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I felt like that a few years ago. I didnt end up leaving my career, what i did instead was use my skills in a different way. Instead of being a web developer, i became a business consultant. Like you i didnt care about the latest fashion in the space and in general my interest was no longer in programming, however, 60%-80% of my time today is still writing code, but i'm much happier. What i do now is i work with non-…
To me this is rather a sign of common sense than a lack of interest in programming.
You could try moving to a company that has its own product - these often have interacting with customers or other companies listed as one of the responsibilities.
EDIT: paragraphs.
GL
If you don't have a CS degree, then I would pursue it if I were you. I used to be like you (I was 20, now I'm 30 with CS degree), and it's been the best investment I've made.
> After a year at my job it seems like I'm no longer interested in programming - I am no longer excited about new frameworks, etc
Yes. This is because you've hit a ceiling with your learning. In order for you to move forward, you should touch up on basics.
> I don't feel interested in learning those fields (ML looks like magic to me and involves lots of math, which I suck at).
If you played Diablo, you need to learn your pre-requisites before taking these on. Once you have the basic fundamentals, it will come to you.
Right now, you are still too early in your career. I would focus on building a strong foundation (CS degree). Everything else will come to you over time.
I changed careers more than once between 20 and 30. To/from radically different fields.
Besides that, your skill-set as a programmer is _much_ more than your choice of language/web framework.
You have skills in:
- Building things
- Decomposing and solving abstract problems
- etc..
And don't let a perceived lack of math skills intimidate you. This stuff is learnable, with effort and time. ML is most-decidedly not magic. You can learn it, if you have an interest.[1]
That said, if programming is losing its luster, but you still enjoy software -- try product/project management. Good pay, and it's a very social job where your tech skills will be valued.
If you want something dramatically different -- the sky's the limit. At 20, you could switch to Business, Law, Medicine, Journalism, Banking, whatever. Biggest lesson I've learned: don't be afraid to try. Good luck!
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[1] (For context, I started studying math much later than you (~27), and have worked on ML in a research lab, since then. But when I was 20, I barely passed college algebra... Point is, you have time and can learn if you want.)
My former co-worked, software developer, became manager at the retailer network Tesco :) It solved the interaction with people problem for him.
How's the pay there? My biggest concern about leaving IT is that the salaries we get as developers are pretty generous compared to other fields.
You could also switch roles into something more people - facing. Sales engineering or solutions engineering might interest you.
> Note that I am only 20 so I don't have that much experience either, and finding a good developer's job seems hard given the competition for all the good startups. If you don't have a CS degree, then I would pursue it if I were you. I used to be like you (I was 20, now I'm 30 with CS degree), and it's been the best investment I've made. > After a year at my job it seems like I'm no longer interested in programming -…
Whilst CS != programming, there is a lot of overlap.
Product manager is also a possibility but you'll need to work your way to it. There is not one path to get there. But there is satisfaction in supporting a successful product.
Your best bet is to try different things to help you decide. If you can, volunteer in areas that you want to test out.
Since you are at it. Make a career and life plan. Start thinking now about where you want your career and life to be 5, 10 years from now. The advantage is that you'll be looking for opportunities to execute your plan. You'll be happy you did. The last thing you want is to end up in a place you don't want to be in in the future.