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How to express my hobby properly to others...
25 CPS:
--- Quote from: hamster_nz on February 11, 2021, 11:21:55 pm ---Trying to explained to somebody (a secondary school teacher) that I am not in "the Business of Computing, Coding and Electronics" but the craft of Computing, Coding and Electronics.
Like "a painter (trade)" vs "a painter (artist)"? (not that I am at all an artist).
I'm not doing it for a job, but doing it for pure interest and to satisfy a need to do something challenging and to express my thoughts.
What are the right words for that?
--- End quote ---
Actually, I think you've explained it quite well. You do it because you enjoy it and you're curious about it. I really hope your teacher wasn't putting you down for your interests.
james_s:
--- Quote from: Sal Ammoniac on February 12, 2021, 02:48:29 am ---It's a hobby. I don't think there's any better way to put it.
Everyone has a different take on their hobbies, and sometimes two people have totally different approaches to the same hobby. For example, I have two friends that are really into RC airplanes. One loves to build airplanes and rarely flies. The other hates to build, but loves to fly.
In my case, I get the most satisfaction out of electronics by doing as much as possible myself. When working with microcontrollers I don't use canned libraries--I prefer to write all of the code myself, including boot code, peripheral drivers, real-time operating systems, filesystems, etc. Ditto with hardware--I prefer to do design and PCB layout myself, even if it's already been done by someone else before. Yes, this takes much more time and effort than just using pieces someone else has already implemented, but that's the way I like it.
--- End quote ---
I've encountered that same thing. I don't mind building, I've built a few planes, it's something I can do and I'm glad I did it but for the most part it's a means to an end, the flying is the part I really enjoy. I've run into people who have the attitude that the only "real" way to do it is to build it from sticks the way they used to. No thanks, the first time I crashed I probably would have thrown in the towel and given up, I just don't get that much pleasure out of that part and I don't see why anyone would have an issue with that.
With electronics I tend to enjoy the design and building part more than using the finished project but if someone would rather just go buy a widget that does what they need I don't really have a problem with that either. In the end I don't really care how others perceive my hobbies, I have done electronics for work too but I found it to be immensely less enjoyable when I HAVE to work on a particular project, and deal with deadlines and feature creep, politics and various constraints that are beyond my control. I just found out I'd rather do it as a hobby. I've also built a reputation as the guy who fixes a lot of the stuff others claim can't be fixed but again, I do that on the side, on my terms.
VK3DRB:
There are plenty of "slap-dash" tradesmen around, but very few craftsmen. Same with electronics. Most PCB designers don't treat their work as a craft and as such don't do a great job. Gone are the days when a PCB layout was considered artwork.
A colleague once told me that if you are single and want to impress a chick, tell them you are a designer and they will be interested :-+. But tell them you are an electronics engineer, technician or electronics hobbyist and they will run the other way :palm:. Tell them you are a ham radio operator and they might just tell you get f......
John B:
You have a vocation. I think society has lost a lot of the respect for the notion that a person would devote their term to perfecting a craft, even when such a craft has obvious technological benefits for society at large. Validation now seems to come primarily or exclusively from ones participation in a corporatised or institutionalised environment.
Syntax Error:
My late father (an EE) had this saying. There are workmen and there are craftsmen. Craftsmen are never happy with the best they can do because, they are always striving to do better. Whereas workmen are always happy with the least effort that they can get away with.
Workman or craftsman, it's about attitude, not just aptitude.
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