I assumed someone would retort with this angle, but I hoped people would interpret my comment charitably without me littering it with a dozen caveats.
Of course work isn't the only responsibility.
Of course some people have kids, pets, parents, medical conditions, etc.
It's one week away from work. It can still be done. You weren't going to be taking care of any other responsibilities during your normal 9-5 hours, so that should have no bearing on the week you take off; treat it as any other work week, except you're working for yourself.
"You weren't going to be taking care of any other responsibilities during your normal 9-5 hours, so that should have no bearing on the week you take off;"
Have you ever been married, had kids, etc? Pretty much any time I take off of work, it involves catching up on projects, chores, or parental responsibilities during the day. It seems the vast majority of people I've spoken to tell of similar situations.
Well, I have specifically avoided having kids at this stage in my life so that I may climb out of the poverty class first. I'm one abortion deep already. I was not as fortunate as 99% of the people in this little isolated corner of the internet.
I was homeless from 16 to my early 20s. I suffer from multiple traumas, both physical and mental. I have ADHD and bipolar disorder. I've had sciatica, degenerative disc disease, gout and other issues since my teens. Most days I can barely walk. When I do have kids, I'm not going to get to be the dad I want to be, running around and playing with them. My parents are abusive drug addicts who were not present in my life, so I was raised by other extremely abusive people instead, who kicked me out into the streets for being atheist. So malnourished as a child that my friends would make fun of being able to see the bones in my face and body. I spent years living homeless on scraps of food.
I have to advance my career. Every single thing is stacked against me, trying to make me fail. I don't get the luxury of deciding if I want to take a week off to do so. It's a matter of survival, and I have very purposefully structured my life in such a way that I have a shot in hell at one day raising a child above the poverty line.
Believe me, this is not a matter of me not empathizing with others or understanding the complexities of life. It's a matter of prioritization and commitment. If I can make time to learn, anyone can.
And on top of all of that, I do in fact have to provide for my sister and her four young, expensive children, because she doesn't have anyone either. I don't get much free time, man.
I'm sorry you had to go through all of this. I think your bias is your responsibility is 100% financial so is aligned with always spending more time for your career. For most people financial/career responsibility is only a part, ignoring the rest is as impossible as you putting your career aside.
That's a good point. I do experience the boundaries, I spent the majority of the last 8 years alone and was solely focused on work and hobbies. It was a very productive time for me. Now that I'm in a longer-term relationship again, my productivity has seen a major reduction. It's exacerbated by the fact that I am extremely productivity-focused, but my significant other wants to relax in her free time.
I'm still learning where I should set boundaries on both sides of the field, and this will probably be something I continue to struggle with for some time.
> It's one week away from work. It can still be done. You weren't going to be taking care of any other responsibilities during your normal 9-5 hours
I think you didn't read the parents carefully. The comment being replied to is not about 9-5 hours, it's about "locking yourself into a hotel for week", and if you have kids, this is not exactly a healthy thing to do in the face of other responsibilities. That's the point being made here, and you are changing the goal posts.
I'm not moving goalposts. The commenter tried to assert that only someone without "any other responsibilities" gets to spend a week learning something. It doesn't have to be in a hotel room. It doesn't have to be a week. It can be two, three, four weeks. Those are all implementation details.
The negative sentiment itself is what I addressed. Everyone fortunate enough to have internet access, a computer and a functional brain/body can make time, if they really want to, to learn new things that benefit their long term goals.
> The commenter tried to assert that only someone without "any other responsibilities" gets to spend a week learning something.
That's what I mean -- you didn't read the parents carefully. The commenter (me) made that reply to this:
> Carmack did it an a week by locking himself in an hotel room
Everyone can and should spend time learning, but the little point being made was that locking yourself in a hotel room is not something most people can do due to responsibilities. Somehow you changed this into your more general statement "spending a week learning something."
Spoken like someone who casts judgement and makes assumptions before considering that different people have different priorities.
It's downright silly to claim that I have no life responsibilities because I prioritize setting aside time for self-growth and encourage others to do the same.
Open your mind a little bit and ponder why you feel compelled to have such a negative and dismissive attitude about this.
I don't find that pretentious at all. What I'm conveying is that we have the Things We Think We Want and the Things We Actually Want. The former live in our minds, the latter are actually realized through our everyday actions and choices.
> I just noticed your username, “soul of mischief“, and now it makes sense to me. Are you trolling?
It's against the rules of Hacker News to assume bad faith. I certainly am not arguing in bad faith, nor do I intend to make anyone feel bad for the sake of it.
I purposefully wrote an abrasive comment in order to stoke the minds of others and make them think inwardly. There was one time in my life where I also needed to hear those exact words. That no matter what adversity I face, I must make times for the things I really care about.
I must constantly re-evaluate what drives me and check to make sure I'm not letting life pass by without achieving at least some of my goals. I must not make excuses, and I must not make excuses for others. I must not be negative toward those who are in a better station of life.
As for my username, it is derived from a popular hip hop group, Souls of Mischief, who are part of the larger Oakland set, Hieroglyphics. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fXJc2NYwHjw
If one cannot disappear for a week to think or study he is putting himself at some serious life disadvantage. My 2c.
I do not mean telling family that I am disappearing for a week starting tomorrow, but that I want to disappear for a week in a couple of months and the family would cover responsibilities for me (I should be willing to reciprocate).
I agree. We travel for work and disappear for a week. I've disappeared for 4-5 days to party with friends and my wife and kids have been fine with it. Obviously the work travel I don't control much. The party part - I'd be getting some serious conversations if it was happening every month. However, if it was to improve my career prospects I don't think anyone will hit much resistance. I mean provided you use the time well and don't get into a space of watching youtube clips of Dune 2.
Realistically most people just don't have the resources for this sort of thing. It's not necessarily a matter of want but a limitation of needs. Assuming one has a family that could cover, they would still have a job with responsibilities. Not everyone can afford to risk termination or go without a paycheck for a week even if it's the most intelligent option.
Most people in the field have PTO. Some people take PTO and travel, others play video games, Carmac has locked himself in a hotel room to work on projects pretty regularly since he was younger.
Many people have a lot more flexibility than they let on. They just make excuses instead of acknowledging their own priorities and commitments or lack of actual interest in change and work.
So far, my 2 years of retirement are an experiment in discretionary time. I'm married but no children or pets in the house. So I have lots of leeway in what I do every day. Maybe I average 1-2 hours of responsible time. And there are constraints - health, energy, lack of ambition, family travel, Internet distractions etc.
But in general I can do what I want. This month, it's been relearning awk to do financial data analysis and reading the books of a British author, Diana Athill.
I'll say that my personal project satisfaction level is medium. Life satisfication has a major social component that provides meaning, though. Optimizing for both isn't necessarily easy even in retirement.
Work isn’t the only responsibility.
What is the correlation between taking a week away from responsibilities - work, family, etc. - and job satisfaction?