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I don’t want to be a software developer anymore

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Re: I don’t want to be a software developer anymore

#211

I'm leaving IT after 5 years to start a real estate company and work with my hands. I feel exactly the same way as the OP. Sitting on my butt for 6 years is wrecking my health and I hate the work. I've saved lots of money and as long as I don't screw up my investments, I'll never have to work for anyone else again. I love open source software and will continue to build and contribute to projects. I hate enterprise so…

Good for you. That's really exceptional that only after 5 years you can do that. I'm not even close after 10 :/

Re: I don’t want to be a software developer anymore

#212
I understand that a job gets boring and you have to do things you wouldn't choose to do yourself for decades on end, but that's what a job is.

And as a developers, we're pretty lucky that we're generally respected within our companies, well paid, have plenty of work/life flexibility, and have the ability to go solo and do our own thing on our own terms - all within what is mostly a meritocracy in that talent often trumps pedigree.

I make a living running a company that I bootstrapped 5 years ago. It was fun when I started, but I do find plenty of days where I'm feeling burnt out or uninterested. I'm reasonably certain that no matter what you're doing - if you do it long enough, you'll find things you don't like about it.

My only tip for anyone feeling this way is to look for microchallenges. If you're basically just fixing bugs in an established enterprise product, for example, find clever ways to improve the code, refactor code, make debugging easier, improve system stability and monitoring, etc. Perhaps find something that you could parlay into an open source project. There are plenty of fun little challenges that can align your personal and work life if you look for them.

Re: I don’t want to be a software developer anymore

#213
post #24
post #12

It's kind of weird how people in the US seem to struggle with work life balance. I'm constantly working for US companies remote from outside the US and I can work +/-40 hours per week without any problem.

What kind of applications or work do you do for them?

Mainly iOS development.

Re: I don’t want to be a software developer anymore

#214
post #205
post #82

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Not sure if I’m considered an “old programmer”, but a few things I’ve learned: * don’t use work email on your smartphone unless it’s required * don’t take your work laptop home unless it’s required * have something else going on in your weekdays. For me it’s the gym/yoga, for my (programmer) wife it’s taking ceramics classes

Another "old programmer" here: * trust your instinct and join company with non toxic environment

Don't ignore warning signals and be careful when lowering the standards because of some life circumstances. If a place looks like it's assholry driven and without common sense, it probably is.

Re: I don’t want to be a software developer anymore

#215
post #16

I really struggle to find anything worth reacting to in this blog post. It sounds to me like the story of every individual worker in every economy. Most of what she says is entirely self-evident, except for the anecdotes about pay/equity, for which she presents zero evidence. Where is the substance? Why is this interesting? Every dad in the world knows that a hobby is different from work, and that turning your hobby…

> Every dad in the world knows that a hobby is different from work

Why 'dad'?

Re: I don’t want to be a software developer anymore

#216

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Like I said, maybe she knew her worth and just wanted to get her foot in the door. I never said she asked for a raise. She just found a better offer elsewhere, and probably would had stayed for the right counteroffer. I wouldn't want to work with a person who puts their own ideas about when it's appropriate to expect a raise over keeping bright people. She didn't waste anyone's time; unlike most, she was productive f…

Counteroffers are widely regarded as a terrible thing to offer -- it sets a precedent that anyone, at any time, can attempt to hold your company hostage for more money. Most organizations with much industry experience will pass on any sort of counteroffer. And it's likely that she _absolutely did_ waste people's time -- the company may have passed on other candidates to hire her and had to start over.

[deleted]

Re: I don’t want to be a software developer anymore

#217
So this lady doesn't like to work in tech, because a single men told her that fewer women are interested in tech than men? Maybe she was wrong there from the beginning, if she can't listen to other people's opinions.

Also, how often has the wage gap been debunked?

Re: I don’t want to be a software developer anymore

#218
post #71

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I've been working 3-4 hour days for years now, however the only reason I can do this is because I work for myself.

The other option is to show up at your job for 40 hours/week but only put in 15-20. Especially in software, where one engineer can be 10x more productive than another, one can easily get away with this. (I’m not advocating this, just pointing out that it is a strategy I’ve seen employed)

I think that's probably quite common.

Re: I don’t want to be a software developer anymore

#219
post #148

I read the article; I'm not sure this is so much a criticism of the industry as it is an examination of this developer's personal anecdotal experience. As developers, we lead a very charmed life that others sometimes aren't even born with the chance to intellectually compete for; the author neglects to address how lucky we are to be able to do this at all, let alone to then find employment in it. If it's not an indus…

Realistically though, most of us working as developers wouldn't be working in a restaurant though instead. With a degree in maths, I would have probably ended up in something like statistics, science, finance or teaching. Not saying that those are better areas to be in (and one of the reasons that I work half-time is that I don't want to be more sedentary than I am) but it feels like a weird comparison for me.

I actually was working as a grocery clerk, then in a mail room. There are a lot of developers without degrees in the world. I was a nobody from nowhere and my vocational opportunities were pretty limited if I didn’t have the good luck of having a Commodore 64 when I was a kid.

Re: I don’t want to be a software developer anymore

#220

I feel like we as an industry can sometimes forget just how good we have it. Many of my friends do not work in tech, they are low paid, they have stressful jobs with little autonomy, they are not challenged at all and they feel little personal accomplishment in their day today. I appreciate the author alludes to this but having seen friends recently job hunting (outside of tech) I am reminded that even on the worst d…

This. I find it very difficult to complain as a coder given the conditions at the moment. Companies battle to hire people and the pay is globally extremely good. Most of the time it is easy to get time off or to accommodate "errands" during the day. As you said, I think a lot of us are out of touch about what it is to get a job outside of tech (and a couple other high demand privileged examples). You want to work fro…

I can totally understand why people wouldn’t enjoy being a software developer and would leave it for better opportunities if they could, but they should at least be aware what an amazing privilege it is, in the world today and in the history of the world to earn a living from thinking.
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