The hacker community is impressive. You’d expect all programmer nerds to be far-removed from reality, but a good number are not. The new breed of computer scientists is much like the new breed of computers. They’re self-aware, they control themselves, they’re finally cool, they work great in all settings, and they’re running some of the best companies in the world.
Matt Maroon wrote an article last year that really struck a chord. It’s an article I find great value in, and I consider such an excellent explanation of the way things are, that I wanted to print it out and postal mail it to my dad. It’d be an attempt to get him up to speed with why I see things the way I do. Namely: I don’t value the concept of a life-long career. I don’t see the point in giving 110% to an employer that I really don’t care about, with a mission I don’t really care about, and that doesn’t care for me beyond what the law requires.
I’m constantly discovering things I no longer want to do for money. No amount of money makes doing them feel worthwhile. So I want the ability to use my talents, explore my potential, to cultivate new talents, and most importantly, control over my time. It’s a lot to ask, but I’m already working hard at it.