Comment by exdsq

5 years ago

Grass is always greener. As a software engineer who works 100% remotely, I’m always jealous of engineering roles that involve hardware.

8 comments

exdsq

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syntaxing  5 years ago

Definitely a lot of upsides in being a MechE. Making physical stuff is really fulfilling and using really expensive equipment is fun. If your hands are itching to make something on the side, I highly recommend 3D printers! They're really fun to play with and the cost barrier is pretty low nowadays (like the Prusa Mini which is ~$400).

clarry  5 years ago

100% remote swe. I don't design hardware, but the company does, and somehow prototypes hop into a cardboard box and get themselves hauled to my door. I could imagine working with schematics and drawings remotely.

  • syntaxing  5 years ago

    This is really interesting. Do the team that work on the physical prototype work remote as well?

    • clarry  5 years ago

      Nah, it's just me for now. I'll probably kit out my home office with tools for electronics work at some point though.

rosybox  5 years ago

I'm also a SWE who mostly works remote. I get tired of being in my house. Sometimes it feels like I'm trapped. I don't have a car so I don't really get out much or go far or travel much.

  • exdsq  5 years ago

    I've found a few things have helped me with this issue:

    - I bought a Fitbit and aim for 10k+ steps a day

    - I rarely make coffee at home in the mornings, instead going to a local coffee shop to purchase one

    - I try to go out for lunch every other day (normally just somewhere quick and cheap)

    - I meet a friend for dinner, go to a meetup, or just go to the pub 1 or 2 nights a week

    - Play a sport (I play Squash) which gets you out of the house and exercising

    These have helped me a lot although I do still fall into bad habits. In 2017 I worked from home for 6 months and almost exclusively ate takeaway, played video games in the evening, and rarely went outside during the working week. My mental health really suffered during that time and it took a while to get back out of it!

  • syntaxing  5 years ago

    I think the perfect scenario is a good balance. Working remote three days and in office for two sounds perfect for me. I definitely enjoy some of the moments working in person with my teammates. Also makes it easier to talk about random fun crap.