HN Explorer

Burnt out engineer looking to break free from his golden handcuffs

3 points by robbbed ↗ HN
As the title implies I’m a full stack engineer that’s looking to take a break from working for enterprise companies and reignite my passion for coding and life.

Ideally I’d like to quit sometime at the start of 2023 and travel, work on personal projects, and just be free for a bit from Jira tickets, and project managers.

I have 0 debt, and about 65k in reserves.

What I’m hoping to get are advice/inspiration/ideas from anyone whose done/doing the same thing. 1. How did you stay afloat financially without blowing through your savings? 2. Any general advice on things to look for or avoid during this time? Sorry if this vague sounding, I’m still figuring this out and just in general looking for inspiration. Thanks!

13 comments

[ 3.2 ms ] story [ 41.7 ms ] thread
JetAlone
Join the circus. There's the demand for traveling geeks... T_T
aintmeit
A traveling geek is an oxymoron. Geeks live in caves harassing the world from the safety of their own home. Well, it's safe until the consequences of their actions come knocking on the door. I guess at least you feel like you can outrun your problems while you're flying.
JetAlone
I'm talking circus geeks, they do things like eat chicken heads for alcohol/narcotics.

https://silverscreenriot.com/del-toros-nightmare-alley-a-sor...

What you're describing is called an internet troll.

I'm unsure whether geeks often travelled with the troupe, though. Men hopelessly addicted to drugs were probably desperate enough for money and easy enough to come by that you might not bother dragging one with all the other performers. Especially since addicts tend to behave unsettlingly and steal stuff to feed the addiction. Talk about local talent.

aintmeit
A pot calls a kettle black.
JetAlone
We have three terms here in the cupboard:

-Colloquial geek: someone who likes geeky stuff and does it for fun

-Circus geek: addict who debases themselves at a carnival as a job

-Internet troll: someone who bothers people on the internet for fun

I started with a joke conflating colloquial and circus geeks. What is the shared "blackness" of these "kitchen apparatuses" here? That nobody really wants them? Why did you decide my joke was a good place to reply with social commentary about internet trolls??

aintmeit
What belies your joke is a kernel of truth. As they say, "birds of a feather...". Posting in a forum that facilitates social commentary implies that you should expect a social commentary when you post on this forum. Any other questions?
throw03172019
$65k doesn’t sound like golden handcuffs. How long do you want it to last before returning to work?
robbbed
I’ve grown that mainly over the last year due to the job I currently have (6 figures, stock grants, bonuses) at the expense of my time (logging about 10 hour days regularly). Ideally, I’d like to take 6 months to a year. I don’t mind working during this time, freelancing or what not, just don’t want it to be the majority of time.
aintmeit
Whatever you're going through, it's a good idea to do it on an international scale. That should reduce risk. You go, girl!
GianFabien
Might be a good idea to understand the geopolitical situation when planning your travels. There are lots of places that I would consider to be risky, unless danger is your thing.
aintmeit
For many, danger is their thing.
robbbed
That’s a good point and something I didn’t think about. Thanks!
GianFabien
I found the most powerful decision was to massively cut back my living costs. When traveling chose the cheapest option, i.e. don't fly when train is cheaper and over-night trips save a night's accommodation cost, etc.

The biggest danger of having had high earnings for a long period is that you spend far more than necessary because you can. When you stop working you stop spending like you used to or your savings will disappear very fast.