Ask HN: How Is Everyone Feeling?

[alexanderjchun]

There's so much going on politically that's set to change the world one way or another and I've been wondering what all the nerds of the world are doing in light of all the uncertainty.

[annie_muss]

Not great. I've been trying to get into a real "career" track software job for the best part of a decade. I study, work on side projects, got to events regularly. And now the job market is even worse. I'm starting to feel like I've missed the boat. I wonder what would've happened if I had managed to get a job with chances to progress, learn and improve 10 years ago. I dream of earning 6 figures, people make it sound like it is so easy. I'll pick up any tech stack, go into any industry, move around the world, whatever it takes.

[alexanderjchun]

I'm not the best person to get advice on employment, but you should trust this advice anyway.

The worst thing you can do is lose motivation. Labor markets have their own supply and demand and when others feel that job searching is futile, supply goes down. That may take a while, but businesses have an infinite amount of problems that they want to go away.

From their point of view, "can this person make X or Y go away and will they not cause problems for me later?"

Proving that is half the battle. The other battle is making friends that trust you and want you to succeed, so you get the chance to prove it.

You're not going to have a good time going through the same automated process as thousands of others do. Make a friend that can let you in through the back.

[forducks]

Eh, what I've been told from multiple people including former PMs/founders is that if I'm out of work for another year and nobody is willing to take a chance on me, the gap will be interpreted as coasting and the door to tech career will close. I'd like to think that someone out of work for years can score just any job in tech because hiring managers are compassionate, but reality is companies need shit done and a candidate with even a 6-month gap will ALWAYS outclass a candidate with a 3-year gap. These things really do have hard limits and it puts a deadline on how much time before it's fruitless.

Assuming you're going the LinkedIn/recruiter route at least. If a friend is going to recruit you off the street it might not apply, but... at that point it's a different type of battle. How to make tech friends for material gain while chronically depressed, broke, moody...

[JohnFen]

> the gap will be interpreted as coasting and the door to tech career will close.

It's not nearly as stark as all that. It's true that some companies will take it as a negative signal, but not all, and it's not a thing that's impossible to overcome.

[alexanderjchun]

Mood definitely will get in the way. Can you do open source work? I would try to use that negativity and pick whatever OSS I use that pisses me off the most and start fixing things. Post about it and go from there.

[Davidbrcz]

I don't know your background, but I would advise focusing on niche job pool (legacy cobol systems, ERP development, defense/safety in Ada projects ...).

[incomingpain]

>There's so much going on politically that's set to change the world one way or another and I've been wondering what all the nerds of the world are doing in light of all the uncertainty.

I've been following politics for decades. Ive seen ups and downs but this time it's different. It's looking like the end of a political movement. Europe ended it. Shocking, I know. There's not a great deal of uncertainty about it. Maybe timelines? The people in that political movement sure arent taking it well and are becoming politically violent. They'll lash out at this defeat. It's not the first time people have had to escape this political movement.

I'm not apart of this political movement, I see politics as finally healing. Once it's over, the political violence will end. A ton of repairs needed once it's over.

Then the hard part, the people whose world view is the dead movement will escape. Which won't be to europe or north america. But many will stay and while their political violence will end, they will almost certainly need to become a new religion. Probably not TESCREAL?

[boctrg]

I'm really confused with myself. I should feel horrible. Things are going downhill for me for years, but I don't seem to hit rock bottom. I wonder how much worse it has to get for me to ... idk what - break down, learn from it, realize or something. I've been diagnosed with depression a couple years back (had a couple therapy sessions too), but I don't feel as dark as back then. I'm somewhat numb and apathetic. Lots of self-pity, I guess, but I don't seem to learn anything from it and that is really weird.

[alexanderjchun]

When was the last time you tried something new? I've been through some traumatic experiences and trying new things is what helped the most. I don't have depression, but my spine is broken, so maybe relatable, maybe not. 3D printing was what I picked up a few years ago, but it can be anything really.

[boctrg]

I'm sorry to hear that and hope you're better now! 3D printing sounds really cool. Someday I want one of those devices as well. Are your printing projects more on the practical or creative side?

I'm in my late 20s, so the exposure to new things is there. My life has been rather unsteady in the past few years as well. There is also a big change ahead (dropping out of uni). My hope was that my interest carry me, but that didn't happen. My next step is to take the save route and start a trade (in IT).

[alexanderjchun]

Late 20s slump is really common. Nah I don't print anymore. Point is to get out of the slump, so feel free to jump from interest to interest when you're down because doing anything is better than being down. Stay up, build, and don't stop learning. I'm sure you'll be fine.

[boctrg]

Thanks for the kind words! :) Wish you all the best!

[thelastinuit]

Oddly, I’m doing okay in an Alan Watts sort of way. Global, local, everything feels like a dance. I should be panicked, but somehow I’m not.

P.S. My company (Yolo Group) just started layoffs. Is it weird that I’m calm?

[alexanderjchun]

Kind of why I'm asking. Everyone seems oddly calm despite all that's going on. I was wondering if I was missing something or if everyone had already started planning accordingly.

I have friends with different backgrounds that are across the political spectrum and it doesn't seem like any of them are doing anything different despite everyone agreeing that things have been getting worse.

[thenthenthen]

Similar feelings and situation. The past two years have been very though. I think I might have learned something from it: stay calm, step by step, tomorrow will be better. Very simplistic, almost cliché but for the first time in my life I feel no stress anymore..Have I become apathic?

[thelastinuit]

Wait. I’m kinda pissed at YouTube’s bloody thumbnails and titles, Jesus, no one respects language anymore. It’s all fake.

[duttish]

Personally I'm fine.

Communally I'm worried.

I'm worried the AI valuations bubble will collapse, pull the mag7 with it, that'll pull the us stock market with it considering they represent the vast majority of the value gain over the last years. That in turn will pull the dollar with it, even more than today. It'll make 2007 look like a picnic.

I'm worried about demographics vs retirement. I doubt retirement will be a thing for the children my generation has, I'm middle age now. I might get to retire because I've been lucky. Also related worries about the welfare state model overall.

I'm worried that Russia won't collapse quickly enough due to Chinese backing and pull us, northern europe, with it. They won't stop until someone makes them stop.

I'm worried about all the men struggling to find their place in society, the lack of constructive role models for young men and the right wing nazis happily channeling it.

I'm worried about climate change, it's basically gone of the agenda but that doesn't mean the problem has gone away. The chance of the gulf stream collapsing seems to increase for every new model they release.

[alexanderjchun]

The Gulf Stream is new to me. Are you doing anything to position yourself for it or any of the other stuff?

Not trying to be dismissive, really just trying to be optimistic/prepared if things go south. Ideally, someone gets inspired to build solutions to all the things that got us here.

[duttish]

Not for the gulf stream but I'm pondering a move from BigTech to the local defense industry. I can't do much, but I can do something.

[alexanderjchun]

Drone warfare seems to be where things are headed. I hope any work you or anyone else might do in defense can get people the lasting peace they deserve.

[shubhamjain]

It's difficult even being someone not from United States. Even more concerning is how most of the social media has been hijacked to echo views that should have been unthinkable a few years ago. For some, it's great news of course. It's free speech—they think. But, I am not sure future generation needs to across opinions like feminism is bad, or women belong in the kitchen.

I do believe that this is a temporary phase, and things would return to a bit of normalcy in a few years. It's my hypothesis that political pendulum swings between two extremes. 2016-21 was a period of extreme leftist opinions and it was problematic too in many ways. The other extreme is a hundred times worse and most people have lost taste for that, too. Secondly, the support for these movements mostly stems from an aging demographic, a lot of which are just passing their last few years.

But I would say social media needs to be clamped down/regulated, free speech be damned. It has caused enough evil already. Can't let a few billionaires decide the direction of world politics.

[marssaxman]

> 2016-21 was a period of extreme leftist opinions

Wouldn't that have been nice? This can only have appeared to be true for those people who are so far on the conservative side of things that they think Democrats are leftists.

[alexanderjchun]

It's definitely difficult to play a game with people who have most of the chips and don't have a good reason to care about how fun the game is when they're gone.

For social media, I want to believe the newer generation is smart enough to want a better platform and I'm optimistic that someone smart enough is going to create a curation algorithm that balances things out. At least I want to take a crack at it at some point.

What's the move for you? US isn't looking too hot I bet. Curious on how people outside the US are adjusting.

[sjw987]

Why do you want a better platform? I hope that people give up on things like social media entirely, meet up in person and socialise properly.

Socialising just doesn't work large-scale on screens. It's like a partial parasocial relationship.

[alexanderjchun]

I consider this with a lot of "solutions" that aren't doing a great job, and I'm not sure. Think it's human nature to want more and for things to be better. I've made great friends online and they're the main reason I've been able to keep a grounded look at the world. I definitely should go touch grass though.

[sjw987]

I respect that opinion.

I hold quite negative views of social media personally. I don't see how it could be built in a way that could suitably replace in-person socialisation. Perhaps the best idea would be a meet-up arranging app, but then that could be handled in a simple chat application really.

[Poomba]

“ Secondly, the support for these movements mostly stems from an aging demographic, a lot of which are just passing their last few years.”

Is there data backing this? Because i feel like there’s also a large young segment (esp young men) who support this current administration and what they stand for

[justinrubek]

Can you provide any specific examples of this "period of extreme leftist opinions"? I can't see this as anything but a non-legitimate comment due to this line. Where the hell has there ever been such a thing? At best I see it as a period of right leaning centrism.

[failedagain]

I feel like I just failed my second startup, and it's going to be harder than usual to start again.

[alexanderjchun]

What happened?

What I've learned from listening to successful founders is that failing is inevitable and the game is actually how quickly you can learn and adjust. Just that loop until you got three commas and people start slandering you on X. So, technically you got edge.

The meta does seem to have changed recently. Lots more people applying to YC and everyone done throwing money at AI wrappers from people with no domain experience.

[tuatoru]

Been reading reviews of IABIED (If Anyone Builds It, Everyone Dies). So, a bit pensive.

[alexanderjchun]

I never really understood the AI doom scenarios. I feel that there are plenty of problems in front of us already. Also I spent a few hours trying to get Claude to follow my Markdown guidelines and failed. Thinking that we'd be lucky to live long enough to be concerned about the singularity.

[esperent]

My feelings go up and down, as they have for all human beings throughout history.

However, they trend down especially when I spend a lot of time on social media or news sites, including HN.

To put it another way:

Emotional state without "the internet" = varying around a general background of contentment.

Emotional state with "the internet" = varying around a general background of discontentment.

This is unrelated to current political events, which I view as an overcorrection to the state of unhealthy and extreme political correctness that we were falling into a few years ago (wokeness).

Now the pendulum is swinging the other way, towards an unhealthy and extreme focus on race and social differences, glorifying in political incorrectness (anti-woke).

It'll swing back again in a few years. Just how far it will go before then is impossible to say, but it's not something I can control and therefore shouldn't affect whether I enjoy life, since I'm lucky enough to not be directly affected, for the most part.

But if I go on the internet for hours every day and focus on it, it surely will make me feel terrible!

On the other hand, I want to stay informed and connected. Some amount of discomfort is acceptable to accomplish that. The trick is mindful use of the internet, and I'm afraid I don't always succeed there, when I have a distraction machine in my pocket all the time.

[alexanderjchun]

I can respect that and I considered whether I was taking in too much social media, but it feels like every Monday there's something new to scratch my head at.

Some of the recent stuff:

- Paul G confronting Palantir on X about respecting the US Constitution

- Developments with Ukraine, Russia, and NATO

- The insane valuations of AI startups and the back and forth in global trade policy

- How poorly positioned the Fed is in the event of stagflation

- Civil unrest in Nepal and several other countries

- Labor economy shift due to ICE and the new visa related legislation

I was trying to keep this less US focused, but it's really all tied together.

Point being, you don't think this time is different and may require planning ahead?

Genuinely curious. I've already come to terms with the possibility that I could be a doomer that has spent too much time on X.

[CafeRacer]

Are you all right?

No, you are all left

[thelastinuit]

AHHAHAHAAH!!! made my day!

[profstasiak]

guys... stop reading the news... The world is not going to end, there is no extinction... the 24h/day media cycle is causing delusions on a massive scale... more dangerous than tylenol in vacciness... the biggest joke is so called rationalists that believe world is gonna end 100%... just go outside see the sun and smell some grass

[thenthenthen]

Reducing ‘news’ consumption can certainly be beneficial for your health! No numbers to back it up, but when I stopped reading the news on a daily basis I felt so much better.

[JohnFen]

We're entering a very dark, violent, and oppressive period. I'm focusing on trying to make sure that my children will be as OK as possible.

[l___l]

This post sounds like an intentional, targeted probe to harvest sentiment and feed it as input somewhere.

[boctrg]

I can't image you'd get a relevant assertion from a hundred (optimistic) replies from a random Hackernews thread.

[l___l]

I can imagine getting one in this thread https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45306539 although maybe it's not so random.

[boctrg]

Oh, you mean targeted against individual users? That'd be dark - and exactly why I created a burner acc for this.

I thought you were talking about some general sentiment in the tech space (for example). For this the sample size cannot be significant enough from this little replies. That's what my point was about.

[alexanderjchun]

I mean it was intentional and targeted. I know some of the smartest people frequent HN and it's one of the few places left to have a productive conversation. I'm definitely taking this input to refine my worldview, not farming though.

[robotapertama]

Down. The end of the world is on the horizon and everyone is partying and having a great time. Isn't anyone concerned that we are going extinct soon?

[treetalker]

Fear not! Dear Leader just assured the UN General Assembly that climate change is the biggest, most insidious hoax and con job in the history of humanity. And he's really great at this stuff.

[boctrg]

I'm not sure if I am discussing semantics here, but humanity will not go completely extinct, I'm pretty sure of that.

[alexanderjchun]

Okay, so you're ahead of me. What're you thinking is the extinction event?

I was more wondering what's the most effective thing I could be doing, but this sounds more interesting.

[reverius42]

Climate change, I would think, but it will take a while (depends on your definition of "soon").

[robotapertama]

Yes, climate change. We have crossed the Rubicon. Soon = in my lifetime.

[ablation]

I'm not sure I agree with you. The only widely cited quantitative guess at this scenario I could find in a brief trawl puts the chance of any "climate-driven existential catastrophe" this century at about 0.1 percent [1].

"Extinction" is a stricter outcome than “existential catastrophe", so I would imagine the odds this century are even lower than 0.1 percent. In other words: don't resign yourself to the extinction of humanity in your lifetime - it's highly unlikely, and you're just going to be feeding the defeatism that is so tempting when external events are so seemingly negative.

As sibling commenter to this post notes though, I would imagine that mass unrest, famines, death etc. in less-developed parts of the world will occur, with knock-on effects for the developed world.

[1] https://www.tobyord.com/writing/the-precipice-revisited

[al_borland]

I think you underestimate the resilience of the human race. We have a space station where people live outside of earth. We have people living in Antarctica. On small scales, we can completely control environments to make them hospitable.

The idea that all the humans will die off in the lifetime of anyone who is alive today, from something slow moving like climate change, is pretty far fetched.

[muzani]

IMO it's not a world ending crisis, but definitely a city/society ending one. Countries with thousands of islands are heavily affected. Many major cities are near the ocean, so we'll see a lot of damage.

Some places will be more habitable, like Russia.

[reverius42]

I agree we're maybe past the point where we can stop the eventual extinction caused by climate change, but I think we still have (easily) at least 100 years left of more than 0 humans alive.

That said I think it will cause immense socio-political chaos and mass death in our lifetimes.

[Borg3]

I think you are mistaken. In nature graphs are never linear. They are curves, special type of curvers. They start slow, then they can grow lineary for a while, and then they switch to exponental growth. This is the case w/ everything if you take a time to look. Epidemics, population growths, Vulcanos, even stars.

The very same thing start on Earth w/ climate change. Temp raises slowly, more CO2 (and more importantly, CH4) in atmosphere. Temp reises more. Atmosphere is hotter, can absorb more H2O vapors as well. Now, when you start hitting first threshold, hydrates (CH4) will be released from shallow ocean bottoms, more CH4 in atmosphere hotter.. cycle accelerates hitting runaway (exponental growth). KABOOM, earth might be doomed.

Its simplified model, not accounting for huge vulcanos on polar, with might explode and make nuclear winter with will block the heating. Complicated stuff, thats why we need scientists :)

[brian-armstrong]

Are we partying? I remember that during the inflation times during covid, but this feels like a long, drawn-out hangover.

[chistev]

We've been here before.

[throwaway1758]

Not great.

My partner has been out of work and I was recently laid off. I greatly struggle with (treatment resistant) depression, so losing healthcare is huge.

Corporate America is draining, will run you into the ground, and strip all your humanity. Doing the job isn't enough. You need big yearly goals (which you're never given time for), take overtime, use Newspeak, worship "leadership", and put on a face like you care about _The Mission_. It's such a joke. The you get canned once profits, while increasing, aren't increasing fast enough.

The world feels like it's on fire. Political violence appears to be on the rise and many people respond to it by pulling out a scorecard. The president (US) is increasingly erratic. His base continues to cheer him on. Recently I was told that Democrats have _never_ expanded presidential power. Quite a bold claim. This is from a person I never thought of as treating political parties as team sports.

I have friends and acquaintances who are targets of the current administration. I can't fathom what it must feel like for them. How long until one of them disappears? Is it crazy to think that could happen?

Politically, I know deep-down what I believe to be our best path forward as the human race. Big picture. On the daily and weekly scale things are so upside down, flipped around, and twisted that it feels like my head is spinning. Have I lost my mind? Eveyone else too?

My family - well they voted for this. They are extreme religious fundamentalists and I thought that reducing contact to near-zero and moving away would get me a life free from their beliefs. They can do their thing and I would do mine. Instead they helped put a guy in charge that can reach me and those close to me from thousands of miles away.

Climate change is something we collectively decided to do nothing about. There's no going back. The changes to our planet are in motion. That I'm somewhat calm about. I hate that we're this stupid but the battle has been lost. The only thing to do now is let it happen.

I'm lonely and isolated. The vast majority of my time is spent with my partner. They're great but it's not enough. Society feels closed off. Add on top that I'm introverted. Good male role models are hard to come by. It's concerning that my fellow brethren seem to be taken in en masse by radical right-wing influencers.

On the upside of things. Working out consistently has been the one of the best things for me in all this. My strength has dramatically increased, phsyical health is the best it's been, mental health is impacted positively, and it forces my mind to shutup for a few hours a week. Cutting out social media (aside from HN) several years back was the right choice. Except in cases where I follow a link to Twitter/Reddit/etc. and see just how insane online discourse has become.

Based on this thread a lot of people are in the same virtual boat. It's somewhat comforting.