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Ask HN: What would you do if you didn't work in tech?

62 points by johnathandos ↗ HN
This question generated some very interesting discussions in another online community I’m in. I would likely pursue a career in occupational therapy or speech-language pathology. I would love to do work that directly benefits the lives of others and to spend more time interacting with people from all walks.

102 comments

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lordkrandel
Baker. Very phisical job, night hours, but it's creative and you really make something with your hands. Wonderful.
anovikov
Soon we will all find it out.
busterarm
CNC (and maybe some manual) Machining.
bpt3
Some form of building things in the physical world rather than the digital; probably working in construction since I already do it on the side.
HardwareLust
I'd be a cook/chef, which is what I decided on in HS, but I let everyone talk me into tech, which I regret in hindsight.
mixmastamyk
Former tech worker here. I don’t know yet, and don’t have many skills outside of computer jockey. Can be friendly for short periods but not a people person. What do y’all suggest?
jfil
Handyman for the elderly
canadiantim
Regenerative farmer, tinkering with mycorrhizal fungi and other microbiology
mavamaarten
I'd probably be an electrician or fabrication (3D printing / CNC). Or does that count as tech?
Ocerge
Medicine, ideally Oncology. I only made that realization as an adult though.
bicx
Same. I’d like to get into medicine, but I’m 38. That ship has sailed.
stared
Do you mean "money is not an issue, what else would you do" or "AI has automated tech, what other job would you pick now" or "had you made different life choices 20 years ago..."?
PaulHoule
I could have been an academic or an activist. My son reactivated in me the "making" aspect of experimental physics that had a big impact on me despite doing theory for my PhD. (My son builds buildings by day, guitars by night)

In the last two years I've become a semi-pro photographer. I guess I am also an "activist" now but approach it as personal change [1] instead of interpersonal conflict.

[1] a kind of global "daoism" that embraces all kinds of human development

gsf_emergency_6
Loving young men might take not much more than celebrating[1] their existential need to "rewrite the rules"?

https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46345317

But aside from that, there's nothing healthier than making things (beyond rearranging bits)!

[1] I.e. managing the interpersonal conflict that comes with trying to change the rules. An alt-strat to overcome the masculine appeal of zero-sum games like politics, finance, or these days, _TECH_. For with high enough power in the (global[2] power-)law the sum becomes zero (annihilating)

[2]locally[3] one might model these winner-takes-all games as one between eg management/labor(/principal) or (psychopath/)clueless/losers or (pm's boss/)pm/engineers

[3]I don't think there's a temporal-scale mismatch in the sense of Buxton but the player's ability to gauge/manipulate the local timescale tracks the score (thanks aeb https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46311961)

GenerWork
Depending on my finances, I'd probably paint for a little bit. When I say paint, I mean paint buildings, not paint canvas or anything like that. Did this for a few years in college and it was satisfying to actually see physical proof of your work. Also, the only way you ever took you work home with you was if you got paint on yourself.
jlarocco
I've considered switching to land surveying, machining or fabricating.

I just hate the direction the software industry has gone (and is going), and once I buy a house and get some savings I want to get out.

John23832
Electrician, some sort of doctor, or chef.
gigatexal
If I take the question to mean: "you still have to work but you can't work in tech, what would you do?" I had thought about this around the time of the last layoffs that we had ... and I think I'd go to a trade school to become an electrician.

BUT ... to be 100% honest there's nothing I am really any good at other than tech. I guess I could try my hand at teaching. Would that be a good enough loop hole? I could maybe teach Econ 101 at a junior college probably. It'd be a huge pay cut but it'd be better than being jobless.

drunken_thor
All the jobs I rather be doing are antiquated. Furniture maker but it’s not a viable job anymore either. A machinist, tool-die maker. Or mechanic maybe. I have always thought that mechanics are just debugging a very specific architecture. None of these make money though.
Froedlich
A friend of mine is getting ready to retire after 30-odd years in IT. He has already tooled up and trained for his retirement profession: farrier; the guy who makes and installs horse shoes. It's more profitable than it used to be since few people do it any more, and farriers typically work on their own schedule.
tsumnia
Fly some drones, maybe thermal image wildlife
Jacques2Marais
Probably be into some arts fields: writing, music, design.
JTbane
Probably something blue collar like electrician, plumbing or auto repair.
nhatcher
Physics, of course. Well, at least that is what I was doing before. If not that teaching. Math, physics, programming. I could teach any of that I guess
antonmks
A plumber. Very resistant to AI.
kayo_20211030
I'd go back to civil engineering. Building things. Good, honest work.
ajma
Doctor. Still want to explore "systems" to diagnose issues and build plans for improvement.

When I was 45, I did briefly consider making the switch