I may not be in my 40's, but I walked away as well.[1]
[1]: https://gavinhoward.com/2020/08/the-software-industry-is-bro...
I've walked away from software development
121–130 of 237 posts
Re: I've walked away from software development
#122Everyone working in the software industry needs to understand the basic principles of financial independence. At some point, you will either burn out or will get pushed out. This is a high-reward high-cost (in terms of mental strain) line of work. Financial independence is what will enable you to walk away from a toxic situation. I suggest starting here: https://www.bogleheads.org/wiki/Getting_started
^ Yeah, this. I socked away and invested everything I could during my career in Silicon Valley. I retired just a few months after my fortieth birthday. Why most of my colleagues didn't do the same and instead 'leveled up' their lifestyle to match their income is beyond my capacity to understand.
I thought about this but its all about balance, money spent in your 20s and 30s is more valuable than in your 40s. That doesn't mean don't save at all just be balanced with a slight tilt towards saving more.
Re: I've walked away from software development
#123This really resonates with me. I'm becoming jaded as well. My most hated thing about the industry: the amount of people who do not give a shit. These people try to do the least amount of work possible. They actively try to stretch a day's worth of work into a month. They do not want to learn anything, even on the company's dime. They have zero passion and pride. Often they are vicious; they will act so kind and diplo…
>My most hated thing about the industry: the amount of people who do not give a shit.
This is why they're not burned out.
And IMHO, this sounds a lot like sour grapes. To be rewarded for good work your management needs to know you're doing good work. For them to know you're doing good work you need to tell them. This is just a basic fact of life. And it's not super hard. You just need to maintain a relationship with your boss and ideally your boss's boss.
Re: I've walked away from software development
#124Stealing phrase (paraphrasing) from a recent HN comment... TLDR: Two kinds of work are doing and justifying. Those of us used to doing are really bad at, and demotivated by, the justifying. Sorry, I should have book marked it. -- Finally listening to Graeber's Utopia of Rules. It's kinda blowing my mind. Like a firestorm in my head. Graeber's The Democracy Project has even more radical, useful explanations. His disti…
Graeber was one of my favorite modern writers. RIP. I hope someone picks up his torch.
Re: I've walked away from software development
#125Earlier quoted context omitted.
Not really handcuffs. You make a ton of money and move to a lower cost area to work on whatever you want. Financial independence removes way more restrictions than actually requiring a paycheck to live. Even if you stay at the company, just knowing that you have the money to say screw it and do what you want is empowering - Oh, you're going to fire me if I don't do xyz, go ahead because I don't need the job.
>Not really handcuffs. Ok, temporary handcuffs. The author of the original post on reddit mentions feeling as if escaping prison so there's something to handcuffs after all >Oh, you're going to fire me if I don't do xyz, go ahead because I don't need the job. That is only true when you have accumulate something and are ready to do your thing. Till then one is willing to put up with plenty of BS. But it's true, fat ch…
I would love to know where these good jobs/companies are. I work for a company that is consistently highly rated as a best place to work in IT by Computer World. I hate it. They don't even follow their own policies.
Re: I've walked away from software development
#126"Oh, you hate your job? Why didn't you say so? There's a support group for that. It's called everybody, and they meet at the bar." --Drew Carey That said, there are some good (if conflicting) points in there. Large tech companies are worse than startups, usually. Startups become large companies over time, if they don't fail. A good read on the real corporate dynamic: https://www.ribbonfarm.com/the-gervais-principle/
> Startups become large companies over time, if they don't fail. Picking nits, here, but this isn't true. My personal (multiple) anecdata is that a very good number of startups neither fail nor become large - rather, they become stable small businesses.
Was going to say the same here.
A lot of business owners don't want to grow to a 100+ or even 20+ company.
Re: I've walked away from software development
#127OP needs to get out of big tech and work at a startup or small-mid cap company. There's significantly less of what he hates and more time to do what he loves.
Re: I've walked away from software development
#128I think all of us 40+ folks are in the same place. When we first started we didn't mind the bullshit so much because we were too dumb to realize how much there was. Then we got older and, yeah, it's ridiculous, but we were pretty decent at surfing the bullshit waves so we still didn't mind so much. Now you're in your 40s and the real obligations of life have started piling up. You've gone from 7 hours of free time a…
I wanted to help train and mentor people. Went to work in state government as a developer at 47+. Could not be happier. I feel that the obligation of helping tax payers get their moneys' worth is "old school" internet. Being able to present government information the easiest and cleanest way possible on the net. Started doing web dev back around 96 and felt like the ethos have evolved into something I just couldn't e…
I'm in my 40s, working in higher ed, and I feel exactly the same.
As I've gotten older, mission matters more. I don't care about selling ads, I don't care about winning the stock option lottery, and I don't care about chasing only the shiniest newest tech. I care about getting stuff done efficiently with boring tech and helping people solve real problems.
Is higher ed perfect? Certainly not. But I feel like I'm contributing to a broader, useful mission. If I ever leave higher ed, it would almost certainly be for a non-profit or government job.
Re: I've walked away from software development
#129"Oh, you hate your job? Why didn't you say so? There's a support group for that. It's called everybody, and they meet at the bar." --Drew Carey That said, there are some good (if conflicting) points in there. Large tech companies are worse than startups, usually. Startups become large companies over time, if they don't fail. A good read on the real corporate dynamic: https://www.ribbonfarm.com/the-gervais-principle/
> Startups become large companies over time, if they don't fail. Picking nits, here, but this isn't true. My personal (multiple) anecdata is that a very good number of startups neither fail nor become large - rather, they become stable small businesses.
Seconding this. I've only ever worked at "stable small businesses" and I recommend them as (broadly) the least-toxic category. Few enough people that you get treated like a human, you can have human discussions and bring up human issues, you can build human relationships. But you also don't have the immense pressure of VC breathing down your neck, of growth-at-all-costs, etc.
Re: I've walked away from software development
#130Earlier quoted context omitted.
Yeah but the fat checks act like golden handcuffs, one is reluctant to lose them and will take more shit over time just because of the fat checks. Smart folks realize this and instead of enjoying the lifestyle fat checks bring they live frugally instead and get ready for an modest exit. It is possible, yes
Not really handcuffs. You make a ton of money and move to a lower cost area to work on whatever you want. Financial independence removes way more restrictions than actually requiring a paycheck to live. Even if you stay at the company, just knowing that you have the money to say screw it and do what you want is empowering - Oh, you're going to fire me if I don't do xyz, go ahead because I don't need the job.
I'm pretty sure ageism in tech boils down to this point. People who have been in the industry longer have better nest eggs and can simply leave at any point, so they won't crunch for you.