> I left my job for a tech company and took a job as a barista at a Starbucks.
I can second this, although I don't know if I could make the choice to do it voluntarily. I was unemployed a couple of years ago and working full time hours at Tim Horton's serving coffee. I found it really exhausting, both physically and mentally, and then when I got home all I wanted to do was program - I think I would have had to force myself not to do it. Maybe it's even something about being around the smell of coffee all day too!
Sometimes I fantasize about doing this. I've been unemployed and tried to make things happen, but days spent alone in front of a computer really depressed me. My current job is about as awesome as a job can get, but it's still not really my own ideas...
It seems to me I was most enthusiastic about programming when it wasn't my "real" job. Maybe I just want to recapture those days.
Also, I had no idea how ignorant I was, which certainly helped.
I can second this, although I don't know if I could make the choice to do it voluntarily. I was unemployed a couple of years ago and working full time hours at Tim Horton's serving coffee. I found it really exhausting, both physically and mentally, and then when I got home all I wanted to do was program - I think I would have had to force myself not to do it. Maybe it's even something about being around the smell of coffee all day too!