One thing I've found interesting is that the first time I do something related to tech as long as it isn't mind boggling frustrating cough Oracle cough I enjoy learning it. The second and third times it's tolerable, but if I have to keep doing something repeatedly the only way I can enjoy it any longer is by listening to an audiobook while doing it or by automating it.
As soon as I set myself to automating I realize that I like it again because now I am interacting with it in a new way.
Not sure setting up a k8s cluster qualifies as "hard work" the way the author describes it. It seems by "hard work" he means work requiring novelty, creativity or insight, not simply intellectual work.
Or emotional labor. But yeah, setting up k8s would not qualify. I thought there was an older version of the same general riff in Fast Company, which I can't find right now, but here is a blog post about a version that appeared in Free Prize Inside:
yes I think that's key, I imagine a typical 2 axis analysis for this, where one axis is hard/long and the other is passionate or not passionate about it.
But I think there are more dimensions to it, as the article points out sometimes we shy away from hard work, because it's uncertain and your identity is on stake, you can fail, and I agree it takes that leap.
I'd say it is a leap of faith, because sometimes you don't know if it is hard work that is relevant, and worth, or not, I've never been an academic, but I guess many PhD feel that way ?
If you have fun setting up a K8s cluster, that's still hard work.