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Ask HN: Have you thought about leaving programming for the trades?

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Re: Ask HN: Have you thought about leaving programming for the trades?

#11

Post by aussiegreenie »

In Australia, the "Traffic Control person" (aka Lollipop person) earns AUD 125K (USD 79K) and even without any qualifications doing home maintenance such as painting, replacing washers on leaking taps, or assembling Ikea furniture earns up to $100,000 pa.

People with PhD in Life Science struggle to get a job but people who have watched a few YouTubes earn huge wages.

If I were advising a younger coder, I would suggest that they learn COBOL and get paid $150K and leave the office at 5.00 pm

Re: Ask HN: Have you thought about leaving programming for the trades?

#12

Post by zer00eyz »

tinktank wrote: post #6
zer00eyz wrote: post #5

You could be sitting on a beach at the ocean doing your job. You can be part of a 1-5 man shop that makes a million (USD) a year per person. You could do both of these things. The only thing that limits you as a programer are your own ideas and your own ambitions.

and luck.

No.

Brains and persistence, are more important. If you're not launching dumb stuff and you keep trying at some point something sticks.

Learn from your failures, keep going after you fail, you're going to feel lucky when you do finally get a hit. Luck will have had NOTHING to do with it.

Re: Ask HN: Have you thought about leaving programming for the trades?

#15

Post by rozenmd »

aussiegreenie wrote: post #11

In Australia, the "Traffic Control person" (aka Lollipop person) earns AUD 125K (USD 79K) and even without any qualifications doing home maintenance such as painting, replacing washers on leaking taps, or assembling Ikea furniture earns up to $100,000 pa. People with PhD in Life Science struggle to get a job but people who have watched a few YouTubes earn huge wages. If I were advising a younger coder, I would sugges…

As a fellow Aussie that left the motherland, I'd advise folks to learn JavaScript and earn 4x that (in AUD) in the US

Re: Ask HN: Have you thought about leaving programming for the trades?

#16

Post by nelsonic »

Ended my last software engineering role in 2022 and have been doing carpentry and recently welding since then. Huge pay cut. 10x the satisfaction of building something tangible. If you can afford to scale back your lifestyle, and take time to learn the skills, do it! You won’t regret it.

Re: Ask HN: Have you thought about leaving programming for the trades?

#17

Post by al_borland »

beepboopboop wrote: post #10
al_borland wrote: post #8

I think about this a lot, but my thoughts always go to aging. As long as my mind and fingers still work, I can work on a computer until I’m old and gray. The physical requirements are minimal. Could you shadow your neighbor (or someone else in the trade you be interested in) for a few days to get a better idea of the realities of the job and if you’d enjoy it? Also, pay attention to their frustrations and issues and…

You also starred in a TV show for the trades right?

Tool Time was an interesting chapter in my life, but not as lucrative as one might think.

Re: Ask HN: Have you thought about leaving programming for the trades?

#18

Post by CommanderData »

A work friend of mine is suffering from Tinnitus which started after his Covid infection, so much he cannot cope with normal conversations when speaking over Teams or in face to face interactions.

He's a senior engineer and one of the best I know, and is considering wood working / joinery. From my research, it's not exactly well paid but he says it's something he's always wanted to do and will keep his mind busy and loud enough to distract away.

Re: Ask HN: Have you thought about leaving programming for the trades?

#19

Post by prudentpomelo »

I left the trades for programming. Your body can't maintain that type of work unless you stay fit. Then there is the risk of injuries which is inevitable. Working on concrete is hard on your knees, hips and back. You eventually have to do something different like management.

Re: Ask HN: Have you thought about leaving programming for the trades?

#20

Post by mikewarot »

nelsonic wrote: post #16

Ended my last software engineering role in 2022 and have been doing carpentry and recently welding since then. Huge pay cut. 10x the satisfaction of building something tangible. If you can afford to scale back your lifestyle, and take time to learn the skills, do it! You won’t regret it.

It is quite rewarding knowing that that many of the gears I made between 2015-2020 will still be in use in the year 2100.

However, the pay and the commute across Chicago sucked.

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