Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

Ask HN: Have you ever thought of leaving programming for something else?

news.ycombinator.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

321–330 of 570 posts

Re: Ask HN: Have you ever thought of leaving programming for something else?

#321

Post by truth_sentinell »

JaumeGreen wrote: post #294
gcatalfamo wrote: post #251

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm sorry but dancing is definitely not one of those professions where "if you believe you can do it". Depending on the specific dancing style there are strict body types and features that you need to have, and not all of them can be acquired by training. So yeah, nature is not fair but feel-good comedies don't always apply to real life.

You have it right. Others have pointed to you that to dance you only need to be able to move, to that I agree. But between dancing and have a profession out of dancing there's a big difference. There are lots of reason why now I can't base my income in dancing, I'm telling them as to give a data point as to why it's not allways as easy as "if you want you can". First: I don't live alone anymore. Married with some obl…

I understand. You're balancing the life you have now vs your dream career. And you don't foresee anything better in the latter. It's ok. Due to today's society, a lot of us sacrifice what we love doing for economical comfort.

I never said it was easy. Unfortunately, this is not a perfect world, and most of the time you have to make sacrifices in order to do what you love. In your case, it means lowering your living standards, but that's up to you, I respect that.

Re: Ask HN: Have you ever thought of leaving programming for something else?

#322

Post by _k5mx »

bosie wrote: post #305
_k5mx wrote: post #296

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I would question the word "loads" ;] Sups are usually earning around 150-200 CAD p/y, seniors 100-130. I may be wrong with the numbers though.

what is "sups"?

Supervisors. VFX/Dept.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Visual_effects_supervisor

Re: Ask HN: Have you ever thought of leaving programming for something else?

#325

Post by TeMPOraL »

dschiptsov wrote: post #285
david927 wrote: post #114

I currently work in a good environment where I'm appreciated and paid well. Not many people in the world can say that, so I have a lot to be thankful for. Programming has done good by me. But I don't love it. Alan Kay is right, it's like building "an Egyptian pyramid with millions of bricks piled on top of each other, with no structural integrity, but just done by brute force and thousands of slaves". There's no eleg…

> an Asperger profession could you, please, elaborate on this meme? And that pyramid, well, it definitely is the way how a corporate and enterprise Java software has been and still being made. Java itself is an ecosystem for creating coding factories - to parallelize the process of coding (one cannot honestly call this programming) among teams of easily replaceable, uniform (in terms of abilities) cheap workers. Ever…

> And that pyramid, well, it definitely is the way how a corporate and enterprise Java software has been and still being made. Java itself is an ecosystem for creating coding factories - to parallelize the process of coding (one cannot honestly call this programming) among teams of easily replaceable, uniform (in terms of abilities) cheap workers. Every manager will tell about this ideal.

So is the web today, its bloat eclipsing even Enterprise Java. The idea you described is the idea all businesses pursue, because it's the one of reducing costs and increasing profits.

> The crucial difference between an art and merely piling up more crap is that art means an attempts to approach an ideal, an optimum, perfection - it is, ideally, a reduction process with eventually converges to the closest possible approximation to an ideal.

Unfortunately you can rarely get paid for this.

In a way, I'm happy markets are not efficient. A lot of good, important, useful and/or beautiful stuff would never be done if the market was perfectly efficient.

Re: Ask HN: Have you ever thought of leaving programming for something else?

#326

Post by flushandforget »

barbs wrote: post #299
clentaminator wrote: post #256

I think about leaving programming every day. I love programming, but I'm not sure I enjoy software development as a career. I enjoy coding and understanding how computer systems work, but I don't care for the constant changes in tools and techniques in certain domains of development. I'd rather practise with and improve my existing knowledge of a subject, instead of constantly playing catch-up with someone else's too…

I'm in an eerily similar situation. Been doing software development for about 5 years (though at different places, doing primarily Android development), am just over 6 weeks at a new job and I'm beginning to feel that software development's just not for me anymore. I don't feel passionate about most aspects of it - constantly playing catchup with the latest frameworks, the development/management methodologies/process…

I'm a freelance programmer without much self-worth, and currently no work. Given the right environment, people and projects (for me), I know I'd be happier and wealthier, and may even thrive. Rather than the abandonment that I've felt on many freelance gigs. With age, I find it increasingly difficult to sit in front of a computer for long stretches of time (more than 4 hours). I've been in a rut, where I've barely earned enough to get by for the last 15 years, and have nothing to show for it, other than a bust shoulder. No landmark projects or piles of cash. Cash would help! My other half frequently tries to talk me out of the profession. I work occasionally with impassioned newcomers, who assume with my depth of knowledge and skill-set I'd be earning shed loads and taking the best gigs. But they have the needed drive and zeal that I feel I could do with a shot of. Or rather, I can program, but I'm not a successful programmer/worker. I still like problem solving, but also appreciate some donkey work. I often think what else can I do, but my imagination and confidence fails me. And I'm too shy to ask for help (UK).

Re: Ask HN: Have you ever thought of leaving programming for something else?

#327

Post by TeMPOraL »

chrshawkes wrote: post #318
dschiptsov wrote: post #285

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> an Asperger profession could you, please, elaborate on this meme? And that pyramid, well, it definitely is the way how a corporate and enterprise Java software has been and still being made. Java itself is an ecosystem for creating coding factories - to parallelize the process of coding (one cannot honestly call this programming) among teams of easily replaceable, uniform (in terms of abilities) cheap workers. Ever…

At least pyramids will be remembered, most software has a shelf life of a couple years.

Not really. Most pyramids are throwaway. The web is 99% throwaway code. Businesses themselves are throwaway too, so a lot of software made by them and for them goes to bin after few years.

What remains? Projects that are so useful that dominate their niche. Windows, Linux. Office. Photoshop. CAD tools. I suspect VLC will remain, 7zip may too. Some of those tools are pyramids, some others aggregation of small artpieces. I don't think survival depends on whether or not the software is a pyramid or a thatch hut.

Re: Ask HN: Have you ever thought of leaving programming for something else?

#328

Post by 72deluxe »

sean_patel wrote: post #83

Programming is a creative art, and when I say that to my non-programmer friends, they laugh it off, but if you think about it, it is true. Just like artists, the programmers, coders, developers all design and create new things that didn't exist before, and no 2 programs or applications or completely functioning code will be identical for anything other than a fizzbuzz type test. So it is natural for the creatives to…

I think it is all about balance. I am happy that I get to write new things every day and enjoy this aspect of it; I do not enjoy short deadlines and stress to get things working for a customer with incessant clock-watching. I enjoy learning new parts of development-land but I watch the industry and find new technologies and devices somewhat boring. I find the new aspects of programming languages (like C++ etc.) really interesting, in contrast to this.

So I have decided to reduce the amount of time I spend at a computer and read more. I play my bass more. I try and get the balance right, and hopefully I can reduce the number of days I work because there is a danger that whilst slaving to make a living, we forget to live.

Re: Ask HN: Have you ever thought of leaving programming for something else?

#329

Post by gressquel »

Yes, Yes and yes! I consider myself a quicklearner. I am 28, been working as .NET consultant but know the other languages such as javascript/node, php, swift, java. Paid well, but I cant help feeling like I was meant to do something else. I wish I could use my brain capacity to help other people. UNICEF, UN or other NGO. I believe technology can have massive impact on countries which lags behind the "western" standards. I wish I could be part of a program to help out people with the use of technology. This feeling is so intense, I wouldnt be surprised if I quit my job tomorrow. I am not scared of leaving my country (Norway) if there was a great opportunity to work abroad.

Dont really know where to start when it comes to tech + UN. If someone knows please give me a pointer to start.

Re: Ask HN: Have you ever thought of leaving programming for something else?

#330

Post by magpiefabric »

The thought flashes by every now and then. I haven't been doing this for very long (~2 years professionally) but I've already started to see little glimpses of burnout on the horizon and plan on working in a proper break from work at some point.

I can't say for definite what I'd do. Music's always been a side passion and I'm attracted to the idea of getting back into music production. I studied it briefly back in college (UK, so I guess high school?) but I don't think my heart was really in anything back then so I let it slip through my fingers. For some reason I also sometimes get these day dreams of working in a market food stand. I can't see how i'd enjoy it considering how disdainful I was of my youth working in retail, but cooking is another little passion of mine so maybe i'd dig it, even if it felt a bit like an step down.

Post reply on HN