Post #1779468

@zachleat after dot bomb, much of the work was either combat pay (high pay due to high pain) or yet more folks just hoping to do the minimum to get more VC funding so they could IPO and bail before anyone figured out it was all vaporware. everyone i knew had been laid off at least once. at the time, i was lucky enough to have a little money put aside and i did what i call my mid-life shiny red car change in my life. got out of tech completely, moved away from the bay area, starting biking, doing yoga/pilates, teaching mandolin & guitar. wound up getting certified and taught pilates as well as music. enough sanity returning to tech, along with a divorce to pay off and i got back into tech in 2009. i see the same kind of toxic level stress in the field now i saw then. folks burned out. folks seeing no good projects or only evil projects hiring. VC money pouring gasoline on all the fires. for the second time in my life, doing the math to see if financially i can just get out of the field completely and do something that doesn't feel like it's sucking every bit of joy and wonder out of me. teaching music and pilates was very satisfying. i was helping other folks make their lives better and more joyful. not sure what it will be this time but knowing i'm making things better rather than worse must be a part of it.