
Work on stuff that matters, first principles (2009) - rmason
http://radar.oreilly.com/2009/01/work-on-stuff-that-matters-fir.html
======
dreamdu5t
"Work on something that matters to you more than money."

This is incredibly naive. It would be condescending too if the author hadn't
meant otherwise. People are forced to work for money - they don't want to!

I don't want to care about money. I want to care about other things, but
unfortunately I have to eat, sleep inside shelter, bathe, save for retirement,
etc.

I literally have enough savings to last 4 months before being homeless. How am
I supposed to go make make music and work on my own programming language, with
the understanding that I'll be destitute in a matter of months? Hearing shit
like "just do what you love" is insulting. Incredibly insulting.

Yeah Mr. O'Reilly? Why don't you send me a big fat check so I can work on what
matters. Not everything that matters to people is something they can build a
huge business out of.

~~~
Mz
I am currently homeless and have been for closing in on four years. I have 23
cents to my name today and will not be eating today. But I work on things that
matter to me, while also trying to solve my financial problems and the health
problems they are rooted in.

Your rant sounds incredibly petty and insulting to me. You seem to be
confusing momentary pleasure for love. They are not the same thing.

~~~
dreamdu5t
"Just do what you love, even if that means being starving and homeless." isn't
what Tim O'Reilly is saying.

~~~
Mz
I am not starving and homeless in order to do what I love. I have a serious
medical condition. I am getting myself well. Getting well matters. I don't
have to like it. I have saved an estimated $3 million dollars in care by
getting myself healthier. I wish there were easier answers.

I am just saying: You have 4 months of savings in the bank and are whining
about how you can't afford to pursue your music. I am pursuing better health,
in spite of the entire world seemingly being against me.

Being further dismissed by your reply to me doesn't make me think any better
of your initial comment.

~~~
dreamdu5t
I must have misinterpreted your reply. If you're homeless and hungry because
of health problems instead of choosing to do what you love, then why did you
even bring that up but to seek sympathy?You're the one who is whining, and
seemingly trying to "one up" me and belittle my situation by demonstrating
that you have it worse.

~~~
Mz
I did see your "fuck off" before you removed it.

Ironic that you would be so openly ugly to someone worse off than you after
starting your argument from a place of accusing O'Reilly of being
overprivileged and stating he should give you a big check so you can work on
things that "matter" \-- to you and no one else at all.

But it also isn't surprising.

I'm done here.

------
tonomics
Problem is that you don't really know what matters or is valuable when you're
getting started.

~~~
a3n
Besides beambot's excellent observation ... do the best you can. In
recognition of your inexperience, don't hold your opinions too strongly, and
don't be disappointed if you decide you're working on something that doesn't
matter. Everything you do gives you more understanding.

As you consider what you're doing through the years, consider what matters to
you, your employer, their customers and users, and society. You may or may not
be able to satisfy all of them, but they're all interested stakeholders.

What matters to you should come first, because you may not give something the
effort it deserves if it doesn't matter to you.

------
ggchappell
> I spent a lot of last year urging people to work on stuff that matters.

Is there some article/post where O'Reilly gives the background?

In the article, the above sentence contains a link, but it is surprisingly
unhelpful. It leads to a Google search. The first hit is _this_ article. The
second is a video I have neither the time nor the inclination to watch. The
third is basically a collection of quotes. The fourth and fifth are comments
on a talk O'Reilly gave. The sixth is just a wrapper around a link to _this_
article. The seventh is another comment on a talk. The eighth is another
video. And I'm getting tired of clicking on useless links.

~~~
rmason
This was a reaction to the 2008 financial crisis. I believe that Tim first
started publicly talking about this at a keynote during OSCON. A year later he
gave a more evolved version at a publishers conference that he runs.

Here's a video where he elaborates:

[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hc7Z5gmwXOg](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hc7Z5gmwXOg)

I'm working on research for an open data project and have been revisiting
thousands of bookmarks I'd saved over the years. Decided to read it again and
was struck with how relevant it still was six years after he wrote it. Kind of
true with both PG's and Tim's essays is that they are both timeless.

------
jacquesm
Stuff that matters: Family, health.

Everything else pales in comparison to that and if you are 'working on stuff
that matters' don't forget those two, they really should come first.

