We might wonder if spending time and effort on something is worth it. But we should know that everything we do helps us learn and grow, even if we don’t immediately see it. Sometimes, things don’t turn out how we want, but the journey teaches us important things that can help us in the future. A user asked the forum, “What is it that you invested thousands of hours and now is pointless?”
Here are some responses he got.!
BS IN BIOCHEMISTRY
“I got a B.S. in biochemistry, then drove a forklift for 14 years. Now I’m an electrician.”
KNOWING ALL THE TRICKS FOR MAKING A WEBSITE
“I know all the tricks to make a website look as good in Internet Explorer 6 as in Chrome, Safari, or Opera.”
DIGITIZING MY ENTIRE DVD COLLECTION INTO MP4S
“At the end of the ’90s, I digitized my entire DVD collection into MP4’s. I had more than 1000 titles. I had a computer specially dedicated to this task, and at the rate of one DVD every night, I remembered to do it. I burned through 3 different disk drives. It took me four years to finish.”
“Everything now is streaming in HD or 4K on your phone.”
CHEMICAL ENGINEERING DEGREE
“It took me eight years to get my Chemical Engineering degree. I never worked a single day as a Chemical Engineer. I’m a Data Analyst now.”
BUILDING TOP-RATED CUSTOMER SERVICE TEAM: A SURPRISING TURN
“I built a customer service team from the ground up to support a client’s new product. Became the highest-rated customer service group in the entire business. One day, our phones went dead. Called to test the line and was routed to a different customer service team. We’d been outsourced, and they didn’t have the heart to tell us beforehand.”
MINECRAFT
“From 2011 to 2018-2019, it was my go-to depression game. When my depression got bad, I’d play for 12 hours some days. Built a huge city with districts, multiple tall buildings, a rail system, a mob zoo, etc. I kinda miss it sometimes.”
LIFE OF A GENETICIST
“The field moves quickly with the technology and techniques, but they are all very complex and difficult to learn. More than once, I have poured myself into a specialized skill to be the best in the building, only to have that skill obsolete the next year.”
“It never feels that bad, though, because the replacements are almost always faster, easier, and get you better results, or else they don’t take off.”
LEARNING TO REPAIR NUCLEAR MISSILES
“I spent half my Army career learning to repair nuclear missiles in various schools. Now, I’m doing desktop support and teaching the new guys how to install printers remotely.”
INDIGENOUS KNOTTING
“I used to be able to make the most beautiful dresses, armors, and regalia using traditional knotting and beading techniques.”
“Broke my arm about a decade ago, got fat, and got arthritis. Now my hands don’t even work well enough to teach the next generation how to do it.”
AVIATION DEGREE
“I got an aviation degree because it used to be the only way you could qualify to become an air traffic controller. The age cut-off is 30, and I graduated when I was 29. They decided to “restructure” the hiring process months after I graduated and canceled all hiring panels for two years. I aged out and now have a useless degree on which I still pay student loans.”
CHOOSING FRENCH OVER SPANISH
“I took two years of French instead of Spanish in high school. I live in Texas.”
TECH STARTUP SUCCESS TO MARKET CRASH
“When I was 20 I got a job at an up-and-coming tech company. Six months later, they went IPO in a big way, and I was worth $2M on paper.”
“Six months later, the market crashed, and the stock tanked. Before I was legally allowed to touch the shares.”
TEN YEARS OF GAME DEVELOPMENT WORK VANISHED IN AN INSTANT
“I managed to wipe the drive that held all my work accidentally. I’m a semi-professional game dev; there was ten years’ worth of meshes, materials, and code. It’s been ten days, and I’ve just been shocked, having tried and failed to recover the lost files.”
DEGREE IN ASTRONOMY
“I have a bachelor’s degree in Astronomy from one of the world’s best universities. I now work as a software engineer.”
FROM ARTIST TO CODER
“I spent over a decade learning how to draw, studying design techniques, etc. Tried to work as a professional designer and illustrator, and it was terrible, and I made no money. Now, I’m a software developer. Every once in a blue moon, it helps create graphics, but it’s just pointless.
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Chhavi
Chhavi Agarwal is a lawyer who quit her job to become a full-time work-from-home blogger. She shares tips and tricks on making money online, side hustles, freelancing, and blogging through her blog, Mrs. Daaku Studio. She has been featured on Forbes, Business Insider, Peru Tribune, Kentucky Today and More. Byline: MSN, AP Wire, Newsbreak