What Should I Do with My Life?
by Po Bronson · first published 2002
95% recommend5% neutral
Why HN recommends it
Short vignettes of people who changed careers or searched for meaningful work. It offers no formula, but reassures burned-out or restless engineers that doubting a job is normal, and it makes a good gift.
Summarised by Claude from recommending comments
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…burn, but it's also a way to grow (perhaps, at least, like me, learn some humility and understanding of your own flaws and limitations). There's a wonderful book, a bit dated but still worth reading: "What Should I Do With My Life" by Po Bronson[1], a set of interviews with people who became restless and changed careers, sometimes succeeding, sometimes "a work in progress". I got a lot of inspiration from reading others' stories…
on “Ask HN: I implemented the life I designed: perfect but I feel lost. What now?” ↗Po Bronson also wrote a surprisingly good book that I picked up from the bargain bin. "What Should I Do With My Life?" http://www.fastcompany.com/node/45909/print If you get the book, read the one about the catfish entrepreneur
on “So You Wanna Be a Chef - Anthony Bourdain” ↗"But still, I, naively perhaps, expected something more insightful and inspirational." Yep, it is naive to expect to find a useful, insightful answer to "What Should I Do with My Life, Now?" in a short article on the web. Instead of trying to actually answer the question, Bronson points out why a lot of glib answers to the question are wrong. Maybe a little bait and switch with the…
on “What Should I Do with My Life, Now?” ↗I've given this as a gift several times -- "What Should I Do with My Life" by Po Bronson. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000FBFMKC/ref=dp-kindle-redirect?... Had a run-in with serious burn-out about 12 years ago and had considered leaving software entirely and starting a landscaping…
on “Ask HN: What book have you given as a gift?” ↗…than specifically asking about a CS degree. I have been in a similar position several times in my life, and found the following two books helpful: "What color is your parachute?" by Richard Bolles and "What should I do with my life?" by Po Bronson. The first is more of a manual to work through to help you figure what you want, and where you might find it. The second is basically a bunch of true stories about people who faced the…
on “Ask HN: Starting a CS degree at 28?” ↗A slightly easier method to find out what you should be doing with your life is to read "What Should I Do with My Life" by Po Bronson. https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/18813/what-should-i...
on “Why I Quit Tech and Became a Therapist” ↗I went through a few back in the day. Some suggestions: The Hacker Crackdown The first 20 million is always the hardest The Nudeist on the Late Shift What should I do with my life? (Po Bronson is a theme I guess)
on “Ask HN: Any fun books about working in tech / SV?” ↗When I faced this question, I read Po Bronson's "What Should I Do With My Life" and it helped me decide. My solution was humanitarian logistics, yours will be something else. Go find it!
on “Ask HN: Any job boards and age-friendly companies for older developers?” ↗…https://blog.samaltman.com/how-to-be-successful - http://www.paulgraham.com/hs.html - https://twitter.com/naval/status/1002103360646823936 - https://www.mrmoneymustache.com/2012/12/18/your-money-or-you... - What should I do with my life? Po Bronson [Book]
on “Ask HN: What is the smartest career path to take?” ↗I took a long time figuring out what I wanted to do, and I found the following books useful: “What color is your parachute?” by richard bolles “What should I do with my life?” by Po Bronson (who also had trouble deciding what he wanted to do…) “The seven habits of highly effective people” by Steven Covey - the title made me cringe but a friend recommended it to me and I found…
on “Ask HN: 30 years old with no career” ↗…trying to focus less on the things I do at work and more on the things I do outside of it This is an under-recommended but totally solid approach to a happy life. The takeaway I got from Po Bronson's "What Should I Do With My Life?" was that vocations are overrated -- your job might be funding the things that make you happy today and that's just fine. The secret is to be happy today, not to be miserable now because <some story…
on “Startups are an act of desperation” ↗_What Should I Do With My Life_ by Po Bronson There are a lot of stories of people who hate their jobs and make a switch. One was a lawyer who became a truck driver. A doctor who became a programmer (iirc ... I do remember she was…
on “Ask HN: What is the most mind expanding book(s) you have read till date?” ↗I can relate. My undergrad is in engineering as well and after 6 years of jumping from job to job I realized I didn't care for engineering. _What Should I Do With My Life?_ by Po Bronson really showed me that it was/is okay to not be happy with my job and to make a change. I've written about my career changes here [0] and here [1]. My advice to the "directionless and…
on “Ask HN: How to navigate negative thoughts about starting a career late?” ↗When I was in a situation like that I used Po Bronson's "What Should I do with My Life" and the Strengths Finder survey. It helped confirm something that I was already planning. I also came back to software later.
on “Ask HN: I don't want to work in software anymore. Where do I go?” ↗…“yes” to those questions, you’ve missed the point: almost no one would answer “yes” to those questions, and those proud few are the ones who should be surgeons, actors, and wedding photographers. In "What Should I Do With My Life", Po Bronson has a great quote: "Everyone thinks their dream job will be smooth sailing. But let's face it: EVERY job has shitstorms. Thing is, in the jobs you love the shitstorm is part of the 'fun…
on “Face it: you're a crazy person” ↗