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Ask HN: Decided I no longer want to be a SWE – what next?

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Re: Ask HN: Decided I no longer want to be a SWE – what next?

#31

Post by leeroihe »

snuxoll wrote: post #27

Being a SWE doesn't mean you have to be involved in the startup grinder. I work for a privately owned company, and while my TC would be way better working for a FAANG or dealing with the startup world, there's no way I would mentally survive working in either of those environments for the 12 years I've done where I am now. I don't work on glamorous projects; most of what I make will never be seen outside of my compan…

Idk how long it would take me to be interview ready - I know it's not a great look and above all it's really embarrassing... but leetcode seems like a waste of time and side projects seem like the only way to prep for non-leetcode pairing sessions where they always expect you to know all the bindings / syntax like the back of your hand.

Re: Ask HN: Decided I no longer want to be a SWE – what next?

#32

Post by leeroihe »

msgodel wrote: post #8

I saw things beginning to rapidly deteriorate years ago, checked out, and focused on being able to live on very little. I've got land, 10-20 years worth of savings, and a small shack. I think I'm just going to monetize side projects for the next few years and maybe try the truck farming thing. Formal collaboration depends on a culture that's more or less dead now. I wouldn't bet my future on it getting sorted out.

It's sad because SF is such a beautiful and culturally rich city. A deeply spiritual place in terms of it's geography. Unfortunately, the vibe always felt off to me - almost like someone had ripped out some part of the soul of the city. It feels like an economic zone many only travel to in order to extract money.

I'll be sad to leave SF, but frankly I couldn't see myself being happy here long-term.

Re: Ask HN: Decided I no longer want to be a SWE – what next?

#33

Post by leeroihe »

hbsbsbsndk wrote: post #11

SF startups seem like a fucking nightmare. I live in a second-tier city and there's lots of six-figure, 9-5 software dev roles that are nowhere near as competitive. Consider relocating somewhere with a lower CoL and more sane culture?

That's the plan for now - if I found a job with decent enough salary I'd more than consider returning to New York where the culture is more sane and people do... anything other than just tech.

Re: Ask HN: Decided I no longer want to be a SWE – what next?

#34

Post by leeroihe »

taylorallred wrote: post #10

Not all SWE jobs have the same culture and there's work outside of silicon valley. That said, it sounds like you've decided that this isn't for you anymore so what is? What's something that makes you excited or you find yourself thinking about a lot. There's a lot of other opportunities out there, and you should feel proud of the experiences you had and mistakes you made. Don't worry about what others think and go fi…

Frankly, I'm okay with anything around $75k for now. I only made $30k last year and the exit package (as a founder) is held up in some litigation currently. All I want is to pay off some credit card debt and be able to sleep well for a few weeks.

Re: Ask HN: Decided I no longer want to be a SWE – what next?

#35

Post by leeroihe »

JohnMakin wrote: post #15

One thing that gets lost in spaces like this is that there are plenty of essentially non "tech" companies that have large technical aspects to their core business but still lie outside the realm of what would traditionally be considered a pure "tech" company, such as most tech startups would be. One area that immediately comes to mind from past experience is banking/finance/insurance and ecommerce. I don't think the…

I'm looking into some sales and "analyst" roles. The biggest hurdle appears to be them being confused why I'm leaving tech if it's "such a great field" and lacking directly applicable experience. I've had a few breakthroughs though.

Re: Ask HN: Decided I no longer want to be a SWE – what next?

#36

Post by sargstuff »

taylorallred wrote: post #10

Not all SWE jobs have the same culture and there's work outside of silicon valley. That said, it sounds like you've decided that this isn't for you anymore so what is? What's something that makes you excited or you find yourself thinking about a lot. There's a lot of other opportunities out there, and you should feel proud of the experiences you had and mistakes you made. Don't worry about what others think and go fi…

Always look at voluneer / non-profit groups related to something interested in while trying to figurue out what's next. aka build social contacts / gain insite into other areas to pursue.

Re: Ask HN: Decided I no longer want to be a SWE – what next?

#37

Post by 90s_dev »

leeroihe wrote: post #24
90s_dev wrote: post #5

Hmm. 1. Get a job that pays the bills for starters, doesn't have to be fancy or pay much, just enough that you don't become homeless. 2. Do something in your spare time that you're interested, just for fun, with no expectations or even plans of making money from it. 3. You will profit in a way you couldn't possibly plan or predict. Or maybe not. But probably. Either way, you're not homeless or starving.

Even though I can't really afford it I'm going to start seeing a therapist. Right now just reaching for some kind of knowledge work that won't torpedo my resume. If I really didn't care I'd just go get a job at Fedex in Maine or Vermont. What's most embarrassing is potentially having to stay at my parents to avoid sinking into my savings further. Obviously others are having a hard time to, part of the mental hurdle i…

Don't compare your life to others. Their measure of success is not absolute. You have to have a dream and follow it. But you can't dream while you're chasing the dreams others have for themselves or for you. Think for example of Jesus who at 30 was unmarried, childless, and left his career in carpentry to become homeless and help the poor and sick, yet he was so influential in history that we count our years from when he was born. Francis of Assisi did the same thing about 800 years ago, living with lepers and rebuilding a broken down church nearly by himself, and to this day even atheists have statues of him in their gardens. I'm not saying you should be like these people and follow their path, only pointing out that their path looked nothing like the stereotypical path people expect of you, yet they were far happier and more fulfilled than anyone you've ever met, not to mention their positive influence and legacies far outreach anything anyone you've ever met will ever achieve.

Re: Ask HN: Decided I no longer want to be a SWE – what next?

#38

Post by leeroihe »

altairprime wrote: post #4

Consider become an auditor who audits the sort of work you no longer wish to perform. You’re uniquely equipped to audit it, whether that lies in forensic, privacy, security, financial, compliance auditing. And your cynicism with the field will help temper your natural bias as ex-SWE to give excess credence to SWE claims.

Curious what kind of companies I'd reach out to for these roles?

Re: Ask HN: Decided I no longer want to be a SWE – what next?

#39

Post by snuxoll »

leeroihe wrote: post #31
snuxoll wrote: post #27

Being a SWE doesn't mean you have to be involved in the startup grinder. I work for a privately owned company, and while my TC would be way better working for a FAANG or dealing with the startup world, there's no way I would mentally survive working in either of those environments for the 12 years I've done where I am now. I don't work on glamorous projects; most of what I make will never be seen outside of my compan…

Idk how long it would take me to be interview ready - I know it's not a great look and above all it's really embarrassing... but leetcode seems like a waste of time and side projects seem like the only way to prep for non-leetcode pairing sessions where they always expect you to know all the bindings / syntax like the back of your hand.

Really depends on the company and interviewer. I can't teach problem solving and critical thinking skills, but those are what I focus on during interviews and why I toss 98% of the applications that make it to my manager and myself after an interview. Given I am a hybrid SRE/SWE my role and team is a bit weird, but I can give somebody extra time on tasks while they're learning new tools or responsibilities, what I can't do is have somebody tell me "I don't know how to do that" and require I sit with them and walk them through the entire thing or create a detailed step-by-step design document that takes longer than doing the work itself. Being able to do the research, think about the problem, and design a solution is what separates the warm bodies that contracting firms provide from actual engineers - and I don't just need warm bodies.

Hell, if I had an open req right now I'd ask for your CV, because I think you're probably being a bit too hard on yourself and overthinking things. There's plenty of chill places who just need somebody to keep those couple critical pieces of software that are 15 years old running, and there's nothing wrong with work just being a means to an end.

EDIT: Actually, send it to me anyway. If nothing else I can at least give you some more specific advice or a mock interview and see if there's anyone in my network that you'd fit with. Email's in my profile.

Re: Ask HN: Decided I no longer want to be a SWE – what next?

#40

Post by thatguymike »

> This was effectively the most unprofessional breach of privacy I've ever experienced and as a result I think I'm done working in software (don't even ask me my opinion of SF).

Huh? Power to you, and that is awful behavior, but this sounds strange. Why let one person decide your career for you?

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