mctoasterson

It is really nice to have something to show for your work besides just a paycheck. This is something many don’t consider when evaluating career paths. CS or IT related careers damn near require you to do something tangible as a side hustle or at least a hobby, because the outputs of “commits” and “ticket closure metrics” just aren’t a edifying use of our creative spark as humans.

I relate to this strongly. Many of us in this field feel catfished by our jobs. We took the role to get access to exciting emerging tech, or to fulfill some useful purpose and apply strategic thinking. Instead the reality of the day to day is business-led bullshit, drudgery of ticket work for issues affecting one user (and its probably a problem they caused), or having to report progress and “green” status to some talentless PM who doesn’t give a shit about you or your career. That and meetings. And fires and escalations and technical bridges.

If all AI really is classified as a “weapon” for export-control purposes, well… in the US possession of weapons is a protected individual right. The US gov should be training open weight models and encouraging self-hosting.