
Abandoning the Work I Hated - aspanda
http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2015/08/20/abandoning-the-work-i-hated/
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mikehollinger
I know the feeling; I've had some great jobs and some bad jobs in my career
(albeit "only" 10 years as a professional). The most fun ones were energizing
and are (to be honest) the things I seek out when looking for a new
opportunity. The #1 thing that I ask when I look at a new job now is "Will I
have fun?" #2 is "Is this good for me?" I'm still chasing after 2 different
feelings:

1\. Working with a couple of colleagues to finish an integration, finishing
it, then booking a last-minute tee time to go play golf in celebration. It was
a rewarding moment.

2\. Getting together with teammates every couple of days for "Halo-thirty,"
where we'd break, get together in the afternoons for some halo3 in our
teamroom, goof off for a bit, then get back to work. That team was remarkably-
fun to be in and around.

I've actually found it a bit liberating now that I know what i'm looking for.
In certain contexts at work I speak my mind more freely, decline or accept
certain assignments, etc, and Nothing Bad Has Happened (yet).

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616c
I have a kid. And that is the only reason I do not abandon my pointless work.

Anyone like this do it, and survive? I would love to see more motivational
stories.

Those who transitioned to professional clown work appreciated!

~~~
geebee
This is a huge issue. One you have kids, it becomes far more difficult to walk
away from your income, even for a transitional period. Another complicating
factor is health care.

I'm always interested in these stories, kids or none, but I think it changes
the equation dramatically. Like you, I'd really like to read more stories
about people who did this with the additional obligation of supporting
children.

~~~
eevilspock
Perhaps having a kid should motivate you more. Can I myself in the mirror in
the morning? But also, can I look my kid in the eye and tell her to do the
right thing, while not doing so myself? And what are you teaching your child
by financing better education or better healthcare for her through a job that
may be increasing inequality for other children, thereby reducing the quality
of life, education and healthcare for them?

I'm not saying those are the choices you are making. But on the other hand, a
lot of people are but cognitive dossonance prevents them from seeing that.

Lookup "The Banality of Systemic Evil" and "Matthew Effect" for more thoughts.

~~~
aries1980
Achieving yourself and seeking fun in work comes after you put food on the
table and provide safe home to your dependant. The question for many is not
whether providing better teaching, better healthcare, but to provide teaching
or healthcare at all if you loose or give up your job.

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nether
So how does this jive with
[https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10095776](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10095776),
which states that suffering can lead to a more meaningful and selfless life?

~~~
a_bonobo
I think it's implied in this OP that the author did not see any meaning in his
lawyer job, there's nothing "bigger than him" he's working for, just making a
lot of money keeping actual criminals out of prison. There's no "bigger"
purpose in that.

As a party clown/musician there is purpose - he can make kids happy, he knows
that "something in his future is expected of him", his work is extremely
meaningful to the kids, he catches glimpses of that (whether he actually
understands that is hard to say, he'd have to be able to 100% become a child
to see the child's point of view).

~~~
collyw
"just making a lot of money keeping actual criminals out of prison".

If the defendants were not found guilty then they are not "criminals". Unless
you were in court then you really ought not to judge. (Though I am aware the
the American justice system is probably way less perfect than it claims to
be).

~~~
saiya-jin
person committing a crime is a criminal, no matter if justice system finds him
guilty (I mean come on, we all know similar cases). reciting some law
textbooks seems a bit ridiculous in face of reality

~~~
collyw
Sure but in the absence of other evidence, only one person really knows the
truth. How can you be sure that a person you think is criminal is actually
one? If you have the evidence to know that, then you should be able to convict
them.

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esaym
Thank you, this was a good read. I really needed it right now.

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toothbrush
While i wouldn't personally become a clown (matter of preference), i really
admire this guy's courage. I frequently think about upping and leaving the
security of a cushy job, and it's a lot easier said than done. Freedom is
scary!

~~~
saiya-jin
nah, it isn't. just the first step towards it is hardest. each next one is
more and more simple, but we tend to create mental barriers to protect our
comfort zone, maybe remnant from times when life was more about plain old
survival

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justin_mathew
An inspiration.

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chkuendig
In case the end of the article got you as curious as me, this is the guy's
page:

[http://www.movingtothebeat.net/about-
robert.html](http://www.movingtothebeat.net/about-robert.html)

~~~
tzs
The picture at the top right in the block of pictures on the left side says it
all.

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jqm
Hmmm... believe I'd actually rather be a lawyer than be in a clown suit
surrounded by bratty spoiled germy kids....

Guess it takes all kinds.

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madaxe_again
Following in the footsteps of Herschel Krustofski... good for him.

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ommunist
If this is true, he is one of the most courageous guys in Americas.

~~~
marincounty
Becoming a lawyer is different than let's say becoming a doctor. The lawyers I
know barely make a living. The profession is not the ticket to "the good
life", like it was in the 50's.

I don't know what school he graduated from. Why he ended up as a criminal
attorney? How good/ethical of an attorney he was? (I throw in ethical because
it's not judged by the typical client, like I feel it should? Maybe, their
really isn't a good way to judge a person ethics?)

Anyway, he made a life change. He can always go back to law, so in reality
it's not that heroic of an act. He still has his degree, and passed the bar in
his state. He definetly has a fallback. A fallback most of us don't have? It's
very common to lawyers to pass the bar, and never practice law.

~~~
ommunist
He cannot go back. Competition will immediately portray him in local press as
a clown.

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searine
>Robert Markowitz is working on a memoir.

Thriller of the century.

~~~
patkai
Wisdom and happiness are often boring (try reading the meditations of Marcus
Aurelius, I loved it but occasionally yawned). "Success" at any cost,
extremes, pain, murder, 168 hour code sprints are more thrilling.

~~~
skrebbel
> _.., 168 hour code sprints are more thrilling._

"So then I downed the fifth Red Bull that hour and wondered whether I better
change that for loop into a while loop because the first operand was empty
anyway."

Can't wait for the novel!

