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Comment by Cthulhu_ | Hacker News Reader

This ideal is something that's also forced upon us by my company; a colleague and a manager both frowned upon me or even scoffed when I admitted I didn't do much (or any) programming in my spare time. Since then I'd rather not talk about my spare time at all - it'd actually be a risk to my job. But I just can't find the mental energy or motivation to do even more of my already mentally taxing job in my spare time. I don't see software development as my hobby, it's my 9-5 job. Video games and whatnot are my hobby. I won't win much cool points with those, but that's alright, I do those for myself, not others.

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There are lots of people which do better jobs in my subjects than me, while only caring about the money.

Ideally, those guys should find something they had a real passion for instead. Because they/you might be really awesome doing something else.

I admire people that love something which won't pay them a salary, then do a job they don't care about so they are able to "waste" most of their time with (real examples) their board games, table tennis, etc. It isn't optimized for GNP, but people must decide [themselves] what they really want from life.

Edit: 'cauterized', note the word "Ideally". The last paragraph is even an impassioned argument that it is not a bad thing to live for something else than your profession. Sorry I wasn't clear.

Not everyone has a "passion", and if only the passionate were allowed to be programmers, the industry would have a ridiculous labor shortage.

Some of us do software development because we find it more enjoyable than, say, law, and because it pays the bills pretty damn well. Guess what? Outside this profession, and probably inside too, that's the reason MOST people in "professional" occupations choose their careers. The difference (that shouldn't exist) is that in most careers it's perfectly acceptable to work 9-6 to pay the bills and then spend your free time doing something you care about (like spending time with family) that will never earn you a dime.

a colleague and a manager both frowned upon me or even scoffed when I admitted I didn't do much (or any) programming in my spare time

Did they actually scoff or did you, essentially, "scoff" yourself.

There is often a subtext to this sort of observation, and it comes through in the blog entry as well -- it isn't enough to say "I don't do that. Too bad.", but instead has to take it further to saying "I don't do it, and neither do you, damn dirty liar. And if you do, you're doing it wrong anyways."

It's kind of ridiculous.

Some people really live this 16/7. And good for them. Others live it 8/5, and if it works for them then good for them as well. But it is obnoxious for the 8/5 crew to tell the 16/7 crew that they're wrong.

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