Comment by alanbyrne | Hacker News Reader

Comment by alanbyrne | Hacker News Reader

What's so bad about being a cog?

I work 9-5 for a large company (100,000+ employees). I clock on each day, they pay me a great daily rate and I enjoy the work that I do.

Work doesn't define who I am and I am definitely not unfulfilled. I take French classes, dabble in photography and build the occasional web app. Once a month I take a 3 day weekend and go somewhere I've never been before. So far this year I've been to Switzerland, Belgium, Iceland and I'm shortly off to Madrid. I also enjoy cooking and going to fine restaurants.

The only reason I can afford to do these things is because of the money I receive from my work as a cog. Sure, I could try and grow one of my web app ideas, work a bazillon hours for the small chance that it takes off and I become a millionaire.

But what would I do then? Most likely the exact same things that I am doing now.

I'm not advocating working in a job you hate and avoiding following your dreams. I'm saying that working as a cog allows me to afford my dream, so don't be so quick to bag it.

In some ways being a european cog is better than being an american cog. I wish Geneva, Brugge, Rejkjavik, and Madrid were weekend destinations for me! I also wish I had a european-cog vacation allotment!

Reasons why you don't need to be a millionaire in Europe (vs being a millionaire in the US):

-- Guaranteed healthcare -- A sane amount of mandated vacation/family leave time -- A safety net for being unemployed/retired

More basic needs are met in EU than in the US, so money has a much lower "value" there than it does here in the US.

I'm an Australian who's visited both a few times, including 15 countries in Europe and 10 states of the US last year. Now, Europe is very diverse and a great place to be, but the US is full of awesome stuff. Sometimes I wonder how many locals appreciate what they have.

Point taken, but I do with I had a European's vacation allotment

would you give some examples got those of us who may be missing out?

Apart from NY, my most recent trips have been mostly West Coast, and Chicago to LA. The real standouts have been national parks and Utah is amazing for that, but before I went I had no idea. Arches National Park is stunning and great fun to hike around but quite accessible to even non-hikers. Same with Zion (Angel's Landing and The Narrows!) and Bryce, also in Utah.

Did the Bright Angel Trail from the Grand Canyon South Rim and liked Yosemite, especially hiking Half Dome which was a favourite too.

The area around San Fran is cool, Chicago is quality, some of the smaller highway driving around Texas and New Mexico I really enjoyed. Mesa Verde. Antelope Canyon if you can handle the hordes.

If you're an efficient traveller, you could knock off three top-tier parks in Utah in a week without IMO rushing. Moving quickly yes, but not rushing.

IMO, you are not a cog. Working a 9-5 doesn't make someone a cog. You've evaluated your options and made a conscious choice. Who can find fault in that?

Going through life on "auto-pilot" is what would someone a cog. That's how I would define it. Though, personally, I don't like describing other people with words like "cog" or "sheep".

It's possible to actually be a cog, but I doubt you're one. Even if you're not actually cynical about what you do, describing yourself as a "cog" probably breeds cynicism in others.

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