Ask HN: Jaded?

[athrowaway29]

Hi (throwaway for obvious reasons), I'd like to ask opinions on a situation where I'm just feeling horribly jaded with a large portion of the industry.

I've been working for a long time (over 20 years) in an array of industries (big four accounting, healthcare, small retail) and through consulting roles I've easily had exposure to over a hundred companies. And I'm having feelings about the industry I don't know how to address.

I recently noted this situation[0], and whilst I noted people were (rightfully) outraged, I was confused by the surprise. All I would think was "well that's every CTO ever, what's the shock here?".

I recently did a phone interview for a security role. When I mentioned to their "technical manager" that I had several CVEs I had found, he said "noone in real security cares about that" and went on to describe their penetration testing methodology, which meant basically reading out this disaster[1] word for word. My eyes glazed at that point and even after telling them I'm not interested, they've continued to pursue me. Likewise, a tech startup many of you may recognise approached me for a devops role. When I found out their production servers were whitebox desktops running Windows XP (and they strictly did not intend on changing that) I bailed.

These things are simply examples of the things I've been seeing for years, and I've gotten so jaded about how the average company carries themselves I just can't consider any role seriously any more. I find it incredibly difficult to talk to a hiring manager and not sit and scoff because I feel like I know what's coming. It's also a huge contrast to the world about online.

[0] https://www.reddit.com/r/cscareerquestions/comments/6ez8ag/accidentally_destroyed_production_database_on/

[1] https://serverfault.com/questions/293217/our-security-auditor-is-an-idiot-how-do-i-give-him-the-information-he-wants

[purpleostrich]

What separates the young from the old? Knowledge, wisdom, of how the sausage is made. I suggest that you look around for some legit hackers in their late 60s and older, and get to know them.

Older OLD hackers I know are super optimistic, like to make things, and are always learning.

Optimism from this point on is your challenge. I challenge you to be optimistic and do something with your experience, even if it's a hobby on the weekends and evenings.

[athrowaway29]

Thanks for your response.

I completely agree with your points. I run two side projects (non-monetised) which keep me very entertained. I've attended security conventions (for which I take annual leave, and receive strict instructions never to let a client know) and overall I have a very optimistic attitude to what the industry is capable of.

These things absolutely get me through the day.

[Bakary]

Would it be possible for you to somehow change your career at this point, or to somehow escape your environment? Jadedness is typically something that grows worse over time unless there is a significant change in your circumstances. (can be a mindset change too, but these are easier said than done)

[athrowaway29]

Thanks for your advice. I cannot see a complete career change working. Despite my misgivings, I'm paid well and have a heavy mortgage I could not manage if I were to become junior in a different field.

"Escaping the environment" in the form of moving to another city or country is certainly an option I need to consider.

[Bakary]

It may seem a little silly but simply making changes to your routine can help. It's not necessarily the case here, but it's worth investigating whether frustration at work is indeed the root cause or a symptom of some other problem that has built up over time. I hope I don't come across as an armchair psychologist. It's just that my experience has shown me that my mindset can dramatically change based on factors that seem less important than they actually are (for instance, a little more exercise or a little more sleep) or factors that seem only distantly connected (in my case, jadedness was cured by taking up cooking classes).