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Ask HN: Tired of being a software engineer, what next?

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Re: Ask HN: Tired of being a software engineer, what next?

#61

Post by BaseballPhysics »

lupire wrote: post #15

Work on your marriage. Stop pining for being 20something again; stop believing company PR. You won a golden ticket; don't burn it.

> You won a golden ticket; don't burn it.

I'm gonna push back on this.

Assuming the OP was good with their money, they probably have a very nice little nest egg put away.

If he can take a pause and reconsider his career goals and aspirations without compromising his financial position, there's nothing wrong with doing so.

Staying in a role where you're miserable just because it pays well is just another way of describing a wage slave. A lot of folks have no choice but to live that life. But for those who have options (and if you're 20 years into a career and working at a FAANG, you probably do), there is nothing wrong with cashing in some chips, pausing, and reevaluating.

Re: Ask HN: Tired of being a software engineer, what next?

#62

Post by ylee »

bearsnowstorm wrote: post #52
dogtorwoof wrote: post #6

I’m a medical doctor and I wish I became I software engineer instead.

I'm a doctor (ICU) who also does some IT stuff for work (nothing complex, mainly writing small web apps). I really enjoy writing stuff where you know the requirements, make all the decisions, write the code and maintain it. However, doing this has allowed me to get some exposure to what bigger projects with lots of moving parts, data sources, stakeholders, regulatory requirements etc look like - and it's seriously ha…

>Nothing like "coding, the hobby".

I can relate; I chose Wall Street (the finance side, not the IT side) and now work for myself. While I used and use my tech skills every day, I have never wanted to write code for money. https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36027171>

Re: Ask HN: Tired of being a software engineer, what next?

#63

Post by TheAlchemist »

elzbardico wrote: post #36

Stop 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…

Well, if it was possible I would kinda both - upvote and downvote you here !

I think you are absolutely right about the responsibility. Although you seem to argue that he should lower his expectations, I would rather say that he can choose - he can also take the responsibility for the 'I just want a job where I can flex my engineering skills without BS' part - it's not going to just happen magically, but it's totally possible. But it does have a price that one must be willing to pay.

Re: Ask HN: Tired of being a software engineer, what next?

#65

Post by tmsh »

grugagag wrote: post #57
tmsh wrote: post #47

Learn to find joy in the little, bottom-up things. Curiosity and humility are relevant. If you don’t, you fail in an evolutionary sense compared to those who learn to do this (it’s why commencement speakers touch on finding your passion — your situation is one on which they’re talking about). Humility: look in the under-looked places for finding joy. And realize there’s always more to learn and to teach. Curiosity: t…

What do you mean by bottom up things? Something similar to building software bottom up vs top down? Simple tinkering?

Yes, exactly right re: tinkering I think. Exploring adjacent areas to work or entirely new areas slowly with a beginner’s mind aimed at carefully understanding and appreciating building blocks.

Re: Ask HN: Tired of being a software engineer, what next?

#66

Post by blululu »

grugagag wrote: post #56
lylejantzi3rd wrote: post #43

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> I've never had this impression of FAANG. I have. It was a popular myth when I was coming up. I'm the same age as the OP (40, graduated in 2005). Back in the early 00s, google was seen by most as the promised land. Facebook was too, for a while. Those initial impressions, even though they were formed from afar, can be hard to shake.

It kind of still is in terms of compensation. And many equate promised land with compensation unfortunately.

It was more than money. Back then the crazy Faang pay bump was less of a thing. But the chance to be trusted with broad autonomy and work with brilliant people on projects that could help billions of people is something very special. People were drawn there by 20% time back in the day. This is barely a thing now, but the difference seems to be covered by the increased FAANG bucks.

Re: Ask HN: Tired of being a software engineer, what next?

#67

Post by grugagag »

tmsh wrote: post #65
grugagag wrote: post #57

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What do you mean by bottom up things? Something similar to building software bottom up vs top down? Simple tinkering?

Yes, exactly right re: tinkering I think. Exploring adjacent areas to work or entirely new areas slowly with a beginner’s mind aimed at carefully understanding and appreciating building blocks.

I like that aproach as well, especially when exploring new spaces or building proof of concepts

Re: Ask HN: Tired of being a software engineer, what next?

#70

Post by the_only_law »

teelelbrit wrote: post #11

Idk, I've had a great career for 4yrs - getting laid off in January has been a death sentence. I've found some startup consulting work but the industry is either pretty shot or my resume is a death knell.

This market has thrown my whole life into question. Like did I only get here because the inflated bubble?
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