

Ask HN: What do you suggest I do? - sschfxhb
http://pastebin.com/raw.php?i=gmiM79Jn

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skorecky
Have you tried taking some time off and just traveling and trying new things?
You have quite a bit saved up and you could probably take a leave of absence
or something.

Maybe get a difference perspective. I think there are a ton of emerging
markets that you could do well in, but obviously better if you can find
something new that you can be passionate about.

~~~
sschfxhb
That's been in the front of my mind. I think 1-3 months completely
disconnected could do some good. I always fear though that either nothing will
come out of it and/or my current gig won't be waiting for me.

I do make a point to travel as much as I can each year; I usually visit at
least one new US city, and at least one foreign country. It's something I'm
incredibly passionate about. But it's more for a typical vacation rather than
a personal improvement trip.

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abfan1127
As a contractor, can you cut back your hours, to split it between the "bill
paying" work and the "soul-feeding" work you want to do? Have you looked at
other means of happiness; like volunteering, teaching kids to code, etc?

~~~
sschfxhb
I haven't asked but I don't think that would be possible. It would probably
depend on the project I'm currently on. There's times I'm working solo on
something and can easily afford to not be around for some time. But most of
the time, I'm working with a team both on our end and the client end, we have
daily calls and collaboration, strict deadlines, and every so often I'm the
one leading things.

If I were to say I'd only be around 20 hours, my guess is they would find
someone else to take my place.

That's a good thing you brought up - looking at other things that could bring
some alternate forms of happiness. The answer is no. I'm so fixated on
fixing/changing my situation that I haven't thought of anything outside of
that -- except when the weekend rolls around where I try to leave everything
at the desk.

------
Red_Tarsius
> It's hard to explain to people the job I have, how easy it is, how I work
> from home, answer to no one, make about 120K/year, and I'm miserable about
> it. How do you explain that?

I'm not sure you realize how lucky you've been until now. There are people out
there who would _kill_ for 120K/year and people who will never have that much
savings _after a lifetime_ of work. Never forget your blessings!

~~~
sschfxhb
I know - I don't argue what you said at all. I know it sounds horrible when I
put it that way. Maybe I was a little too blunt. I obviously appreciate it and
know I've been very lucky and fortunate. It's a shame that I write off what
most would consider a winning lottery ticket.

But in the end, I really hate doing it and waking up every morning to. I feel
like I'm just wasting every single day that passes. And the money isn't making
it any better. Maybe it's because I've never struggled for money so I don't
appreciate it as much.

~~~
sschfxhb
It's also what you said that prevents me from just walking away from it. I
feel like you'd have to be insane to..

~~~
Red_Tarsius
Forgive me, I wrote that last night. I realize now my post does sound very
preachy and I should not guilt trip you into keeping your job! I showed you
sympathy instead of empathy. So here's an actual advice:

take 1 year off with your girlfriend to travel around the world and brainstorm
business ideas. [http://blog.alexmaccaw.com/how-to-travel-around-the-world-
fo...](http://blog.alexmaccaw.com/how-to-travel-around-the-world-for-a-year/)
Alex Maccaw spent $22.000 (you'll spend at worst +-$44K with your girlfriend)
and most of that money went into the flight tickets he bought at
[http://www.oneworld.com/](http://www.oneworld.com/) (check it out, you can
design your own journey around the world). There are many ways to make it even
cheaper.

If you want to gain some kind of following or traction, you could have a blog
where you describe your adventures and realizations about business, life,
everything.

I'm telling you because this is one of my dreams as well. I highly recommend
you to read the whole article... you may even find out that you like the idea
of _programming on the road_.

If you're interested in other nomadic-related articles, check out:
[https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8971345](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8971345)

