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Ask HN: Depressed, need to leave web development, what can I do?

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Re: Ask HN: Depressed, need to leave web development, what can I do?

#101

Post by clouddrover »

CapsAdmin wrote: post #64
clouddrover wrote: post #26

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> but its usually some typescript challenge or something like that - which i refused to learn, since i already know javascript. once static type checking became a requirement in front end is like the intersection for when i became a dinosaur Why? Static type checking is a good thing to reduce errors.

I can't speak for the OP, but I've met people who "don't get it" for various reasons (me included at some point). I'm pretty sure the OP has heard this argument before. Telling someone to use language A because it's much better than language B that the person is comfortable with is not a very good approach. You can get into the objective reasons as to why but for some it might be difficult to really understand. I str…

> I had other ways I could think of to reduce errors (tests, more robust code, etc)

You can still do that with TypeScript and also get type checks, null checks, and just typos found for you by the compiler. Why wouldn't you want the compiler to do that for you? I don't want to do it, I want the tools to do it.

Re: Ask HN: Depressed, need to leave web development, what can I do?

#102

Post by clouddrover »

wruza wrote: post #54
clouddrover wrote: post #26

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> but its usually some typescript challenge or something like that - which i refused to learn, since i already know javascript. once static type checking became a requirement in front end is like the intersection for when i became a dinosaur Why? Static type checking is a good thing to reduce errors.

Also good to increase time to market and make you think more about types, less about business logic. It has both pros and cons depending on what you are doing. I have learned and can read and write typescript, but it doesn’t click when it comes to “we’ll need it tomorrow to check our ideas fast”, the usual mode of startup operation. These stories about night and day difference also do not match my reality. All my cod…

> Also good to increase time to market and make you think more about types, less about business logic.

Show me some actual measurements that TypeScript increases time to market. I don't believe you have any.

Re: Ask HN: Depressed, need to leave web development, what can I do?

#103

Post by z9znz »

TLDR: take a break with no job if possible... a few months to a year ideally. Feel free to work on your own ideas or hobbies or something that gives you a feeling of reward or satisfaction.

> Anyone managed to move from front-end to another role

Changing roles isn't necessarily the answer. It could be, depending on how different the new role is; but for example going from frontend to backend dev is just a matter of fine details really (so it likely won't make you happier).

I hit the point you're at repeatedly over the last decade. And worse, I have fond memories of the glory days of the 90s when you could fax (haha) your resume to a recruiter, and within a week you had a job if you wished. Interviews were typically 1-2 hours in person, where you would talk to 1-3 people at the client site. Within a day or two, you had an initial offer or a rejection. I actually don't remember getting any rejections back then. Those glory days took a nosedive at the unfortunate intersection of the dotcom bust and the surge of offshore sourcing (and recruiting "firms" who replaced all their reasonably skilled recruiters with mindless drones who wouldn't even read your resume before calling you about a job).

But I digress...

At this moment I'm jobless and SO MUCH HAPPIER. I even have the enthusiasm and energy to start building some of my own projects. I don't have much savings, but I have enough to get me through a few months. Maybe one of the things I'm working on has the potential to generate some income, but that's not my focus. Almost my entire career has been focused on financial benefits (within reason... I still easily reject cube farm jobs in big banks), so now I'm trying an alternate approach. After all, if you're in poor mental and physical health while having a job and fat paycheck, it's not really living.

Re: Ask HN: Depressed, need to leave web development, what can I do?

#104

Post by ChuckNorris89 »

cutler wrote: post #63
5350-uiop-1130 wrote: post #7

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Do you think you might have let your own skill set stagnate? yes, definitely. although i worked a lot with node and react, building electron apps, cli tools, browsers extensions - but i just don't enjoy it anymore. and i don't have experience building large scale production apps with the latest trendy stacks. > The fact you think 300+ people are applying to the same jobs means the market might be saturated with tho…

I don't understand how your skillset is lacking if you're an experienced React/Node developer. Here in the UK recruiters are falling over each other trying to hire.

Different markets, different supply and demand ratios.

What works in the UK might not work somewhere else and vice versa.

Re: Ask HN: Depressed, need to leave web development, what can I do?

#105

Post by throwcean »

ciberado wrote: post #99

May I suggest to spend some time working as a trainer? I'm sure you have a ton of knowledge to share, and learning how to structure it for delivering a class is not difficult. Training is (if your understand the content) not so stressful as working in consulting or developing, and you meet a lot of interesting people. It comes with its own burden, of course, but it may work as a way to find time to better understand…

Out of personal curiosity.. where would you offer such trainings? As online courses? Or rather in person? How do you find customers/students?

Re: Ask HN: Depressed, need to leave web development, what can I do?

#108

Post by clouddrover »

sli wrote: post #53
clouddrover wrote: post #26

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> but its usually some typescript challenge or something like that - which i refused to learn, since i already know javascript. once static type checking became a requirement in front end is like the intersection for when i became a dinosaur Why? Static type checking is a good thing to reduce errors.

TypeScript is a Microsoft band-aid on problems far better solved by other languages. The level to which people praise it feels like Stockholm Syndrome, and criticizing it frequently gets the stereotypical toxic programmer forum replies like "well you just don't know how to use types." It's impossible to speak critically about TypeScript unless you write long blog posts.

> It's impossible to speak critically about TypeScript unless you write long blog posts.

If it takes a long blog post to find something to criticize about TypeScript then I'd say that's a sign that TypeScript is doing something right.

Re: Ask HN: Depressed, need to leave web development, what can I do?

#109

Post by lvturner »

xlii wrote: post #49
lvturner wrote: post #25

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I really hate the advice "Take six months to a year off" Not everyone is in such a financially advantageous situation that they are able to do so at a minimum we should preface such advice with "Ideally" or "If you are able to" In fact, when I've faced burn out in the past, one of the major reasons for it was BECAUSE I wasn't in a situation to take such time off and my gosh do I wish it was advice I was able to actio…

And yet this is advice targeted towards developer with 15 years of experience. If someone is in position of working in the field, having a lot of experience and still having issue with putting some cash aside to take few months off then it might hint that not the field but particular work place is root cause.

It’s folly to infer someone’s financial situation and make assumptions about their capabilities based on it.

One medical issue or a family member with one could scupper a savings account, this is a precise reason why I hate this advice it’s tantamount to victim blaming.

Re: Ask HN: Depressed, need to leave web development, what can I do?

#110

Post by Aeolun »

azangru wrote: post #107

> All the vacancies in my field now seem to have 300+ applicants. If you are on the applying side rather than on the job offering side, how can you know these numbers?

I've heard people place fake job ads, and then see how many applicants they get?
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