Stuck in a rut for years  - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: eti
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 04, 2022, 05:27:58 am
content: Hi friends. Baring my soul here:My passion for electronics started when I was around 5 or 6, when I remember clearly being in a Church activity group, where we made a basic circuit with a 9V battery and a deep cherry red LED; I distinctly remember being entranced by its glow.Ever since I was a child, even a toddler, I had a burning passion to see how things worked. Aunties would give me broken radios and clocks for Christmas (sometimes just a clock - I was interested but electronics is my thing). All my life people marvelled at how good I was at repairing just about anything, or finding out how it worked. I love this stuff.When I was 16, in 1991, I would ring around all the local TV & VCR repair shops, asking if they had and broken or unused equipment they were throwing out. I’d have a couple of regular collections from some very nice blokes, and I must’ve made quite the impression on one of them - Phil - as, one day, he said “you’re clearly very passionate about electronics, so how would you feel about a Saturday job?” Well I was absolutely OVER THE MOON! I remember clearly the first repair I was tasked with, back on that first Saturday morning, and that was to take some alcohol and a toothbrush and to clean the tinned fingers of the card edge connector of a plug-in module for a Philips (or could’ve been Pye) TV. I lapped it up!I worked on Saturday for quite a while - I don’t recall how long. When the boss (Phil) went on holiday, he left me alone in charge of the workshop; now THAT is trusting and shows he had confidence in me!) we would go to a couple of ham rallies (I never really took to those - FAR too hardcore nerdy and awkward!!) - later on, he employed me through the local govt youth training scheme (“YTS”) and even later, decided he would pay for my driving lessons (which I had literally NO interest in taking, and the instructor was his best mate, so I suppose he felt obliged to get me to pass… and the instructor was very bossy and impatient [also verified by my sister, who had him, and found him the same] but after 49 lessons… haha yeah I know … I failed my test.) I had, and have literally ZERO interest or need to drive. I remember wanting to be in the workshop fixing equipment, NOT being a delivery driver lugging things around.)Reasonably enough, shortly afterwards, he very politely and gently let me go. That’s fine because he taught me SO much, and let’s not forget he taught me to drive, despite my not having passed.I had a couple of similar positions in the next year or so, and then worked on a production line for a very small local manufacturer of 4-20mA DIN rail relays/integrators/isolators etc. we sat all day listing to “BBC RADIO 2” and cracking jokes with the boss as we soldered along. It was fabulous fun, and the savant-esque chap on the bench in front of me, the chief (ONLY!) test and certification engineer, had a laser-focused hobby around CCTV and collecting bakelite phones. At that age, a lot of what he was saying went over my head, but I got the gist of most of it.I then went to college and took “ City and guilds electronics servicing 224, part 1 year 1”, where I had a wonderful, kind tutor, Wayne. He was so kind and patient, a very gentle fellow, and once brought an old CRT scope over to give me (I’d asked for an old one), despite my having left college quite a few years earlier (I’d passed with an A++ distinction, AND I’d skyved off, and arrived LATE for the exam!… I’d skyved A LOT, as I felt I was being pressured into going to my course.)I had a couple of jobs after that, one in a hand dryer control board manufacturing co, which we’d spend lots of messing around because it was boring overall (and then the bosses nephew swooped in, bossing us all around like children!) and then in the late 90s my Dad’s close friend hired me to sit in a lab all day on my own, soldering and testing humidity probes; I’d have to wrap PTFE tape (humidity transparent) around the sensor housing holes, solder a ceramic humidity sensor onto two metal posts, assemble the thing and put it inside a custom humidity generating jig for burn in and calibration. The boss was, and still is a very lovely chap, and he’s a close friend of Dad’s (he was his churchwarden). A while later, I traveled with him around UK city shopping centres with a couple of colleagues, installing “PFM” footfall measuring systems (he’d invented the system, and it’s now owned, or was, I think, by Ferranti).After that job, I worked with another family friend who ran an electrical installation company… and all I can say about that is… they were wonderful and kind people (still my Mum is the wife’s best friend) but the job? UGH! first and second fix of lamps and sockets is SO BORING, dusty and, well… I’m grateful it was well paid!My final “proper job” around 2002/3 was wiring up looms for control systems inside some film developing machine (for Fuji, if memory serves? Not FOR them, but working for a contractor). That was dull and the staff weren’t that friendly …So anyway, to the point… I’ve got a passion for technology and especially electronics (My first love), but ever since the late 90s, I seem to have wandered off track. I recall (and it sounds weird) never having the confidence to wire up transistors - yes - SPECIFICALLY transistors - partially for some strange fear of messing it up, because I’d always over-thought them, and not really understood how they worked (and all the figures and values USED to put me off - confusing and knocked my confidence) …. *** does anyone else have a similarly odd-sounding quirk of their engineering learning?! ***So since I got hold of a PC properly, around 1999, was introduced to the UGH-ternet and its eternal capacity to distract and steal one’s time, bringing one out the other end of 6 hours, having not necessarily achieved very much… well, my passion for electronics, and aimlessly existing and not knowing what to do with said gifts and talents, I’m a bit … hmmm… well, aimless.Also, what with the exponential growth of YouTube, repeat with the millions of showoffs and “experts”, a huge portion of whom seem to project an image of “saving the world!!” and what with this modern age of ego and projection of this “I’m doing something game-changing, come subscribe to Patreon and join me on my adventures” kinda, well, BOLLOCKS a lot of the time, one sits and kinda thinks “I don’t know what that is, who needs it, in what scenario or business application would this make money?”I feel lost and confused tbh. I love electronics, and the passion comes and goes with annual regularity - like clockwork.Help! Where next? This is a confidence thing.Thanks for your time.

author: Halcyon
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: November 04, 2022, 05:55:19 am
content: I don't have a specific answer, but it might help being around like-minded individuals. Since it's hard to actually get together, this forum is a great place for that (which you've clearly embraced). Another good place in the IRC channel (irc.austnet.org #EEVblog). It tends to be a little quiet in the afternoons (my time) but since you're on the other side of the world, you'll probably see a lot more happening during your hours. It's a melting pot of "interesting" people and just about anything goes.

author: hans
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 04, 2022, 10:00:49 am
content: I don't have a specific fix for your case. I suppose everyone is trying to reinvent themselves continuously at the risk of chasing their tail. You don't see this from most people, especially YT'ers and whatnot, because they edit videos down to an happy-path engineering mindset with a perfect or entertaining story. This is the big problem with social media, as people who feel they can't live up to this standard of genius-ness are doomed to fail. But I think it's always good to cut through someone else's BS, e.g. get down to earth, but not at the expense of the other party involved.However, what worked for me is noticing that I can take things far too seriously. Example of that BJT transistor wiring up: I can imagine the anxiety and stress kicking in when you're faced with a 3 pin device and maybe can think "oh there will be still more than "3!" ways to screw this up. Murphy's law will ensure I will do so". Okay, so, then what? We make mistakes each day and let's embrace them. I know it's not easy if you happen to be a perfectionist or have other almost intrusive expectations from yourself, but it can help a lot to lower standards to what you self still enjoy and don't be put off by a mishap.I've had times where I could really get frustrated on a hobby project not working all day. For a long time I wouldn't poll myself to see if I still enjoyed it. When I started dropping tools on the bench instead of putting them down, perhaps that's a good time to stopIt's no longer enjoyable. I know that my passion however won't diminish, so after a long break or the next day, week, month, I can continue where I left off. It's part of life that you can't always run like a robot with the same battery charge and mood every day.This taking things less seriously has an unwanted side effect... I'm a lot more forgetful I think. I used to be very anxious, overthinking and on my guard with just about everything. For 1 it's a great thing as itforcesyour body and mind in the fight-flight mode which makes it hyperactive and attentive to small nuances. It's great to remember all these.. but it's a dread to pay the very high cost in exhaustion, muscle aches, headaches, etc.For your case I don't have specific advice on how to fix it. What helped me is to lower expectations and complexity of hobby projects. Sometimes I'm in a mood that I just want to make something *today*. Not some software I write on a screen and can't hold. Nor a PCB I've to draw up and wait 2 weeks to arrive. Instead I fire up Fusion360 and the 3D printer, and can turn around some useful hobby or household basket, bracket or apparatus with an hour of CAD time and a few hours on the 3D printer..

author: unknownparticle
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: November 04, 2022, 04:02:52 pm
content: Good to read about your life time line, mine had a similar start, messing about with electrics and electronics at a young age, which turned into a sponsored job with Philips that included a college course, which lead to a Uni degree.Then I completely changed course at about 24 when my Dad started a business and asked me to join him, this was in a completely different industry and totally unrelated to electronics!!This turned out to be very interesting and financially rewarding, thanks Dad, miss you.So my involvement in electronics virtually stopped, although my interest was still there and I still built a few projects and my knowledge came in useful for repairs that came up on family and friends Hi-Fi etc.Thing is, the state of the art progress passed me by, so I was a stranger to SMD, modern circuit developments like Microprocessors, system on chip, and the ever reducing size of components etc.Therefore, when my electronics interest woke up with the advent of the internet and ebay, where I discovered I could buy all that high end test gear I could never have dreamt of owning in my day, I was like a kid in a sweet shop!But I had to educate myself on all the new stuff, which has been a real buzz, although I know I'll never be able to reach the same stage that I would have if I'd remained in the industry. I find all this SMD stuff and the cheapness of really quite sophisticated devices absolutely addictive.Nothing has the build quality of instruments built upto the early 80's or so, but then that stuff doesn't have the sophistication and capability of current equipment. It's just a bit disappointing to look inside a £2000 scope now, compared to a CRO of the 70's, for example.I don't work in electronics now and never will, so it's difficult for me to give any advice to you. How about repairing and servicing band equipment, like amps etc? Dead simple stuff and musicians treat their stuff badly but also see it as mystical, generally have no knowledge of how it works, they think certain valves have a magic sound, and they want it yesterday, so you can charge a good price! Easy to set up as a one man band too!Vintage Hi-Fi is becoming a popular area too, but much more difficult to work on and parts can be extremely difficult to find.Other than that it's industry, which is just a treadmill unless you get very lucky.Good luck though, I hope you find what you're looking for.

author: Bud
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 04, 2022, 05:45:16 pm
content: Get your arse off the couch and start soldering a simple project. Will be more benefitial to you than watching a thousand youtube videos. Just literally start moving your hands and legs, touch and feel electronic parts and read schematics. Will gradually transition you from imaginary to material world.

author: RJSV
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 04, 2022, 06:20:20 pm
content: Thought that was MY posts, for a second!The passion for technology is a major hurdle you've gotten ahead of. Educators get stuck on that one when they encounter a classroom audience that's not engaged.I've done YOGA workouts during off-work hours, that seems to stoke the fires of creative instincts / imagination. Some other good sources of inspiration are maybe what could help. Try: US Patent Office search on ANYTHING literally.That's USPTO.gov and they allow a search on pending applications as well as issued. Try searching on something like, for example, "Portable Shower Heater Controller", etc. Doesn't mean you are applying, it's just a good reference.I've wanted to check out a few biographies, Henry Ford, Edison, and even some of the more obscure Mathematicians, originating in the Mediterranean region, couple thousand years back... But, sigh, Library's closed, often (COVID).I'm fairly certain, there are some distinct personality 'types', in the commercial technology work. Myself, I'm more an inventor / lab type, vs an 'office administrator'...Couldn't get to work by 7:01 am if my life depended on it, (unless stayed working over-night).What's your 'type'...some folks prefer economics / marketing, inside a tech company. My field is perpetually insecure, and requires lots of tolerance and adaptation, vs. some repetitive secure dependable position.Send any PM questions, if needed, also.Stuck in a rut? Yes many of us can relate, (maybe we can help, at least share stories.

author: unknownparticle
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: November 04, 2022, 06:37:46 pm
content: To the thread starter, I'm curious, does your forum name mean, Electronics Today International, the magazine?

author: Sal Ammoniac
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 04, 2022, 06:43:28 pm
content: The passion for electronics comes and goes for me too. From the hobby perspective, I handle this by having many hobbies and when one gets boring, I switch to another for a while. I always come back to electronics eventually, usually with renewed energy. As they say, absence makes the heart grow fonder.From the work perspective, I don't go through cycles like I do with hobbies since I can't switch entirely to something completely different (well, I could, but I don't do that), so I find new areas of interest within my current job. I work for a company where I can do that, and even if I do get bored, I always have my hobbies to look forward to.

author: eti
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 04, 2022, 06:44:03 pm
content: Quote from: Bud on November 04, 2022, 05:45:16 pmThat is EXACTLY what I say! You are spot on there. This is why I refute that watching a YT video is properly, thoroughly "learning" that skill, because it AIN'T. Thank you, you clearly think like me, very much so.

author: sokoloff
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 04, 2022, 07:07:28 pm
content: I remember reading a paper (more realistically the abstract and skimming the paper) that said there was evidence that telling someone about a plan you have activates some of the same reward pathways in your brain as actually doing the thing. It wouldn't surprise me at all to learn that watching someone accomplish a task on YouTube gives you some of that same experience.We're not particularly robust-against-bad-input beings. I know that I can start watching YouTube to figure out how to do something (most recent was disassemble a particular model of laptop to change the hard drive). Around a half-hour later, I'd watched 4 different people take the back cover of this laptop. "What the hell am I doing?! I need to actually do the repair..."I think YouTube is great in a lot of ways. The first two videos on how to disassemble the laptop (or remove worn brake pads, or change a lower ball joint, or whatever) are very helpful and productivity-enhancing. The rest of them (and maybe the overall experience, optimized for eyeball-minutes) are much less so.

author: T3sl4co1l
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 04, 2022, 07:30:02 pm
content: Cheers mate.The internet -- you get out of it what you want to, I suppose. Whether that happens consciously or not. Maybe I have the benefit of having grown up on it (you're about 10 years older than me), or developed different perspectives or strategies on minding where I hang out, what I watch (and don't!).At least for me I would say, as far as something like, using YouTube -- be careful and critical of what you watch, pick things that interest you. Build up an immunity for clickbait, refuse to click on "you won't believe <clearly false thing>!" thumbnails. Hide them if you have to.The recommendation system is statistical, you click on some subject, it'll recommend more, give or take how much of it you watched, and pretty quickly you can end up spammed with a topic that you aren't actually all that interested in (or that's entirely erroneous).The thing to remember is, you still have will and agency, even in these finely crafted corporate gardens of recommended content; the trick is, they don't know you well enough to recommend things from first principles, it's much simpler than that, just that some topics (or creators) cluster closer to others you've watched, and so are more likely to be recommended in the future. Don't want any more of it? Just tune it out, eventually it will disappear. You are the owner and creator of your own echo chamber. Be aware of it, recognize it, understand what you've let inside, be aware of things on the edge or outside your scope -- maybe check on random unrelated topics once in a while, who knows, maybe you'll discover something that captures your interest.Supposedly, platforms like Tiktok are exceptionally bad at this, filling your feed say with scantily-clad women performing vacuous content the instant you swipe on one, or maybe from-adam just because those vids are so popular they'll assume you'll be as interested in them as the average platform user is. I don't use it, I don't know for sure. That's for the better I'm sure. It's particularly insidious closing a positive feedback loop of saccharine (or worse) content to young minds, that haven't developed a discipline for topics of more than superficial interest.As for being critical, that goes for absolutely anything; always think about what they're really saying, what they might be leaving out, and why -- maybe there's an agenda (especially on politicized topics), maybe there's simply ignorance (no shortage of that among electronics topics, for example!), maybe it ticks all the boxes and is widely supported by multiple others in the field, by significant and diverse evidence, etc.As for places to hang out -- not sure, honestly. Forums have gone the way of the dodo. Pretty sure this is the best electronics-themed one anymore. There are other sites, like Quora or Stack of course, but they're geared towards answering questions, usually with strict moderation (it's not a discussion group!), and, well, random people on the internet being what they are -- the range of questions, and quality, is probably even more inane than the spread we get here.What do people do instead, then? Tons of discussion groups moved to Discord. Or Facebook. Or users on Twitter. I don't know of any reasonable electronics related groups offhand, but I'm sure there's a few out there. Discord isn't public searchable AFAIK, it's a hidden garden, good luck. FB is if the groups are public. And Twitter, does have some good threads from time to time, but I might not recommend sifting through the miles of muck to find them. (That said, I'm fond of perusinghttps://twitter.com/kenshirriffand related feeds, from time to time.)Regarding the hesitation with transistors -- heh, I can identify with that feeling I think. Let's see, what was the last thing... Maybe just motivating in general? Say, testing a new selection of components in a prototype -- like, there's a few ways I can go about doing this, change these, change those, do I test each time, do I test a whole set (multiple changes at once), do I want to do a setup to make it easier to change parts, or to take the measurements, or... And it just spirals through analysis paralysis and getting-ready-to-wait syndrome. Undiagnosed ADHD something, probably -- but these are actually very common symptoms that people have, to varying severity, and often clustering with other things too: anxiety, ASD, etc. Maybe you've felt these sorts of forces (or blocks) a long time, maybe wondered if that's just how things are, whether anyone else does it; well -- don't be afraid about it, definitely people do. Maybe get to know a few people like that, be gracious, understanding, patient, curious, share like experiences; I think it's also a common experience that, a lot of people, men especially, are raised to keep things bottled up, private, British stiff upper lip in your case, I suppose? -- but as it happens, there's no harm in being sensitive about these things. Like, maybe you indeed have undiagnosed ADHD or something, maybe something to look into -- therapy? medication? -- or maybe it's completely different, I'm just spitballing examples here. But the point is, everyone's a bit nuts, and we don't have to hide that; we do have to work through a shared social language (written, spoken, and body language, and etiquette too!), and be gracious and give benefit of a doubt and ask for clarification when needed.No idea if any of these ramblings in turn are helpful, maybe I've touched upon a few ideas that hit home, I know you've been frustrated by various things before -- the thing with frustration is, it's a very real thing, maybe anyone else in your exact circumstances would lash out too, but maybe it really is something you've overlooked about yourself, or something you've misinterpreted about the situation; always be willing to stop, take a step back, think about it, think about yourself, do some introspection -- at the very least, you may gain an appreciation for why people might be responding to you some way, or what you're doing to influence or trigger that; often, there's a list of possibilities that you just don't know about (because of ignorance of their priorities, or ignorance of psychology in general -- brains are weird, alright?).Oh, related, I suspect this very process (introspection) is the, for some reason rarely spoken/described, real purpose of meditation. Or anything that works like that, be it physically related too (e.g. Yoga) or religiously themed (loops of prayers?). (I mean, Yoga is religious too, but additionally I mean.) Seems to me, like, I at least can put my mind to very literal purposes, like, you want me to say a prayer ten times in a row so what, it's just words through my head, what have I actually accomplished? I suspect for most people, it's that their heads are constantly filled with thoughts, whether intrusive, undisciplined, or just completely random; forcing concentration onto something repetitive clears the mind, maybe opens one up to thoughts about oneself, maybe not necessarily pleasant thoughts at that, but those too are things we need to introspect about. Anyway, maybe that's helpful to some people, praying or meditating or whatever; but whenever I tried it, I find -- perhaps I'm too literal, and I can in fact fill my mind with just the thing being repeated, or nothing at all if in silent contemplation. It's no value to me, it does absolutely nothing. I'd rather just go right in and think about things directly!But anyway, yeah, there's a lot of people here I suspect, who maybe never realized things about themselves, whether it's just how they really feel about things, or how others think of them or their behavior, or whether it's mental condition, or indeed disorder (diagnosed or not), and as a result, a lot of people have limited views on multitudes of subjects or experiences, and so often end up frustrated when things don't seem to go right (indeed maybe they don't ever go right..!).Idunno. Usual disclaimers, IANAPsychiatrist, cash value three trillionths of a bitcoin, etc...Cheers all,Tim

author: unknownparticle
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: November 04, 2022, 07:46:18 pm
content: For me, youtube is very useful. I'm not denying there is alot of utter garbage on there but that isn't a problem, just don't watch that sort of material!! I regularly block channels that are pushed at me so I don't get annoyed at seeing their stupid names and click bait titles appear in my recommendations, so the power is there to filter the cr4p.I found it massively helpful when I began my journey into surface mount soldering, as although my soldering skill for through hole etc is more than competent, I found the prospect of surface mount daunting. Couple of hours watching and absorbing experts do it and a few practice boards and components later and I was on it like a pro! Although it did help that I invested in a Metcal station and a range of tips, that is a superb piece of kit!My more than 40 year old Weller station has been a stalwart and has never given a moments trouble, it's just not the thing for SMD. Still serves well on my vintage stuff though.Also very useful for fault finding on modern cars with ECU's and body modules everywhere. If you have a problem that is proving tricky to locate, bets are that someone else has had the same issue and has solved it. Watching their process builds your own knowledge of how to approach other problems in the future.There are some VERY, VERY clever people on youtube, particularly in the electronics field, where else could you find such expertise so easily?!

author: hans
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 04, 2022, 08:06:02 pm
content: Quote from: sokoloff on November 04, 2022, 07:07:28 pmIt's even worse. It doesn't even to be seeing someone else doing it.. just thinking about it yourself how you would do it is enough! So say you fantasize about recreating this particular project you are gazing at online. You may sketch a small circuit, block diagram.. may even make a start in CAD. But then you lose interest as the grind sets in, because that seems intense.. It's outside of my attention span for that moment..A colleague of mine told me it's a classic symptom of ADHD. He described it as being different from lazy.. it's not that I don't want to finish this project, or have no interest or passion for things. But I'm often only able to draw into *new* things. I can only finish things under time pressure, at say work, or because of an external factor. Sometimes 'peer pressure' can help, say I'm cooperating on a project with a friend.. but solo with zero consequence I often just can't push myself to finish it. It's this on/off interest is something I'm quite familiar with. I start lots of projects but finish like 5% tops. That's why I described that getting moody at slow progress, annoying bugs, frustrating mistakes, is a huge obstacle for me. I tend to ignore it for a long time, but it gives me a lot of stress. Nowadays I much rather make a small 3D CAD drawing in the morning and have it printed in the afternoon.But my passion is not in mech eng. I'm not interested in making very nice parameterized 3D models, it's neat but too much hassle to perfect. I don't care much for the physics of some mechanical apparatus, or very dynamic systems like robotics.It's almost orthogonal to how I approach electronics, as in my education/work I am supposed to (read: need) to grind through simulations, modelling, quantiative analysis and write papers about it. It's my job and something I doliketo do, but I do need to put (or find) myself in the right mindset to complete it.On a related note.. read the wikipedia article on anhedonia. It's not a pretty subject as it's intensely linked to depression.. but basically it describes that typical people will have 2 types of ways to enjoy an activity: it's the anticipation for an activity, and the actual execution of that activity. Some people may not find joy in telling everyone they're going for an epic bike ride that weekend, but can still make themselves do it and actually like it. Others may actually look intensely forward to working on a hobby, but then as they start immediately lose interest in it.Disclaimer: I'm not a psychologist nor psychiatrist, and I don't encourage self-diagnosis nor want to imply of my descriptions are accurate or apply to anyone in this thread. Consult a professional .

author: jpanhalt
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 04, 2022, 09:13:09 pm
content: Hi eti,There is a basic fact you don't seem to realize. When you work for someone else, that person calls the shots. When you work for yourself, you call the shots. You have proved at age 47 that you can do neither.In your first example, you were an employee and refused to make deliveries for your boss. Did you really think the boss should do that for you? You were the "go pher." Your boss's time in the shop was more valuable than yours. You got fired rightfully. The rest of your history is more of the same. No one really cares how you feel. What they want is a productive employee. If you wanted to be a boss, you should have stayed in school and learned more than how to have fun why engaging in you hobby. Most professionals (e.g., lawyers, physicians, professors, nurses, etc.) have made "it" by age 35, much less 47.So, you have cast around for 30+ years and now want help from this forum. Do you really want the truth? The horse is out of the barn. It's too late to do what you should have done years ago. Get a job, work hard, do what you are asked to do and survive on your own. My mother's advice was simple, "John, you need to work hard, or you will lose your job, go broke, and starve to death." She was the most senior child in a large immigrant family when the depression hit. They survived very well. Today, there are safety nets for those who don't want to work. That choice is yours. Why complain here that you are in a rut when you won't take any advice that doesn't support your "passion?"

author: eti
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 05, 2022, 12:32:04 am
content: Quote from: ebastler on November 04, 2022, 09:55:09 pmYou know, with due respect, I do have a life outside an internet forum. Is there a schedule within which I should reply? I’ve endured a great deal of trauma and heartbreak the last three years. I’m very solitary. I’ll reply when I’m ready to. You’ve no idea of my life, who I am or what I’m doing, minute to minute. If you step outside the forum and don’t keep checking to see if people have replied, then it’s not going to bother you.Cheerio for now.

author: eti
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 05, 2022, 12:50:52 am
content: Quote from: jpanhalt on November 04, 2022, 09:13:09 pmYou speak through the lens of yourownexperiences, successes, failures, life, etc. Individuals have individual, made-to-fit lives - what works well for one, doesn’t work for the other. I sense you are “projecting” based on the extreme details in your message.How you’re able to ascertain whether or not I’m taking this advice (in whole or in part), or not, escapes me entirely. You do understand that it’s not even been 24 hours since I posted this, right?- I shall reply when I’m ready to.I read EVERY SINGLE reply carefully and with great enjoyment, taking great value from the majority.Also, you might like to remember that “advice” is like a gift that someone is handing you; you’re not OBLIGED to follow up on someone’s “advice” - think of it like graciously accepting the gift and putting it on a metaphorical “table”, and later on deciding whether to pick it up, unwrap it and make use of it, or maybe just leave it on this metaphorical “table” (again, there’s no “time limit” - are you expecting me to “report back” to you as a child does to a schoolteacher?)Someone who feels that I MUST reply in a certain timeframe, MUST report back, etc, and MUST heed their advice, seems rather insecure to me, and I’m not sure how much I’d want to engage with them, or heed advice from such a person.I don’t have an issue telling my story, but you could do with a lesson in etiquette my friend.PS: My mindset is not one of complaint - I’m open and frank about how I feel. It doesn’t matter how you feel about me, we are strangers to one another. Maybe try a less accusatory approach.

author: nctnico
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 05, 2022, 12:54:18 am
content: Quote from: sokoloff on November 04, 2022, 07:07:28 pmThat makes perfect sense to me. I really like to make plans for all kinds of projects. But I've learned that plans need to lead to something actually being done as well. So nowadays I spend a great deal of time on how to simplify the execution of plans so I can actually finish them in a reasonable time

author: deadlylover
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: November 05, 2022, 12:59:10 am
content: You aren't the same person as you were 20 years ago (none of us are lol), do you think there might be a bit of uhh "sunk cost fallacy" going on with electronics? There's nothing wrong with moving on with the next thing, it seems like electronics might be weighing you down on seeking other opportunities. A mid-life, hell, even a late-life career change is suuuuper common and you shouldn't feel like a failure for it.My enthusiasm with electronics as a hobby comes and goes because it's very project based. I can chuck it on the back burner for years until something needs doing or fixing ahahah. So to vill the void you need to pick up other hobbies/interests/work to fill the time. Just having "one thing" be your identity can put you in a rut too easily IMO.I know it's kind of taboo but coming from a financial background, your financial health is just as important as your physical and mental health. We sometimes have to stomp on our lofty dreams of making a living out of our passions and just hustle. I'll echo one of the posters above, you gotta survive.

author: nigelwright7557
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: November 05, 2022, 01:27:19 am
content: I got interested in electronics around 1980 when I built the Maplin disco kit.Had to build amplifier, speakers, mixer and sound to light.I blew up the sound to light.The only person I could think of asking was a a local radio/TV repair man.So I took my sound to light to him and he fixed it explaining a SCR had blown.I also was into playing guitar and we chatted about valve amplifiers.He gave me an ancient 5 watt amplifier with huge bulb like valves in it.I wanted to get into electronics but didnt know how.I went to the job centre and noticed a government TOPS course in electronics.I asked about it and was told I needed to pass 3 maths exams to get on.I passed the first two but just failed the third.So went away and studied the maths that was in the test and next time I passed.I went to live in Durham for a year while I studied there.We did theory in the mornings and practical in the afternoon.I passed the end of year exam with distinctions.I had to find a job next and it was mostly jobs in south of England but I managed to find one 15 miles away from where I lived.I started off as test and alignment engineer and as time went on was tasked with harder jobs and eventually allowed to do some design work.I left them after 3 years and went to work for a PIC Consultancy for 13 years.The consultancy was interesting because I never knew what I was going to do next.I now work for myself designing and selling all sorts of things.What to do next ? Consultancy is good money and interesting.Working for yourself can be hard as there is no guaranteed income.

author: coppercone2
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 05, 2022, 08:32:56 am
content: most of video social media = getting beer money for clickbait (and also advertisements)the exchange rate is something like a 12 pack for a thousand peoples time

author: EEVblog
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: November 05, 2022, 09:18:45 am
content: Quote from: hans on November 04, 2022, 08:06:02 pmReminds me of my gym classes. I still (eagerly) get off my arse 3-4 times a week and go to the gym to do a group class. Not because I feel the need to stay fit or my health will turn to crap if I don't etc, but simply because I enjoy being in a group class for some reason(s).I can't get the same enthusiasm for just going to the gym and working out on my own, it's not the same feeling. Same thing, but the difference is in the group class.Don't know what it is exactly, might be that I get to say hi to people, might be that I like the motivation of being with others with workouts, might be that I secretly like beign an exhibitionist and showing off my fitness abilities, might be that I like watching people start out and helping them, might be that I like talking to the hot girls in their gym outfits. All I know is that it makes all the difference that it's a class.Probably at 5000 BodyPump classes now, maybe 2000 BodyCombat classes, and a hundreds of Grid, boxing, and cross train type classes. Enthusiam level still the same after 25+ years.You need to find what is "addictive" and hence easy to get off your arse for. If you are lucky then it's something productive or beneficial to your life.

author: jpanhalt
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 05, 2022, 10:21:34 am
content: Quote from: eti on November 05, 2022, 12:50:52 amOf course my advice is based on experience. That's what you asked for. Call it projecting if you want. Nothing wrong with projecting when giving advice. Apply it as it might fit you. However, it seems your consistent rejection of good advice has not worked well for you as you are now "stuck in a rut."Your comments directed at me about saying that you do not reply in a time manner are misdirected. I suggested no such thing.Quote from: etiIf you are happy with being in a rut, why start this thread? The key that I see to your situation is that you want just fun in an occupation. As soon as someone makes a demand on you or your time that is "not fun" you either quit or precipitate your own firing.In all my years, I did things in order to succeed that I didn't enjoy or feel I needed to do. Call that projecting, if you want, but I have never known anyone in a meaningful profession or job who didn't do the same.EEVBlog's experience in gym classes can be extrapolated to many activities. In college, a small group of us (never more than 4) studied together in preparing for exams. It was fun and helped get something that was not fun done. In graduate school, we had weekly research group meetings. In my working years, our procedure manuals needed to be reviewed and revised yearly. That is not fun by yourself, but we did it as a group and got it done more easily. It's a long list of examples. In other words, find a way to make those activities you dislike doing less disagreeable while still getting them done. Don't ever refuse to do something you are asked to do, even if it is not a demand.

author: hans
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 05, 2022, 11:17:14 am
content: Quote from: EEVblog on November 05, 2022, 09:18:45 amI've had the same with swimming. I like swimming but the step of going there alone was a major hurdle for me. So I started out with a few classmates after studying, once a week. I suppose swimming can be the worst of examples if one has body image issues, but honestly I know my friends don't judge and that I shouldn't care about others. Eventually I added 2x per week by myself, which was great for my fitness and doing more swimming, but other than that it can be a bit boring.I imagine going to a scheduled class also means that there is no possibility for procrastination. You can't prioritize some fun other thing you're drawn into , as the class starts at e.g. 6PM and not at 8PM which would secretly suit you better. You can't postpone it to tomorrow, because there is no class. You can't skip to the next class as it may be next week, or if you meet people that you like to hang out with, you'd have to cancel them or miss out on the down-time. At this point it's not all about enjoying the workout, but getting yourself in a mindset to do so.As I pointed out with my work, some grind things I just need to stumble upon myself to be in the right mindset. I'd love to be a robot and be able to write a paper any day of the week and have it done. And pause/resume at completely free will. But it doesn't work for me like that. At work I very often have productivity in terms of a sine wave with a period of approximately 1-2 weeks. There are days where I'm just reading and reiterating existing work. On other days I will type so much the keyboard would have overheated and purely on feeling, I've "caught up" on a weeks of work. If I start writing a paper, I like to do it in 2 or 3 consecutive days and be done with it. HR would probably say it's not healthy to lock myself in a room like that for focus, but I guess that's just how my mind works on these kinds of things.Oh, and I disagree that a boss shouldn't care about these things. They absolutely should! I think a 'good boss' is far more valuable than having slightly more interesting work. Sure I wouldn't be happy doing production work instead of design work even if the boss is great.. but I personally don't think the choice of e.g. automotive vs medical industry is more dominant than finding a great boss.I've been in a work downtime for a pretty time now, and now that I'm rebooting myself into work I'm rediscovering and trying to reinvent my workstyle for all these things. I've the luck of being at a larger company where they have experience with people that have extra needs. It's not always about the production output but also about the process. If you can work 70hrs a week without health issues, and love to go the extra mile for some reward, then there is nothing wrong with that. But if those 70hrs are a way of coping with other stuff, e.g. as you could say it's 'presenteeism', then that requires attention. I don't think it's a lack of willpower or being lazy. I'm not sure how things are arranged in the UK or other countries, but the employer's responsibility, possibility for sick leave and job coaching varies greatly.. unfortunately.

author: EEVblog
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: November 05, 2022, 11:46:45 am
content: Quote from: hans on November 05, 2022, 11:17:14 amThe other thing with workouts (and you can extend this to other things like work) is that if you have to do it meet an end goal (health, rehab etc) then you are less likely to do it if the end goal is the only motivation. But if you devise or find a system whereby you get a little dopamine hit every time by doing the thing, then that's going to help motivate you to do it every time. The end goal eventually comes, but that's wasn't the reason you did it, you did it because you wanted that little dopamine hit. It could be that nice smoothie you get at the cafe after the class, or talking to or checking out that hot gym instructor, or showing of your form, or walking or riding your bike to get there or whatever it is.Systems work better than goals.QuoteI've said it many times, but engineers LOVE deadlines, they thrive on it. Same can work for gym classes or other things you need to get done. If you can put a system in place to force deadlines on yourself than that can vastly improve your productivity in getting things done.

author: eti
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 05, 2022, 06:02:51 pm
content: Quote from: jpanhalt on November 05, 2022, 10:21:34 am** This is appalling "advice". Thanks for trying to help, I know your intentions are good.

author: jpanhalt
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 05, 2022, 06:06:30 pm
content: Glad to see you have an open mind.

author: RJSV
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 05, 2022, 06:41:50 pm
content: Eti:Best advice, short-term, is to see these advice bubbles as pixels...just pixels making words on your screen. You can just 'collect' them for now, and then later you can sort thru, to whatever degree.It was 'no crime', when I asked similar questions...and 'no crime' when an occasional replies were with a slight 'sting'. Yeah, but just pixels, and I had put questions out there (forum), that invited folks to examine my approach / motivations.Heck, as long as you don't run around breaking laws, ASK AWAY and let a bit of apparent criticism ebb and flow.I HAD been thinking of mentioning, it's difficult to pull off a personal improvement campaign when struggling to make ends meet, food and rent and all other distractions. Eight hour worth of work to do, yesterday.I got, like 1 1/2 hours actually done...the rest spent walking to store, doing the part-time animal care job etc.Yes, a bit of 'fun' you should try to have, in your work.Thanks, for reading, eti !

author: ebastler
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 05, 2022, 09:58:22 pm
content: Quote from: eti on November 04, 2022, 06:44:03 pmQuote from: eti on November 05, 2022, 12:32:04 amQuote from: eti on November 05, 2022, 12:50:52 amQuote from: eti on November 05, 2022, 06:02:51 pmWithout exception, you have only acknowledged comments so far which told you what you wanted to hear, and have procrastinated on or rejected other advice. I hope that rut you are stuck in is comfortable enough, since you seem bound to stay in there.Nevertheless I have one more suggestion to offer. From your posting stats and recent post timestamps, it seems that you have established a daily rhythm where you are awake through the night and probably sleep during the day. If this is not related to some night-shift job but is your personal choice, I would strongly suggest that you try switching this around. Walks in the sunlight and interactions with other people are good for most of us, and missing out on them may drag you down. And just changingsomethingin your life may be a first step to getting out of that rut, by giving you a fresh perspective and signaling to yourself that things are in motion.Apologies if this should come across as too intrusive or if I misinterpreted your posting times. And cof course you are free to reject or procrastinate...

author: eti
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 06, 2022, 01:14:12 am
content: Quote from: ebastler on November 05, 2022, 09:58:22 pmYou're actually spot on. I'm sorry if my guard was up and I reacted defensively toward you. I'll get to reply to all posts when I have more time. Thanks again my friend. I've dealt with lots off pushy, "advice"-foisting officious, "officials" over 4 years, and it's made me somewhat defensive end cynical, not traits I enjoy having, and which certainly not part of my natural character.I'm sorry.

author: Geoff-AU
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: November 06, 2022, 10:10:50 am
content: Quote from: eti on November 06, 2022, 01:14:12 amThe irony of being defensive against the advice offered, when you asked for advice to start with, is delicious. I would also contend that if it's your natural reaction then it hasbecomeyour natural character. You can change it again, of course, but it will take time and practice to foster the natural attitude that you want to hold.And to be fully disclosed, I have also rapidly switched to the defensive when showing a design for comment and receiving way more "room for improvement" points than expectedSo I cannot claim to be any better, I'm just having a chuckle because I've been there too.You just gotta change something, or a few things... whatever seems like a vaguely sensible idea. I was in a rut for a while (job was stagnant) and told my boss I wanted to cut back to 4 days a week and have the 5th day for my own projects. I really had no ideas other than "I gotta do something else for 1 day a week or I'll be stuck here forever". I remained on call for them in case of disasters but I picked up some contract work which opened my mind to new people and ideas, it refreshed my self confidence and I ultimately changed day jobs which brought new learnings.One of my neighbours once said "if I'm not moving forwards, I'm moving backwards". It's very true, because if you stay still then everyone around you still makes progress. But at the same time, you need to work out a sustainable pace. You can either run at a steady marathon pace, but if you are prone to sprinting then you need some recovery time now and then. It is impossible to sprint, and then sprint again, and then sprint again. Your performance gets worse each time without a rest. But you may also find that landing in the right place, your enthusiasm returns and you have more energy than you thought you would.I also echo ebastler's suggestion that a daytime routine, where you get some Vitamin D and talk to people, is a healthy thing. If you're out and about and talking to people then you'll discover opportunities of all kinds.

author: hans
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 06, 2022, 10:44:00 am
content: It's a little ironic, then again everyone can respond in an emotional manner from time to time.. however I've sat in therapy rooms where I've seen the exact same thing happen. People literally fled to breathe fresh air. Confrontation is never easy and not best done (e.g. hard to do) over written mediums via internet, in my honest opinion. Communication about this stuff in-person is often not easy as it already is, as certain details can be left unspoken about that you can spot with body language (which we can't over internet). Every confrontation or "advice" from someone else has a certain bias and possibly mismatch from that person as well.In my  therapy experience I had during burnout, I've had explained that one of the main rules is tonotgive advice. You can share experiences, offer them to help or invite them, but only if the other person asks as in the end people can only fix themselves, as harsh as that may sound sometimes. As I said w.r.t. jobcoaching and relationships with employers, or every other relationship; don't get me wrong.. there still needs to be a clear ownership of who's 'stuff' is on who to fix. No one is perfect. 2 people that are arguing together almost always means 2 people are at fault, as each person has had chances to deescalate, forgive or react in more emphatic vs confrontational ways.If you can identify personally what you're struggling with, what ways there are to improve and cope, then all the power to you.

author: SiliconWizard
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 07, 2022, 09:08:44 pm
content: Haven't read it all here. But just stating the obvious. If one feels "stuck", there's an obvious cure: just start moving. Start doing something. Almost anything will do. The rest will unfold. You can't expect to get out of a rut if you keep procrastinating.

author: thm_w
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 07, 2022, 09:43:36 pm
content: Quote from: ebastler on November 05, 2022, 09:58:22 pmGood that someone checked, not too surprised.It is incredibly difficult to be healthy, motivated, and useful if you are not awake during normal daylight hours, and get some level of exercise.Sure some people can do it, but the majority? no.

author: jonpaul
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 07, 2022, 09:48:58 pm
content: pick a life goal, focus on accomplishing itbecome an optimistsulking, complaining and grudge does nothingthink like an airline pilot, surgeon or battlefield commanderJon