Engineers on FIRE

Engineers on FIRE

Most people pursuing FIRE are engineers of some sort.

I’m not an exception.

Many people “unable” to start pursuing FIRE “accuse” engineers of being able to pursue FIRE because of their “high paying” careers.

Maximizing one’s income for sure speeds up the process, but achieving Financial Independence is a function of saving more than it is of anything else.

However, I don’t want to repeatedly get into the ancient proven theory that saving beats earning if looking at each exclusively.

Instead, here’s something fresh to think about: What if the FIRE community mostly consists of engineers because of the jobs themselves, but not the income?

What exactly do I mean by that?

Fulfillment

Have you ever asked yourself a question such as: am I just distracting myself with small successes and chasing major life goals just to cope? Well, if the work-life imbalance is too high, you’re most probably getting philosophical way more often than the regular person… Especially during commute in the middle of an artificial 40 hour work week of unrewarding and unrewarded work.

And then your engineering mind starts thinking of a solution to clean the mess you’ve found yourself into.

What I’m trying to get to is that most engineers are not on a FIRE path by accident. Not because of high salaries either. They’re here because of a vision, an idea, a passion for a more fulfilling and abundant life. But what they get instead? Waking up with the help of an alarm clock, do a sequence of activities on auto pilot, and rush through the same unpaid route to get to an office doing tasks that force one’s mind to be 24/7 present, not just 8/5.

Say what you say, but this is not normal.

So yes, pursuing FIRE indeed does correlate with high(er) income. But correlation is not causation, and a stressful and demanding career has way more weight into the decision than anything else.

I can end this post here.

But what can we take out from it?

Couldn’t tell, unfortunately.

Even as a non-consumer, I tasted the fruits of high income and I’d always pick it compared to earning less.

But it’s about what we give in return… And this time I’m not talking about the time or effort.

Identity… Responsibility…

I know plenty of people who earn around the average salary and whose jobs can literally be replaced by a software. I’m talking about cashiers, dispatchers, receptionists, etc.

Just to be completely clear: I know that everyone has a role in the society and not bashing anyone’s effort. I’m just saying that some particular jobs can be filled by anyone else with a couple of days of training… Or by a computer.

Anyway, a characteristic of some of these jobs is the fact that after the working hours are done, the job is over. When the wage slave gets home, there is almost no preparation for the next day, at least mentally, no planning, and no obligations. And once he’s back at work, the switch is on, and the mundane circle repeats again.

Just like a processor which is given concrete instructions what to do and is left running for 8 hours.

And then it shuts off.

“Good. I’m looking for the least amount of responsibility.” – Lester Burnham, played by Kevin Spacey in American Beauty, applying as a fast food worker

Engineering

I know that everything’s difficult in its own way. I know that earning less money is especially hard.

But what I also know about is leaving the office and not forgetting the work.

What I know about is dreaming about the ongoing issues while getting closer to a deadline.

I know about remaining functional during stress, pressure, burnout, isolation, unfulfillment, and no rewards.

What I know about is mentally preparing for a Monday on a Friday.

What I know is overthinking about all the possibilities in advance – professionally and, as a consequence, privately.

What I know about is talking business with end users using their language and transforming it into requirements I’ll eventually translate into code. About filling the gap for every role that was needed but never hired. About being treated as a one-man firm and held responsible for end-to-end delivery, including planning, gathering requirements, coordination, implementation, managing resources and expectations, technical and functional testing, documentation and evidence, motivating parties that care less but are crucial to the delivery, managing releases by coordinating with dozens of upstream and downstream systems and dependencies, monitoring and expecting the worst after going live, and following up with all the stakeholders after it’s done… Most of that simultaneously and while various mini-projects may be on various stages of the life-cycle.

And it’s all on you – you need to juggle with all the balls, regardless of how difficult it is.

So yes, chilling out at home is just a physical release. An engineer is always mentally at work.

By the way, I’m not saying that software engineering is the hardest of all roles. I work with and know people from other departments and I acknowledge that every high-performer needs to be on top of the ins-and-outs of his own game. Otherwise, we’re easy to be left behind, as the world is fast paced and constantly changing.

Compare it all with sitting in a store for 8 hours… Believe me, we’re not pursuing FIRE just because we earn a higher salary. Everyone cherishes comfort.

Here’s a short interview I conducted with a person who worked mundane jobs such as a waiter, cashier, and receptionist and decided to take the leap and start earning serious cash – accumulating a few years of experience in a high paying field and starting with private consulting.

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Monk: Were those jobs easier than what you’re doing now?

Her: Yes.

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And that’s exactly the difference. When working in a demanding field, there is too little opportunities to detach completely. Those that can only achieve it with dedicated training.

It’s simply not natural to forget about the responsibilities, because full ownership is not required, but assumed.

The point?

Indeed, what’s my point?

Well, because I’ve been throughout a certain range of the income spectrum, I can say that while on the relatively lower side, you plan for the future. You envision it and look for ways to improve your financial situation. You dream about making it big and being successful.

As you get higher and higher, you understand what you’re sacrificing and eventually get to the point where MR the law of diminishing returns. Or in other words: what you get in return is too little compared to the units of effort you give yourself.

You see clearly that what you used to consider success is actually miserable, undignified, and stupid. And the next natural progression… Believe it or not… Is none other than FIRE.

Not finding yourself accidentally on the journey because you don’t know what to do with all the cash, but intentionally pursuing it because you understand that we have no other choice.