention, sorry.

Let me be crystal clear: most people fucking hate working. Bosses are the worst, the money is the sole reason to do it, and we’d all be happier working way less.

The idea people are “addicted” to working under a capitalist society is absurd; we are forced like prisoners, not free to make the choice ourselves. Or maybe you consider being unhoused and underfed “freedom”.

The “nerve” you’ve hit is that I hate people excusing our disgusting lack of free time in a post scarcity society.

Enjoy your job though, prick

Most people work way more than they need. No one needs a six figures salary for 30 years straight. People just get addicted to the nice, non-necessary things, they can get on such income though. This, and their taste for anything other than working slightly withers away (as it's not practiced, due to lack of time).

Are you fucking serious? Most people are living paycheck to paycheck

This place is a fucking ivory tower huh? You guys are clueless

I meant - most people on this forum. The whole discussion was in the context of programming jobs.

HN is a different bubble than the rest of capitalist society. I get the feeling that most people here enjoy their work and get really well paid for it, so the logic is completely flipped on its head.

But if you're calling me names, then this discussion is really over.

Enjoying programming != enjoying programming as work. Incredibly stupid claim

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