But for some people, there is also a time in their life for irrational overcommitment. I would argue that it's even -- not necessarily healthy, but -- productive, valuable, worthwhile. You can learn a lot about yourself by finding the limits of your abilities, tolerances, and willingness.
GP is oversimplifying. Most "passion" ads do not mean "irrationally overcommit for my profit". They mean "don't bother if you think our project is boring".
There are probably a couple dozen "OMG so worth it" projects that spring to my mind from the annals of computer history. If the project arrived at the right time in your life, and you had the skills and desire to pursue it to the point of irrational overcommitment, the rewards (non-financial) would be lifelong.
Developing the Macintosh is definitely one of those.
I agree that overcommitting can be a lot of fun, and feels good. However, its easy to overdo it to the point where you really hurt yourself in at least the medium term.
Back in 2011 or so I went all-in on a job. It was fun and exciting. Then one time I pulled a few all-nighters in a row, AND management started to get abusive ("if this code doesn't work in 48 hours you're all fired") and something snapped in me. I felt physically ill for a week. But even more astoundingly, I couldn't program for a solid 3 months. The feeling of revulsion to the computer was so powerful, I just couldn't, wouldn't program anything (obviously I quit that job so programming that project was not what I was attempting). Interacting with computers for any reason, like email, or journaling, was dicey for a while.
On the bright side, I got out more during that time, went to the beach, played music at open mic nights, and enjoyed real life. And I recovered. But it was slow. I wasn't really "normal" for a solid 18 months. And now I simply will not do that to myself again. I still push hard, but I push smart - I know what my breaking point is, and I'm not interested in experiencing that again.
I'd also add that, technically speaking, that kind of effort is terribly inefficient. "Slow down to speed up" and "if you don't have time to do it right, you better have time to do it again" are true statements. Often that effort is characterized as a furtive exploration of a vast combinatorial space looking for a specific outcome - a kind of intellectual gambling. Far better to master techniques individually and then combine them cleanly and with confidence for the desired effect.
But for some people, there is also a time in their life for irrational overcommitment. I would argue that it's even -- not necessarily healthy, but -- productive, valuable, worthwhile. You can learn a lot about yourself by finding the limits of your abilities, tolerances, and willingness.
GP is oversimplifying. Most "passion" ads do not mean "irrationally overcommit for my profit". They mean "don't bother if you think our project is boring".
There are probably a couple dozen "OMG so worth it" projects that spring to my mind from the annals of computer history. If the project arrived at the right time in your life, and you had the skills and desire to pursue it to the point of irrational overcommitment, the rewards (non-financial) would be lifelong.
Developing the Macintosh is definitely one of those.