Have you considered switching to architecture role? Granted, you code way less but it’s still technical and you have more power over what is being built. And the toughest technical problems is for you to solve. Also you care more about quality attributes (security, performance, availability etc.) than functional requirements.
Ask HN: Tired of being a software engineer, what next?
101–110 of 118 posts
Re: Ask HN: Tired of being a software engineer, what next?
#102In my experience the bigger, richer, and higher status the company or role, the less actual work you're allowed to do. The book 'The Innovators Dilema' spends some time theorizing at why this might be.
On the other hand if you're willing to work at an unimpressive, low status startup you can often do a lot of interesting things. Startups also tend to attract nerds who don't really care for status or impressing other people. They're more focused on the engineering problem at hand.
This isn't always the case of course, but playing the odds it's more likely.
Startup work is riskier and won't impress people the same way but you get to do stuff. Not pretend work that sounds good or is meant to promote people, work that you think up over beers at 7pm and then go code the next day at 8am (or 10pm that night depending on the startup).
They have challenges of their own, but for a certain kind of personality they're much more palatable than large companies.
Keep in mind if the startup is successful it will eventually grow into something that attracts status seekers and shifts to derisking rather than weekly hail marys. But the fun years can last a good while before that happens.
Re: Ask HN: Tired of being a software engineer, what next?
#103Why not try to do something related to teaching. Helping others is a great feeling and a nice chance of pace.
This is the kind of thing I was thinking when one of the other commenters suggested counseling.
Counsel others.
Maybe as you would want to be counseled yourself.
Re: Ask HN: Tired of being a software engineer, what next?
#104Earlier quoted context omitted.
I don't know, people who say similar things imho haven't confronted death too much. When you keep examining "rewarding" things like that critically, I always end up realizing how temporary it is and how much I don't care about being remembered by people who would also be forgotten. I say you do you, whatever improves your experience of life without causing harm.
Ah.. I see where you are coming from.. I think most of the time I just live in a state of passive denial. You might see it as naive .. I can just say it personally works for me. But I think people who believe in an afterlife might also find meaning more rewarding than fun. I’m not saying either of us is right or wrong, just wanted to give you a hint of who might want to pursue some meaning in their life :)
I don't disagree with you, some of us just have a hard limit with a lot of those rewarding things. Living is better than dying and if you have to live then try to have a good time. Good things are pricey.
Re: Ask HN: Tired of being a software engineer, what next?
#105> where I can flex my engineering skills without BS Not to be snarky, but it depends on how good you are and where you are (and have a track record of being). I don't know you but when most people complain about "BS" they're complaining about the fact that they have to justify their priorities, projects, and timelines or interact with other departments. This is exactly what high paid SWE work is these days. You can h…
> This is exactly what high paid SWE work is these days. You can have less collaboration by moving to infra, but it'll still be the norm. As someone who made the switch to infra, don't do it. The same problems mentioned before will become uncontrollable roadblocks to you getting real work done and you'll have zero power to do anything about it. You do get to provide enormous amounts of value but typically only when t…
I believe there are still individual coders who make a real difference. It's vanishingly rare in server-side coding, but happens more often in niche fields such as game engines, compression.
Re: Ask HN: Tired of being a software engineer, what next?
#106> Everyone says how these are the best places to work
No they don't. Many people believe these are the best places to work, and the vast majority of those people have never worked there. They also tend to not have a whole lot of experience working as a SWE. I know many people currently working at or having worked for a FAANG. It was not the experience most had hoped.
As for me, I enjoy solving what I call real-world problems. These are problems being experienced by many people. By solving them you're actually helping make the world a better place. That helps me get through the BS that's part of every job.
Re: Ask HN: Tired of being a software engineer, what next?
#107I’ve found two ways to rekindle my love for coding/programming after I experienced similar disillusionment: 1) switched to information security. I found reverse engineering, doing CTFs, and hacking things in general brought back the sense of joy I’d lost. So I took a job reverse engineering/exploiting embedded devices with half the pay and loved it, which ended up being one of the best places I’ve worked (and the pay…
> switched to information security. I found reverse engineering, doing CTFs, and hacking things in general brought back the sense of joy I’d lost. This really resonates with me. I did a binary exploitation class in my M.S. where we did weekly CTFs. I really, really enjoyed this - thanks for reminding me. Do you have any tips for breaking into the industry?
I did the OSCP, a 3-month course + exam that teaches an overview/the basics of infosec and more specifically pentesting
It’s a fairly well-regarded certification (and a tough 24-hr exam), and got me interviews for Senior Security Consultant roles at firms like NCC Group with no prior security background
I think a typical progression is something like Security Consultant/Pentesting at a consultancy and then transitioning to Security Engineer/Security Researcher at a more specialized firm
I was actually able to bypass this and somehow land my dream job (binary/IoT reverse engineer) immediately after seeing them post on the r/reverseengineering subreddit and just going for it
Besides the OSCP, what helped me land the role was playing microcorruption CTF
Happy to help if you have more Qs: ashwin@dopplio.com
Re: Ask HN: Tired of being a software engineer, what next?
#108Don't worry the "ai" will replace you, just gotta be patient a little.
If this doesn't happen soon enough, use your extraordinary salaries and go buy a farm with chickens pigs etc. and start woodworking, you'll feel better i think.
Re: Ask HN: Tired of being a software engineer, what next?
#109Stop chasing dreams instead. Life is not a Hollywood movie. Not everyone is going to get a famous billionaire. Adjust your expectations to reality, and stop thinking so highly of yourself, stop judging others. Assume the responsibility for the things that happen in your life. It is kind of annoying to read your text, it is always some external thing that "happened" to you, and it is always other people who are not up…
I wrote a crappy but working LangChain script to make comments like this less spicy.
This was one of the outputs it stopped on:
"I see your perspective, though I view things differently. Life often doesn’t meet our hopes and expectations. Rather than judging yourself or others harshly, try understanding differing life experiences. We all face difficulties, but together can support each other.
Finding purpose and meaning brings more fulfillment than chasing dreams alone. Reflect on what matters most to you – what gives you inner peace. Make choices each day to be your best self. None are perfect, so avoid harsh self-judgement.
Life presents challenges for all. Focus on what you can influence; together we navigate them. Stop looking outside yourself for answers or blame. We share this difficult world, so take responsibility for yourself through reflection and accepting life as it is – not by changing external factors but by understanding ourselves and reality.
Adjust your expectations to what’s actually possible. While life may not meet our hopes, find meaning by better understanding yourself and what you can control.
We can’t change what’s happened or always get what we want. But we choose how we respond to difficulties and support each other through compassion."
I'd be curious what people think! https://gist.github.com/lukestanley/881d3c30c64362126352a9ce...
Re: Ask HN: Tired of being a software engineer, what next?
#110Earlier quoted context omitted.
I'm an optometrist but I wish I would have become a software engineer (or at least have discovered programming prior to graduating optometry school :/). I got advanced with Microsoft Excel over the years, then started learning Python in my first clinic after graduation to automate some stuff the front desk was doing every day. Didn't know anything -- what exactly Python was (my friend told me to learn it based on wha…
Thanks for this! It’s inspiring and I feel I can relate. My specific field is amenable to shift work (e.g. working certain night or weekend shifts, and then being off during the week), which I think will help.
Oh ya, I don't know your outside of work life obviously, but it sounds like you can potentially get a lot of time in to make happen what you want to make happen, then! How long have you been practicing, or how long have you been programming?