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Ask HN: Why did you leave the tech industry?

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Re: Ask HN: Why did you leave the tech industry?

#391

Post by jl2718 »

chuck3201 wrote: post #201
normalnorm wrote: post #49

I love computers since I can remember, and started learning to code when I was still in basic school. This lead me to think that the tech industry was the obvious career for me. During my time in the industry, I felt miserable. I would say that the main reasons for that were: * Meaninglessness. Most of the projects are simply not necessary, they do not help society in anyway, they just exist to make someone else weal…

> I honestly believe that if the nerds told them to fuck off and started spending their time working on things they think are relevant, the world would become much better quickly. This won't happen, I know. Most of the "creative nerds" I have encountered in this industry are arrogant, have grandiose beliefs about their own intelligence and have zero empathy for anybody who is not exactly like them. I don't think thin…

He’s not suggesting that they “run the show”. He’s suggesting that they work on the things that they think are important. The alternative is to ask them to do what they don’t think is important. Doesn’t sound like that’s worked out too well for you.

Re: Ask HN: Why did you leave the tech industry?

#392

Post by UncleOxidant »

notacoward wrote: post #28

I haven't left myself yet, but at almost-55 I know a fair number who have. Here's what I know of what their answers would be. The first simply had another passion - travel. Work was just a way to pay for that. Eventually went to work for an agency, been there a long time and AFAICT couldn't be happier (despite being less well off materially). I've known a couple of others who fit this pattern. One left the industry t…

> The thought of going through a modern tech interview process yet again so that I can do all the rest again just fills me with dread.

A couple years older than you. I was working a nice gig at a startup until November. Nice because the owners were nice, the coworkers were nice and it was an interesting embedded application involving renewable energy - so not the run-of-the-mill web app. They ran out of funding in November but there was the possibility (prior to covid-19) that they would get more funding so I didn't look around much hoping I could just go back to work for them when they get more funding and avoid having to interview again.

Of course, that's not likely to happen at this point given where the economy is at. And I still can't bear the thought of interviewing again. So I'm effectively out of tech at this point. If someone comes along and offers me a gig without the arduous interview process I'd take it, but otherwise, I think I'm done.

Re: Ask HN: Why did you leave the tech industry?

#393

Post by potta_coffee »

rvz wrote: post #270
elroyjetson wrote: post #43

I left after over 25 years. I love programming and love working with Linux, but the jobs always came down to "help us steal peoples personal information so we can slam them with spam for products the neither want or need." It was unfulfilling. I went back to school and got an MA in history. I teach humanities though I still teach a couple of programming classes. I miss it a little. I would go back in a heartbeat for…

> I am through getting mauled in tech interviews which turned into combat trivial pursuit. I love technology and I still create applications mostly for myself or to help automate my school. This. Something has definitely changed in the last ~10 to 20 years since the end of the dotcom era of interviewing in the tech industry. Before it was as simple as reading the AUTHORS file in an open-source project like Linux to v…

Interviewing is going to drive me from the industry. I'm skilled - I've consistently provided high value at my jobs - but I'm not formally trained (don't have a CS degree) and I don't have the time anymore to sit around grinding leetcode just so I can land my next gig.

Re: Ask HN: Why did you leave the tech industry?

#394

Post by bradlys »

quickthrower2 wrote: post #380
bradlys wrote: post #373

Earlier quoted context omitted.

When you're at $500k/yr, losing <$50k/yr isn't really that big of a deal.

And most countries would give you 4 or more weeks annual leave

I believe the person is taking that extra month off /in addition/ to taking the standard PTO. (Which is around 3-5 weeks with holidays at FAANG)

Re: Ask HN: Why did you leave the tech industry?

#395

Post by thomasbibby »

I just left. I was an iOS dev for years, and ran my own (failed) startup before that, but now I work in politics. My friend ran for parliament, I was his campaign manager. He won a seat in the election, and he asked me to leave my job to come and work as his parliamentary assistant, and I said yes. Politics and software aren’t so different - they’re certainly both messy behind the scenes. I miss cranking out code and being in the zone, but like others I don’t miss the Taylorisation and faddishness of the sector. I took a big pay cut with my new job, but I don’t regret it. I’m still on HN because after a day of reading about politics and policy it’s nice to read people arguing about different things!

Re: Ask HN: Why did you leave the tech industry?

#396

Post by UncleOxidant »

I think I might be out of the tech industry. I'm 55+ and had a really nice embedded gig that ended in November because the startup ran out of funding. They held out hope that they could get more funding and promised that they'd hire me back right away when they did. So didn't look around much because I liked working for them and I hate the modern interviewing process. Now with covid-19 I don't think it's likely they'll get funding. And I'm just done with the whole arduous tech interviewing process at this point. If someone comes along and offers me a gig without having to go through the arduous interview process (it's happened, that last gig was like that) I'll take it. But otherwise I think I'm done.

Re: Ask HN: Why did you leave the tech industry?

#397

Post by britneyspears »

arkmm wrote: post #337

I'm somewhat surprised you were able to snag this username! Aside from the pop star, it reminded me of Britney Spears' Guide to Semiconductor Physics[0], which was super helpful back when I was in college. Any connection? [0] http://britneyspears.ac/lasers.htm

No connection. I just made this account last week. I've been around here for a while, but my old account is my real name, and I'm not so sure that's a great idea always. If I ever post some super serious "Show HN" type stuff, I'll probably use that, and save this one for regular internet arguments.

Re: Ask HN: Why did you leave the tech industry?

#398

Post by hnick »

karatestomp wrote: post #111
hackyhacky wrote: post #78

As a kid, I aspired to be a programmer. As an adult, I succeeded, and I stuck around for a good long while. There are a lot of reasons to like working tech, obviously: the salary, the flexible working environment, the prestige, the opportunity to build products that real people use, the chance to play with new technology, and of course working with occasionally brilliant colleagues. I tried to convince myself that th…

> I was spending more time wrestling with package managers, version conflicts, obtuse configuration files, pointless deadlines, egotistical colleagues, and almost zero time solving interesting problems on products that I care about. That squares with my experience of software development. It's like being a furniture maker but spending 80% of your time fixing your goddamn hammer because it keeps breaking and no better…

My attraction to tech is the certainty of digital. In a messy analogue world, it provides a semblance of predictability.

But my PC has recently started crashing for no obvious reason. The analogue has crept into the digital. Every error message is different. Parts work when tested in isolation. The whole is less than the sum of the parts.

It's really quite annoying, and I'm enjoying walks in the park more these days than typing on a keyboard. I put up some shelves the other day. They are still up. An update won't break them. Reliable.

Re: Ask HN: Why did you leave the tech industry?

#400

Post by cushychicken »

peckrob wrote: post #108

I stated my career early - while I was still in high school. I went from bagging groceries and doing checkouts at a grocery store to programming for a local company my senior year of high school. I continued doing this for my first couple years of college. But then dot-bomb happened and it looked like the party was over. I looked down at the job opportunities after graduation. I didn't really want to spend the rest o…

What town were you closest to? I grew up in Bozeman and spent a reasonable amount of time in the west side of the park.
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