pikachu_is_cool points the finger at something which doesn't receive nearly enough attention in the tech circles on the US West Coast: Chasing work, marketable skills, money and "success" at the detriment of everything else: Work-life balance, healthy relationships, enjoyable hobbies and overall quality of life. People are obviously free to do whatever they want with their lives, but from my perspective the status quo in the Silicon Valley startup culture is very destructive for the mental health and overall long-term happiness of its members.

Whenever I read a story on HN about 55-100 hour workweeks and lots of comments making this seem like something which is sane and healthy, only taking vacations when you are between jobs, being a serial entrepeneur chasing failed venture after failed venture with the hope of eventually striking it rich, prioritizing personal relationships and interaction with friends behind your company's interests and relentlessly using any (rare) spare time to work on your "startup" or learn skills other people will pay you money for, I cringe. I will never take a regular job in an environment like this. It would fuck up my mental health in less than a year, and I am very surprised that others don't see this. I can only describe it as a collective blindness for some very important parts of life.

There is certainly plenty of opportunity in one of the biggest tech booms in world history. But it's not opportunity that comes without a big human cost, and this side of the story doesn't receive nearly enough attention. When work and success is lauded as the virtues above all, other valuable things will suffer. Most people aren't cut out for this kind of lifestyle, and there is nothing wrong with that.

When you're having this shit shoved down your throat for your entire upbringing come back and tell me it's an opportunity.

when you've lived a life where you've never had any such opportunity, come back and tell me it's a burden.

EDIT: I just realized this is a classic 'first-world problem', but extended to 'first-world-upper-class problem'.

Oh look, the Oppression Olympics[1] is in town.

Someone always has it worse than you. That does not invalidate pikachu_is_cool's feelings of existential emptiness.

[1] http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Oppression%20...

urban dictionary is not a reputable source?

It's an opportunity. They used to call it the American Dream.