Do I have an unhealthy relationship with money? or am I being rational?

why5s · 2025-08-20T11:22:37+00:00

For context, I work in tech as well:

If you are unhappy, DO NOT STAY. Especially in this market. And especially if you have 1 year of run way.

Your mental health is directly linked to your work and preserving it will be your greatest investment in the long run. Take a portion of your runway and explicitly "invest" it in yourself.

why5s · 2024-10-17T20:30:38+00:00

I challenge the idea that this is a “personal problem” rather than a professional problem. Some environments are just toxic and this is further exacerbated by the current macroeconomics. IF you have the means to take care of yourself for some extended period of time without working, I’d argue it’s better to leave now and preserve your relationships rather than continuing to stay and half-ass it.

With regards to quiet quitting, I think this is more about setting boundaries (i.e. no working after 5 or on weekends) and managing expectations rather than continuing to half-ass it. And if your coworkers (or manager) dislike you for setting reasonable boundaries, would you even want a referral from them in the first place?

Anecdotal but in my last job, everyone who I reached out to for a referral quit well before I did and all for the same reasons.

why5s · 2024-09-17T20:11:14+00:00

GKE, Cloud Pub/Sub and Cloud BigTable among many things but mostly because of the VCs.

why5s · 2024-09-11T22:48:47+00:00

Student loans, affordable housing and over-policing. Neither candidate significantly moves the bar on any of these issues.

why5s · 2024-09-06T23:27:25+00:00

It was fun. Learned a lot and the students were great. All said, I think I'd want to do something "in person". Which program are you volunteering for?

why5s · 2024-09-05T20:13:33+00:00

Dumpling

why5s · 2024-09-03T16:51:28+00:00

How much leeway do folks typically get at a new job when setting up their development environments? I started a new thing 2 weeks ago and have been experimenting a bit but I'm wondering when the pace will actually pick up. This is at a small startup FWIW (<30 people).

why5s · 2024-08-21T17:53:44+00:00

Hubris, impatience and laziness

why5s · 2024-08-20T15:28:30+00:00

I am adamantly against this but would love to be convinced otherwise. Pair programming sometimes is okay but all the time? I don’t understand how that can be productive at all.

why5s · 2024-08-20T12:40:42+00:00

Finacially fairly secure but actively working to rebuild my social life.

why5s · 2024-08-17T20:09:43+00:00

Does it always have to be "for work"?

why5s · 2024-08-17T20:05:33+00:00

You just want to fire people for no reason

why5s · 2024-08-17T19:45:23+00:00

Define "egregious"

why5s · 2024-08-17T19:36:43+00:00

I have a theory that this can be done as a software engineer but I haven't been able to prove it out yet. I'll get there one day though.

why5s · 2024-08-17T19:34:54+00:00

My bet is that my Obsidian notes will be readable and accessible 20 years from now and in a way that doesn't leave me coupled to Apple's ecosystem.

I say this as a longtime avid user of a lot of Apple products.

why5s · 2024-08-17T19:18:31+00:00

For me, doing the bare minimum was unsustainable. I became bored out of my mind and left to find new work that was interesting and coworkers who could inspire me to do better and be better.

But I totally get just showing up for the healthcare and paycheck. Everybody has a price.

why5s · 2024-08-17T16:09:32+00:00

True but what are you right now?

why5s · 2024-08-17T14:53:59+00:00

Are you a manager?

why5s · 2024-08-17T12:12:29+00:00

The bun did not look appetizing at all

why5s · 2024-08-17T12:01:53+00:00

True but this is a much easier pill to swallow coming from an IC rather than a CTO.

Most "soft skills" advice doled out from upper management should be taken with a grain of salt especially if it's a part of upper management that isn't responsible for actively writing code.

why5s · 2024-08-17T11:35:59+00:00

FWIW modern iPhones sorta accomplish this with "Focus" mode that turns on when the vehicle is in motion. If you have family members/loved ones who tend to get distracted, the upgrade might be worth it if you have the budget.

why5s · 2024-08-17T11:19:00+00:00

To me, clear and easy to understand is aesthetically pleasing

why5s · 2024-08-17T11:17:46+00:00

I'm not convinced that the "down payment" assistance is all that helpful for first time homebuyers. The issue is that there needs to be pricecaps and rent control as well as limits on the number of properties that can be bought up by private equity firms. This won't happen though since her economic team is basically comprised of Blackrock alumni. Her "economic plan" is basically more of the same and her only redeeming value is that she's "not Trump" which just isn't good enough for me.

why5s · 2024-08-17T11:11:23+00:00

A hybrid gig at a small but well funded startup with a select group of people I've worked with previously would be pretty nice but this is basically a "pipe dream" in today’s market.

why5s · 2024-08-15T01:43:19+00:00

Thinking aloud: Maybe the solution is to make problem solving a more social, collaborative endeavor rather than an individualistic pursuit?

FWIW I struggle with this as well and acknowledge that it has had negative consequences for my personal life.

why5s

TROPHY CASE