Ask HN: What book changed your life?

I am not sure how I found this book by Erik Dietrich. Maybe Google or Amazon recommended it. But I found it very inspiring. There are so many things in it that I agree with and so many new things that I am still having a hard time believing. As a developer, who is having a hard time figuring out his career, this book provided an interesting perspective. The basic idea in it is that in any big corporation, developers are unlikely to find fulfilment. They may truly believe in their employer’s mission and try to climb the corporate ladder. When they do that, they will get stuck in middle management. They will keep working hard, hoping to move on to executive roles, but very few do so through belief and hard work alone.

My biggest takeaway from this book was that most people start a business to create a job for themselves. For example, a person who enjoys baking may start a cake shop. The problem with this approach is that one is working in the business, not on it. The right way to start a business is with a goal of eliminating one’s job. For example, the person above should figure out a way to hire someone else to do baking.

I learned of Mark Manson through his blog, especially this post, 7 Strange Questions That Help You Find Your Purpose. Since then I have been on and off following his blog. He usually has a lot of good advice, so finally I decided to get his book. It makes it easier to have all the information in one place. I had no idea what The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck was about. It was an impulse purchase, perhaps to support his blog. It turned out to be a really good book. As a semi-regular reader of his blog, I sort of knew what his philosophies were. Still, it was good to read everything in one place.