31–40 of 247 posts
I start hating my job every three years or so. Then I get a new one making more money.
The desire to have such a job grows as things around me (family, friends) start to be more steady.
I think its because through experience people have figured out a lot of unspoken things about what its really like being an employee. They have figured out that its much more about connections and office politics than hard work. They have figured out that there is really no job security, and they could be one layoff wave away from unemployment. They have figured out that its much more about face time and spending lon…
I can't stress this enough - if you're not happy with life, and you feel like you aren't moving closer to your goals and dreams, make a change!!! I realized that sitting at my desk for 30 years to pay for a house was not what I wanted to do, so I quit my job and have been driving around Africa for 2 years[1]. I dreamed for years of being a travel writer and photographer, and I am making that dream come true! I now wr…
I think its because through experience people have figured out a lot of unspoken things about what its really like being an employee. They have figured out that its much more about connections and office politics than hard work. They have figured out that there is really no job security, and they could be one layoff wave away from unemployment. They have figured out that its much more about face time and spending lon…
Just to be fair, developing/maintaining/managing connections and the political side (negociation, argumentation, understanding of the social mechanics, etc) is hard work.
I can't stress this enough - if you're not happy with life, and you feel like you aren't moving closer to your goals and dreams, make a change!!! I realized that sitting at my desk for 30 years to pay for a house was not what I wanted to do, so I quit my job and have been driving around Africa for 2 years[1]. I dreamed for years of being a travel writer and photographer, and I am making that dream come true! I now wr…
Sounds nice, but what about your family? Relatives that might need your attention? I love examples like this one, but unfortunatelly they can't be applied to a general guy. Though I have to agree that you have to go for a change one way or the other. Some people can do this almost right now, some will have to do some kind of preparations which can take quite some time too. PS: not to metion that economical\social con…
Absolutely, they're important, and by switching to doing something that makes me happier and healthier, I'm able to have a more positive impact on them and also have more time to spend with them. After all time is all we have to spend together, and I'd much rather spend it teaching my nephew to play guitar than sitting at a desk job I don't really enjoy. Because I'm a travel writer and photographer now I can "work remotely" and spend lots of time with family.
> Some will have to do some kind of preparations which can take quite some time too.
Of course! Anything worth doing requires hard work, and will probably take significant time.
I think its because through experience people have figured out a lot of unspoken things about what its really like being an employee. They have figured out that its much more about connections and office politics than hard work. They have figured out that there is really no job security, and they could be one layoff wave away from unemployment. They have figured out that its much more about face time and spending lon…
Also, any employee who thought that way would probably never rise far in their company, hence a self fulfilling prophecy.
I worked 7 for the same company, while studying and a few years after I finished my degree.
It was a small chaotic company, they were a startup that found a hand full of big corps to pay for the day-to-day expenses, but it never really grew up and never got product market fit.
After a big re-write of the product, with much overtime on my side, I asked my manager what my personal growth options are in the company.
Well, there weren't any.
So I quit a month later and did a sabbatical in 2014.
After that I tried freelancing and tried different things, always asking myself "Is this what I want?"
It helped me at least to filter out what I don't want and I'm much happier.
For me it was at 24, about 2 years after I started working. The first two years were exciting vanity-filled ride, because I was proving that to myself and others that I was really capable. I got quickly promoted to a project manager role (that was in a time and organization where PMs weren't just bureucrats, the role was exciting). Delivering my first project was hell of a ride (coffee and red-bull powered one), but…
Incidentally, has anyone ever managed to get more money for actually delivering a working product?
I sort of like creating things, but get frustrated that other people profit from my work or even claim it as their own.
For me it was at 24, about 2 years after I started working. The first two years were exciting vanity-filled ride, because I was proving that to myself and others that I was really capable. I got quickly promoted to a project manager role (that was in a time and organization where PMs weren't just bureucrats, the role was exciting). Delivering my first project was hell of a ride (coffee and red-bull powered one), but…
At your age (if it’s mid 20s) money should be around the bottom of the priolist, later in life that may not be an option
35 is probably the age where you have accepted the fact that you are just a cog in the machine, and the output will benefit someone other than yourself. For years leading up to it you already know youre just trading your life's precious hours away for money - which seems to have less and less purchasing power by the year. Once you realize the job is just a means of keeping yourself going, the perpetual cycle dawns on…
We as software engineers make a damn good amount of money for literally sitting down all day and basically bossing computers around. It is not slavery. I enjoy what I do and am making decent money doing it. If I won the lottery with FU money, yeah, I'd be done working for others. I think around 35 is when you may see through any illusions employers have with buying into their grand mission statements or whatever to g…