Unrelated to the original topic, but I want to point out that this question and it’s cousins are a massive red flag for me.
Being content with life is hard. For many people who are still in the early stages of figuring it out, this question is poison.
It attacks a specific insecurity and is always only used to recruit young people into a workforce that is otherwise hard to staff (militaries, rebel causes, government services etc)
When “what have you done with your life?” is replaced with “Do x, and your life will be more meaningful”, the advertising tactic becomes more visible. But the people who want to find such answers must seek therapy, not enroll for whatever job opportunity is being nefariously advertised.
I agree with you generally that this kind of question can be used to manipulate, however I also feel those of us in the Technology sector need to answer it. So many of us are spending our lives without thinking about what we are doing. We just do whatever pays the best or gives us the nicest life. Meanwhile there are _huge_ problems that need to be solved, and we are ignoring them.
So it is a loaded question, but I feel its one people in the tech industry need to ask themselves.
It's fine if you ask that question in a way that makes it clear you're asking it in general. But if you're talking to a specific person and you say that, many if not most readers will hear it as a personal attack, so please don't bring it up that way on HN.
Unrelated to the original topic, but I want to point out that this question and it’s cousins are a massive red flag for me.
Being content with life is hard. For many people who are still in the early stages of figuring it out, this question is poison.
It attacks a specific insecurity and is always only used to recruit young people into a workforce that is otherwise hard to staff (militaries, rebel causes, government services etc)
When “what have you done with your life?” is replaced with “Do x, and your life will be more meaningful”, the advertising tactic becomes more visible. But the people who want to find such answers must seek therapy, not enroll for whatever job opportunity is being nefariously advertised.