THE MattMar 20
Koen Hufkens, PhD

This is an important read about commitment and identity with respect to the work you do. Although not everyone will have underlying illnesses the fallout can be as severe.

Looking back at my academic career I see many parallels in the "costs" mentioned:

- sold my twenties to institutes/labs
- traveled too much
- gave too much of myself away (for free)
- strain on mental health

https://kennethreitz.org/essays/2026-03-18-open_source_gave_me_everything_until_i_had_nothing_left_to_give

#academicchatter #academia

Open Source Gave Me Everything Until I Had Nothing Left to Give

I thought I was having a spiritual awakening. I was having a psychiatric emergency. I was at a tech conference in Sweden when it started. I hadn't slept in...

Kenneth Reitz
Mar 20 at 9:06amWeb
Show threadDr Micha CampbellMar 20

@koen_hufkens oof, harrowing.

"I would have kept my identity separate from my projects." - great advice for past me (and probably a lot of PhD candidates). It was a tough lesson to learn that equating academic success (or lack thereof) with my identity was a bad move.

Show threadDr. 🏔️❄️🗺️📊🎨⛷️🧗🏻‍♂️🛶Mar 20

@michcampbell @koen_hufkens

...this is tough in academia. I was *great* at separating my identity from my research work, set boundaries - and that was an issue. "You are not serious enough"

I understand, and have seen, that entire essay. Its also been me, trying to find work and fuck. I'm *still* doing a paper review for zero money as in not paid in any way shape or form.

Anyway yes, work is work. Life is life. No matter how tempting, keep a boundary. Even if you love the work.

Show threadDr. Evan J. GowanMar 20
@adamsteer @michcampbell @koen_hufkens I set boundaries early on, which my PHD supervisor respected and encouraged, but someone else on my committee did not. They ended up writing a comment on one of my papers! It is not necessary to be on all the time.
Show threadDr Micha CampbellMar 20
@DrEvanGowan @adamsteer @koen_hufkens that's wild! Some people do not take the 'mentoring' part of the supervisor-supervisee relationship very seriously.
Show threadMsDsaysMar 20
@DrEvanGowan @adamsteer @michcampbell @koen_hufkens So much of this resonates with what I have experienced as an urban public high school teacher in the last 30 years. We are absolutely encouraged to erase all boundaries and find our only motivation in “doing it for the children” and “taking care of our babies”. Don’t you want kids to have opportunities? Spend your weekends coaching debate for $1.30 an hour! Your students are hungry when they come to class, can’t you go to Target and buy breakfast snacks to have on hand? Don’t all 400 students you will teach next year deserve personalized learning plans? Spend your summer designing curriculum for free, because what are you, greedy? If you really cared about equity, then you’d pay $1500 to attend this conference! And on and on and on - preying on the refrain “If you were a good person, you’d do this without question!” The only force pushing back has been the Teachers Union.
Show threadKoen Hufkens, PhDMar 21
@MsDK12 @DrEvanGowan @adamsteer @michcampbell Whenever I see appeals to "passion" you should consider this a huge red flag for exactly this reason. You should get paid first and foremost because you are qualified and good at your job. Most people who bring those qualities will most likely also have some passion for it. If not, all the same.
Show threadDr Micha Campbell6d ago
@MsDK12 @DrEvanGowan @adamsteer @koen_hufkens hoping for a renewal of the union movement! Sorry for your experience, teachers have it so hard.
Show threadxyhhx Mar 20
@koen_hufkens thanks for writing this. for the vulnerability but also for its value to others. i see some of myself in this: i have borderline personality disorder which has some parallels to bipolar disorder (though i might have to have assessment for that apparently, too). i don't have any of the success though, and my several days at a time come from desperation at one day "making it". i don't know what to do. i've spent too much of the last few years homeless, and i'm at risk of being evicted next month again. seeing others' success, makes me think i'm not trying hard enough, or that i'm just not good enough. it's reassuring in a way to know it's not always so simple. that others are struggling even if they appear successful
Show threadzygmydMar 20

@koen_hufkens

"The house I live in matters more than the code I ship." (From the post you linked.) Sounds like moral growth as well.

Show threadP_______XMar 20

@koen_hufkens it's an excellent post and we need more of these. The lesson is clear: at one point we need to switch from a productivity mindset to a longevity mindset and we need to make sure that our mentees learn this without personal trauma.

I've seen so many talented people burn out, even commit suicide due to the pressure they put on themselves. Being half as productive but being able to do it three times longer is a net gain on its own and the difference tends to be pure fun.

Show threadRoy Brander🍁Mar 20

@koen_hufkens

Everybody's talking about open source and academia, but I immediately thought of how many for-profit company bosses would just take ruthless advantage of a guy like that and work him into the ground.