Ask HN: I'm stuck. What should I do? | Hacker News Reader

Ask HN: I'm stuck. What should I do?

7 pointsmel_kaye5 comments

I'm stuck. I've been stuck for at least two years.

I want to get involved in FOSS and I've the time, motivation, and skills required to make worthwhile contributions, but I've no itches to scratch [1] and my interests are what some would refer to as `outdated'; that is, I wouldn't touch GUI, web, or mobile development with a 100m-long pole.

I'm interested in [2]:

  * Compilers/PLs

  * GCs

  * Legacy *n*x programs (e.g., Bill Joy's vi)

  * OS Kernels

  * VMs

What should I do? I'm starting to _hate_ my day-to-day life [3]. (And, yes, my diet, exercise, and sleep are all fine.)

--

[1] I work as an SE for a defense contracting company, so I'm rarely (read: never) exposed to things that both interest and annoy me enough to want to change them. Furthermore, I can honestly say that there's nothing I'd want to add to- or modify in the various computing environments I interact with when I'm at home.

[2] I've also recently developed an interest in Functional Programming and Lisp(s).

[3] Sometimes I think that I'd be happier with an academic life in CS, but I can't return to university to earn my PhD because I'm married.

It sounds like you should become a Clojure or Parrot committer. They both tick off a number of things on your list and both are under active development by a vibrant community.

Find an area of interest outside your normal line of work/cs/it. Sooner or later you'll encounter sth to improve. There's your itch.

Since when does being married preclude getting a phd? I know multiple married phd candidates...

> Since when does being married preclude getting a phd? I know multiple married phd candidates...

1. I don't think there are any part-time CS PhD programs, so I'd have to quit my full-time job.

2. My full-time job brings in 3/4 of the income and my wife isn't in a position to earn much more than what she's earning now, so we'd have to suffer a big drop in income.

3. The big drop in income (even if I get a TA or RA position) would force us to move from our home to either university or an insufficiently-sized (that is, insufficient for us + the children we plan on having in the next ~3 years) dwelling.

4. My wife has no interest in earning her own PhD and doesn't want to work while raising our children. Furthermore, I don't want her to work while raising our children.

I don't think it's possible to do without being a selfish arse.

An ex-colleague once told me that it is actually quite possible for people from the 'business world' to get positions in universities as long as they can compete on the merits of their work.

So before you rule it out because you won't be able to take the 'traditional path,' I'd suggest visiting your university of choice to explore the other options first.

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