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Ask HN: Former software engineers, what are you doing now?

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Re: Ask HN: Former software engineers, what are you doing now?

#15
I got my helicopter CFI and CFII and started teaching in May of this year. I also interview for Karat so I'm not completely out of software but I'm not writing code or managing people anymore.

I left because whether or not I was working my brain was. I get less actual time off now but I feel like my batteries get completely recharged. Plus I get paid to fly helicopters which is still unbelievable to me.

Re: Ask HN: Former software engineers, what are you doing now?

#16
I was a full stack web dev and Linux sysadmin for about a decade. Switched to welding and machining - I wanted to make something tangible for a change. The work itself was awesome (legos for grownups) but the industry is fairly toxic IME.

Right now I'm working on getting back into IT (Network security).

Re: Ask HN: Former software engineers, what are you doing now?

#17
1. Opened a ski mountaineering shop (https://skimo.co/). I backcountry ski most mornings in winter/spring before we open at a casual 11am; work on the site in the summer.

2a. Sick of pointless discussions about languages/frameworks/architectures, none of it matters to low-traffic/low-tech business.

2b. Sick of meetings/arguments to decide what to build. Making business and tech decisions simultaneously is amazingly efficient; e.g. no wasting time over-engineering for a requirement that may not even be important.

2c. Wanted to try and combine/balance my skill with my passion.

Re: Ask HN: Former software engineers, what are you doing now?

#18

I was a full stack web dev and Linux sysadmin for about a decade. Switched to welding and machining - I wanted to make something tangible for a change. The work itself was awesome (legos for grownups) but the industry is fairly toxic IME. Right now I'm working on getting back into IT (Network security).

Interesting; toxic in what way?

Re: Ask HN: Former software engineers, what are you doing now?

#19

I was a full stack web dev and Linux sysadmin for about a decade. Switched to welding and machining - I wanted to make something tangible for a change. The work itself was awesome (legos for grownups) but the industry is fairly toxic IME. Right now I'm working on getting back into IT (Network security).

Interesting; toxic in what way?

I guess fumes coming out when you do welding are toxic. I have done it myself a few times and remember thinking about smell and if it can indicate I will get cancer frim it..
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