I think one of the most predictive features for personal happiness is whether you have high-quality hobbies. My friends and acquaintances with hobbies seem consistently happier and more fulfilled than those without, independent of other factors like job satisfaction, financial success, and physical health.
My time in Montana is coming to an end—I’ll be spending the next few days camping in Glacier National Park, then heading back down to Atlanta. This past summer really was something special—Livingston and the whole state just have great vibes.
The central concept in James C. Scott’s Seeing Like a State is legibility, and how states’ desire to make their societies more legible often leads to disaster. Others have detailed the main points of Seeing Like a State far better than I could—please start with those three if you’re not familiar (or just read the book, which is excellent!)
Engineering ability can be boiled down into a single “level”. Levels are often based on both current ability and track record, and build on each other—a L4 engineer is expected to fulfill not only L4 expectations, but also those of L1-3. Levels are often used by management for titling and compensation bands. Levels can be either discrete or continuous, though in either case, despite the window dressing, they are often somewhat arbitrary.
When’s the last time you looked around for a new job? If the answer is “more than a year ago”, you’re doing yourself a disservice. Even if you’re happy in your current role, simply looking around offers many benefits.