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The Hacker Lifecycle
An anonymous reader writes "Hacker Benjamin Smith deconstructs the cycle of education, production, and rest that will be familiar to many software and hardware engineers. He breaks it down into four steps: 1) Focused effort toward a goal, 2) structured self-education, 3) side-projects to sharpen skills, and 4) burnout and rest. He writes, 'As my motivation waxes at the beginning of a cycle, I find myself with a craving to take steps towards that goal. I do so by starting a project which focuses on one thing only: building a new income stream. As a result of this single-mindedness, the content or subject of the project is often less interesting than it otherwise might have been. ... [Later], I almost always decide to teach myself a new technical skill or pick up some new technology. ... This is usually the most satisfying period of my cycle. I am learning a new skill or technology which I know will enhance my employability, allow me to build things I previously could only have daydreamed about, and will ultimately be useful for many years to come. ... [In the burnout phase], I'll spend this period as ferociously devoted to my leisure activities as I was to my productive tasks. But after a few months of this, I start to feel an itch...'"
I think this is a reasonable description of 'most everyone's productivity cycles. Granted I'm just another more-or-less Asperger's engineer/physicist with a strong love of music, but take a look at writers, artists, or almost any field of endeavor. You'll find people's output varies significantly over time. Vacations help too. :-) . The ability to take on side-projects without feeling guilty is probably a very handy thing in one's life.
https://app.box.com/WitthoftResume Code: https://github.com/cellocgw
It's more like
1) Yay, a new project!
2) Yay, I learn stuff!
3) Ok, let's start implementing.
4) Bah, it's trivial, it's boring.
It's really hard to motivate me to do something trivial. Sadly, that's also what works is like in most areas. You do stuff you already know quite well. And that is just simply boring.
I guess I suffer more often from bore-out than burnout.
We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
Sounds to me this cycle he describes is mostly because he's yet another developer who only does web-based stuff to get rich quick and thinks the minimal requirement to run any software includes a browser and a backend server. The internet is a short-term fickle place so isn't going to be a good environment for building something satisfying.
Believe it or not there are still jobs developing software that has nothing to do with the internet. These usually are more intrinsically deep and longer-term tasks so often more deeply satisfying. I mean find a job developing a new way to do a speech recognition engine or an autopilot or something. I find that type of work much more personally meaningful than just continually trying to develop the next faddy website in the naive pursuit of getting rich quick.
You misinterpret.
Hacking is a joy unto itself; the ostensible goal is only an object, something to hack. Hacking isn't random, it's purposeful. But if the enjoyment doesn't come from the hacking, but from the ostensible goal, well, the enjoyment is fleeting.
-- hendrik
You are the noob because you don't know what financial independence means. It isn't about having as much money to do whatever you want, it is about having enough that you will be "secure" regardless of the other circumstances of your life. And if you have a family then security for them as well.
1. First come basic survival needs - shelter, food, clothing
2. Then basic "emotional fulfillment" needs - communication, entertainment (internet, in person socialization, access to common culture).
3. And finally, after the personal needs are met, the opportunity to contribute to a chosen cause or idea that the individual deems as worthwhile. Working so some executive can afford more hookers and blow, or so stockholders get a bigger dividend is not my personal choice for a worthy cause but I understand that others don't feel the same way.
Sadly on this planet only a relatively small percentage of people get past phase 1. In the "developed" world only a handful, mostly who inherit their wealth, make it past stage 2.
"Joy" as you put it is difficult to truly experience when you know you are one accident away from being jobless and then homeless. Doubly so if you are providing for a family.
Taking pleasure only in the end results of your work != thought.
Taking pleasure in your work != ignorance.
There is always far more work than there are end results. If you enjoy your work, you will be far happier than you will be if you only enjoy the end results.
This is a very insightful comment.
I did not inherit money but I did receive a good education so I am fortunate in that I have been able to provide level 1 for all of my working life. Level 2 has been easy with friends and family (and not too much focus on work). Of course, you have to get past level 1 to avoid the "nose to the grindstone" but it's also about setting priorities. Having a business in town allowed me to fully participate in raising our children (such as going to all of their soccer games, track meets, etc.).
Level 3 started about 20 years ago after I sold my first company and "retired". I was too young to stop working so I applied my tech and medical skills in developing countries. This has proven to be intellectually and socially stimulating as well as giving me a sense of contributing back to society.
I did have some advantages in education which were a gift to me but this is no more than many people receive in developed countries. I think the key to success in this is attitude and setting priorities. I started by deciding that I had enough money to live on and that I could afford to spend time on family and friends and recreation. I made this decision a long time ago when I had no money. Rather than tell myself that I couldn't do things because I didn't have money, I adjusted my life to live on my budget so I wouldn't be a wage slave. I have kept this same attitude regardless of the amount of money I had. It's a sort of Buddhist approach to life. It really frees you sit back and enjoy your life. (I do realize that many people do not have the advantages I have had and they have a much harder time of just getting to level 1.)
Now that I think about it more, I really do think the Buddhist idea of being satisfied with your life and divorcing yourself from attachments and desires to material things is key.
I don't read your sig. Why are you reading mine?
So, you've built something, or at least you've learned something. Then you need to go to conferences, meetups, bars, whatever floats your social boat and explain what you did. Memorialize it in blog posts, articles, or documentation (please?). Even a failed project will spin off some small piece that stands by itself and fills a need somewhere.
What part of `yes no` don't you understand?
The deeper you go , the higher you fly
The higher you fly, the deeper you go
so c'mon -"everbody's got something to hide 'cept for me and my monkey " -Lennon/McArtney
*Repent!Quit Your Job!Slack Off!The World Ends Tomorrow and You May Die!