I'm a bit of a strange case in the sense that I greatly prefer setting up and configuring something over actually using it. There's something about the challenge of figuring things out that I just tend to lose myself in. The problem is that I spend a lot of time getting something up and running only to lose interest in it shortly after. I know it seems strange, but what I'm trying to figure out is whether it's time well spent.
Where did it all begin?
The short answer is that, it's hard to say. I've always been fascinated with having a project of some sort — building a computer, playing guitar, learning something new, etc, so the idea of keeping busy is comfortable for me. The thing is, I like being busy, but only with the things that I enjoy doing.
I guess that's everyone though. Moving on...
I think it's more to do with having that 'aha' moment where things just click. I find myself chasing it with most things I do. The idea of the 'finished product' in itself is so rewarding to me.
A good example of this is when I bought my house and I wanted to have a network closet. Running cable sucks, so that was something I paid to have done for me, but actually doing things like connecting the patch cables from the patch panel to the switch and setting up vLANs was unbelievably rewarding.
Something I didn't account for was the sheer amount of time it would take me to do this. I'm always guilty of thinking something is going to take a shorter amount of time than it actually will. The problem is not so much that it takes a large amount of time to do these things, but rather that I find myself neglecting myself. This takes shape in ways such as forgetting to eat/skipping a meal or staying up half the night doing the job.
My wife gets annoyed at me about this, and I don't think she's necessarily wrong. From the outside looking in, the only thing it looks like is obsession. I'm by no means a workaholic, but when I get into these projects, you'd think I was. I find myself racing to finish something, but also to find a good balance of speed and efficiency. Efficiency is particularly important to me because there's not much I hate more than having to do something twice.
It comes down to the old saying “do you want it fast, cheap or good?” because you can't have all three. At best, you can pick two. Steer clear of anyone who says they can provide you with all three.
In my case, I'm generally willing to pay a bit more to get good quality, so strike 'cheap' from the equation. Fast and good? Well, I can do both, but I sacrifice doing other things to make it happen.
I think what it comes down to is give and take. Devoting your time to something takes it from something else. It makes sense, but the question, and the point of writing all this is, is it worth it?
Is any of this time well spent? The answer is, it depends on the project. Most of my projects result in me learning something, so I personally think the answer is yes, although not without sone caveats.
Not all projects where something is learned are worth the time spent on it. In my case, I live learning because it's fulfilling, but the things that I've learned don't necessarily translate to being able to move me forward. If I learn how to properly configure vLANs on a pfSense router with Ubiquiti access points, is that going to help me with anything else that may come my way, or is it a completely niche scenario?
In my case, I don't do networking for a living, nor do I know anyone with this kind of setup, so the answer becomes two-fold:
This has been a sobering write for me because I ended up realizing that not everything I do is worthwhile, as much as I think it is at the moment. Could I have just as reliable of a networking setup with a consumer grade router? Possibly. Do I learn anything worthwhile with a consumer grade setup? Nope.
The element of give and take is always there. It comes down to making sure that if you're going to do something, make sure it's not at the expense of doing something more important.