Ask HN: Why did you leave the tech industry? • Hacker News Board

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

#441

Post by collyw » Thu, Apr 16, 2020, 7:27 AM UTC

potta_coffee wrote: post #393

rvz wrote: post #270

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> 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.

That or waste a day or two of your weekend on some trivial app to be nitpicked on some nonsense not in the spec.

I had a go at our manager recently after letting two people do our tech test then say they were too inexperienced. We could have worked that out before wasting their time.

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

#442

Post by awill88 » Thu, Apr 16, 2020, 7:28 AM UTC

Yhippa wrote: post #390

notacoward wrote: post #252

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The changing nature of the job is definitely part of it. When you're on the steepest part of the learning curve, that makes up for a lot. I still learn plenty, but less than I used to. Instead, I spend a good deal of my time correcting mistakes made by those who hadn't learned yet. Mistakes happen, that's OK, but it's still less fun than learning new things myself. At my age/experience there's also an expectation tha…

This is one of the saddest yet truest things I've read here on HN. Really hits home.

Same.

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

#443

Post by dima586 » Thu, Apr 16, 2020, 7:42 AM UTC

Been in tech (hardware) for about 8 years now. I've been close to leaving several times due to all of the reasons listed in this thread. Unfortunatly I'm still here. The right opportunity hasnt presented itself yet - so I will keep searching/waiting. Its inspiring to read that people have managed to get out and do interesting things after - thanks for sharing your stories!

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

#444

Post by badpun » Thu, Apr 16, 2020, 7:55 AM UTC

Thorentis wrote: post #417

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 just don't really like tech people, despite the fact that I obviously am one of them. Wow, this resonates with me. I have never liked my colleagues at any job, and I hate talking about tech with people outside of things related to work. I find tech people difficult to get along with and the conversations don't interest me. I say this knowing I could very well fit the same description but here's the thing: I find…

> I find that often tech people replace an entire personality with video games / following the latest tech releases / anything related to their job. Almost all "water cooler chat" at tech companies is what game they played on the weekend, what the latest steam sale is, what the latest tv show is, what new programming language they're learning. Like, please. Can we talk about something else?

Interesting. I've worked at plenty of companies and I rarely met people like that. Maybe it's an American quirk (I've mostly worked in Europe) or perhaps it's specific to tech companies? I've mostly worked in non-tech (government, banking, telcos, with some simple web startups) and people there are fairly well-rounded. It may be that big tech is selecting for the biggest brainiacs in their hiring process, and being a brainiac correlates with having a one-dimensional personality? I've certainly meet a couple of people like that when interviewing at some of tech's household names.

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

#445

Post by collyw » Thu, Apr 16, 2020, 8:06 AM UTC

perl4ever wrote: post #424

collyw wrote: post #348

I am ready to leave. 18 years experience. My Current job the tech lead is a diva, doesn't listen to anyone else and just add more and more to our enormous codbase. There are now 3 devs. The other two just basically clean up behind him as he builds technical debt. Trying to discuss is likely to end up in an argument. I have had a could of technical test recently and failed them both. Today I was given a number of reas…

"How to avoid deadlocks in Java" I'm curious, this is not something I've needed to know, but what would be Java specific to an answer? If I was asked about deadlocks, I would say "always acquire resources in the same order".

It was a Java job. They said that it didn't matter that I do Python most of the time, and as I say threading isn't something that has come up since university for me.

I imagine it would take half a day or reading to remember it again.

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

#446

Post by collyw » Thu, Apr 16, 2020, 8:08 AM UTC

istorical wrote: post #383

collyw wrote: post #348

I am ready to leave. 18 years experience. My Current job the tech lead is a diva, doesn't listen to anyone else and just add more and more to our enormous codbase. There are now 3 devs. The other two just basically clean up behind him as he builds technical debt. Trying to discuss is likely to end up in an argument. I have had a could of technical test recently and failed them both. Today I was given a number of reas…

It sounds like you have an awful boss or lead. So much of our mental state in programming has nothing to do with the code or our work and so much to do with the people we work with. I think regardless of whether you stay or leave the industry, you've gotta leave any jobs where the people are that toxic.

He is a bit of a nightmare work wise. Aside from work he is actually a fun person, but he has built most of the monstrosity and takes any suggestion for improvement way too personally. Its a shame as I like the people, but not the work.

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

#447

Post by collyw » Thu, Apr 16, 2020, 8:20 AM UTC

non-entity wrote: post #57

Balanceinfinity wrote: post #36

I realized that I was only a so-so programmer. the real ninjas were so passionate and knowledgeable; I was only successful because of brute force and overworking. I moved on to a career in the law - which is a much more natural fit for me.

> realized that I was only a so-so programmer. the real ninjas were so passionate and knowledgeable; I was only successful because of brute force and overworking. I think I'm starting to feel this. I'm neither talented nor educated enough to work on things I truly find interesting and my ability to learn feels like its completely flatlined these days. Unfortunately, I feel trapped in what I do rn, because it's really…

As I age I feel the opposite. I can't work out whats going on as quickly as I used to but when I do I am far more inclined to refactor stuff so that its easy for the next person.

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

#448

Post by chuck3201 » Thu, Apr 16, 2020, 8:23 AM UTC

awayfrommypc wrote: post #338

volkk wrote: post #226

Earlier quoted context omitted.

+1 for this. The "business" folk might be filling your day to day with features that only improve conversion rates which is soul draining, of course, but nothing feels worse than working on something interesting surrounded by these wannabe wozniak "nerds" that instill this unspoken aura of "youre too dumb to be in the room with me." THOSE are the people that i hate the most in this industry.

I have met people who are so focused on business/money that I find them repulsive. At the same time, I know some geeks who are the most bitter and angry humans ever. Even when they consider you smart and let you in their inner circles, all they do is complain about un-worthy developers or managers. It gets draining. I am too old to hang out with negative people, also too old for people who are only interested in maki…

Like everything in life you need a balance between the "business types" and the "creative nerds". To think that any one personality type is far superior to any other shows a lack of understanding of the human condition.

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

#449

Post by collyw » Thu, Apr 16, 2020, 8:30 AM UTC

redcat7 wrote: post #293

I want to make software development so simple that cost of entering the software industry and competing with current companies (except infrastructure) will be close to nothing. I really want that normal people would be building functions on their computers which today are startups. If everyone is super, no one is.

People already do this in Excel.

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

#450

Post by checkyoursudo » Thu, Apr 16, 2020, 8:48 AM UTC

ratkinson wrote: post #316

checkyoursudo wrote: post #60

I started out in technical writing a little more than 20 years ago with a masters degree, which turned into building websites. I built websites for a few years, when I became involved in a lawsuit with family/community/environmental org in a really novel and interesting area of law at the time. I thought that was quite enjoyable. So I decided to go to law school and become a lawyer, which I did. Then I was a lawyer f…

I love your mentality checkyoursudo. I started in civil/environmental engineering before getting into software development. For the past 5 years though I have been thinking about cognitive science in my free time and all of my idols are psychologists and neuroscientists. Might I ask where are you pursuing a masters in cog sci? This is exactly what I have wanted to do but the schools offering these programs are few fr…

I was living in Germany when I decided to do this. I am studying at a university in Sweden.

I don't really know the programs in the US very well. I didn't look at any when I was considering the field. Do you want to try to do a masters and then get into industry, or rather then continue with a PhD?