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Ask HN: What would you do if you didn't have to work?

97 points by trvrsalom ↗ HN
So as a result of an extreme example of inefficient bureaucracy, one which is probably unique to the military, I have found myself in the fortunate position of being paid to effectively work 2-6 hours a week for the next 6-7 months. It was preceded by 6-7 months of 60-80+ hour work weeks, so I like to think it all balances out.

I graduated a few years ago with a degree in computer engineering, and I am now located in a small coastal city. If you were in my position, beside the obvious of relaxing, hobbies, etc, what would you do? I have considered trying to find a part time development role (it would be difficult though as I am effectively on-call for when those 2-6 hours are). Alternatively, I could pursue a side project to keep my technical skills sharp, but I can't think of any that call me. Any ideas?

143 comments

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DanielVZ
Develop a new side project each month until something sticks
cheapliquor
Catch up on sleep you missed from those 60-80 hour work weeks. Then maybe find a new hobby that could potentially spark a new project idea.
trvrsalom
Yep, that's the one thing I got started on quickly.
aynyc
Besides getting myself into good shape. I would get a whole bunch of certifications that are related to your industry. HN doesn't like certifications, but boy, defense industry loves that stuff.
st4lz
Which specific certifications would you recommend?
aynyc
I'm out of defense for more than 2 decades now. Back then, MSCE, Java and Oracle were the rage. Just look up some job descriptions. They love the soft stuff like scrum master, agile, etc.. They need that check boxes for contracts.
allendoerfer
I second this, because you will have a goal to work towards and something measurable afterwards. If you are not really inspired, many other suggestions might be harder to really follow through on, so you might end up with having done nothing in the end.

By all means, do relax, but I‘ve often found it hard to do so, when you are sort of required to do something but actually just waiting. I have often found those situations to be more taxing than actually working.

fxtentacle
In my entire life, I've never run out of side projects that tickle my curiosity. If I didn't have to do it for money, I'd probably be doing pretty similar coding projects anyway ^_^
ErikCorry
Work.
brink
And that is largely why some people are successful and others aren't.
jakelazaroff
When I look back on my life, my most meaningful memories are not the ones I've made on someone else's payroll. "Successful" doesn't have to mean "worth a lot of money".
brink
When I think of work, I mostly think of effort. A lot of my most meaningful memories are from working on things I enjoyed. Putting effort into relationships, working on hobby projects, working on a small motorized bike, or even working at a job I enjoy.
nh23423fefe
Probably work on quality of life stuff. I would work on under prioritized job related automation. Essentially invest in personal, at work, projects that make work less annoying, but which dont get buy in from anyone else.

If I was gonna slack off and not work, then I would just play golf

trykondev
Make video games and write books
afr0ck
Build a computer from scratch, both hardware and software. Build a wood house in the bush. Get better at extreme mountain biking. Build a very athletic body. Travel the world, explore their nature (deserts, saharas, mountains, safaris, etc) and eat their food. Learn to play Rock music. Learn to drift. Live as a farmer in Scotland for 1 year. Own a ranch in Texas. Hunt in North Africa. Too many things mate.
trvrsalom
I really need to ship my mountain bike out here.
brink
Read good books, get to know people. Don't forget to live. Think about the end of your life and you're looking back, what are you going to wish you had done?
bluefirebrand
I think if I didn't have to work but also didn't have to worry about affording my needs, I'd really like to meet new people and work on indie games.

I try now and then to get an evenings and weekends project off the ground but I genuinely don't understand how people have the energy for it. I'm exhausted.

drc37
Build robots of different sorts to help people around the house/farm.
thangalin
I'm working on a near-future sci-fi novel that revolves around automating food to the point that work is no longer a necessity. Would greatly enjoy your thoughts on the subject.
azhenley
Write and create educational content.
bluedino
Honestly, watch the kids all damn day. Maybe enroll in a couple classes or hack on a couple things here and there.

Now, if I 'won the lottery', I'd have more resources and hire a nanny, giving me more time to take classes, hack on things, and do expensive stuff like build racecars.

distortionfield
> build race cars

I have often joked to my wife that my software career only fuels (no pun intended) my project car habit.

trvrsalom
I'm running into the issue of not having won the lottery when I think about the things I'd like to do and the cost of doing them.
newsoundwave
Me personally: I hiked the Pacific Crest Trail from the Mexico-California border to the Washington-Canada border in 2022. While I missed work on trail, it definitely made me realize that once I'm financially independent, I'm mostly going to be living a life outdoors, with occasional indoor time to play music.

Your situation is a bit different from my goals, but honestly if I had that opportunity, I'd be doing my best to explore the woods/mountains nearby in whatever way I can.

I also kind of agree with the "Learn German" comment - learning a non engineering skill that's also either practical or brings you joy is a great way to eat up time. I'm speak a few languages, but as I only regularly use English in my day-to-day life, just maintaining the other ones at a high skill level is a time consumer, though one I enjoy doing.

afr0ck
I feel like you are describing me. I speak four languages. I love engineering and building stuff, but I have a limitless love to nature and the outdoors, hiking, biking, swimming in the wilds, hunting, and I love Deserts and mountains.
ar_lan
I've always wanted to do this trail! How was it - honestly? I delved deep into one bagging a few years ago which brought me to ultralight groups/blogs, and this is the one trail that always just seems so... hard, but freaking cool.
newsoundwave
I'm not going to say everything was perfect - sometimes it was miserable (mosquitoes, wildfires, close encounters with irresponsible hunters, etc). With that said, it's been more than 3 months since I've finished and not a day goes by when I don't think about it.

The people you meet out there are fantastic too. I'm fortunate enough to live in Colorado, where a bunch of us came from, and we hang out fairly frequently. We actually went for a hike yesterday that I wouldn't feel comfortable inviting just anybody on.

trvrsalom
Hiking the PCT is absolutely a bucket list item. Sadly, the on-call part means I have to remain local. I'm definitely planing to explore though.
newsoundwave
Yeah, I'm extremely lucky to work at a company where I could take an unpaid leave of absence and also I work with a great team that was happy to make sure my oncall shifts were covered until I got back.
anon291
I would do the same thing I do now... program computers. The things that would change is that I'd be more flexible and my kids would play with me all day, instead of me having to kick them out of my office for meetings and the like.
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autotune
Volunteer at the local public library for 8 hours a day. Spend the rest of the time meditating, drinking tea, and taking my dog out for walks as a part time monk.
sidcool
Be a part of a community that teaches kids or adults. I would also learn Physics. And music. Spend time with friends. Make some simple and dumb software.
dpkirchner
Oh, so many things. Learn more about CS-y topics, play games, figure out how to write gooder, read books, bike more (I want to get to a century before I'm too old), learn to cook better, relax, probably do a couple short contracts a year to try to keep up with the industry, exercise more, volunteer.
dutchbrit
If I didn’t have to work I’d be breeding rare pigeon and growing rare plants. Possibly take up watch making as a hobby. But that’s not the question you really asked haha.. I have too many side project ideas, but not many that really mean a lot to me on a personal level. If the latter doesn’t matter much, just look at what tools you use and think on how you could do a better job. What is your real goal? To make money? If so, building alone won’t get you far. There are a lot of “boring” tasks you need to do or outsource to achieve that. If making money isn’t that important it makes it a lot easier. Stick to what you enjoy.
daviesiesies
Publish my book. Buy a sailing boat and cross the Atlantic in it.
Ftuuky
Build a boat, sail around the world, write about it.
atum47
I'll probably program for myself (as I often do). I do like to program a lot.