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I've walked away from software development

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Re: I've walked away from software development

#221

Post by xfitm3 »

jokethrowaway wrote: post #151
porker wrote: post #119

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don't know if there's something special about working in web design/development but I see more identity politics here and in the community than I do anywhere else in my life, or in other industries. My partner works in education - that place of reputed wokeness - and while identity features, there isn't the politics in the school around it. Perhaps webdev attracted a specific kind of person (who felt comfortable wi…

It's an industry filled with highly educated people who spend way too much time idling on twitter and the internet in general. They don't have money concerns like most people from other walks of life so they need to find something to get worked out about. I think it's understandable why big tech went in this direction.

Twitter is one of the most mentally detrimental social media platforms even made amplified with socially accepted brigading and censorship.

Re: I've walked away from software development

#222

Post by xfitm3 »

vsareto wrote: post #73
kminehart wrote: post #66

Earlier quoted context omitted.

what does that even mean?

People will start drama if you use the wrong words. Either the drama itself or trying to avoid it is an additional source of stress.

Before I left tech the first time I used the wrong pronoun was "free". Second is fireable offense literally classified as hate speech. Most people didn't go to HR unless you are a dick.

I support whatever you want to do, truly. I have a habit of joining a zoom and saying "hey guys hows it going?". It's been really hard to break but I am working on it

Seriously, if I made that mistake the first 5 min of the meeting is attributed to this with some massive history on transsexuality but rarely a mention of Guy Fawkes.

Personally, I think the majority of these people are addicted to their struggle and probably should work on moving past that with a qualified professional.

One of my best friends and most capable mentors came out and I think it's fucking great. Good for her! She handles it healthy and always has a positive anecdote even when I fuck up.

Re: I've walked away from software development

#223

Post by prepend »

elcapitan wrote: post #19
prepend wrote: post #15

I went into a non-tech role and then still “code” as much as possible. It’s terribly liberating as I don’t have to do much of what’s called out in authors complaint list but still has all the fun of solving problems writing code. It was hard to find such a position but I’ve bumped into quite a few others like me who are “crypto coders” who do their work that’s really only possible with software. In some ways I active…

That's interesting, which field is that? I guess in finance there's a lot of "crypto coding" (no pun intended) going on.

I’ve got a hard to describe job but it’s like part data analyst and part technology strategy. Most of my peers don’t code or have people who code for them so it’s one of those things where my outputs are evaluated and don’t care how I get them, but since I can just code them myself my life is a lot more peaceful.

There’s a lot of data product people who can’t code. My org doesn’t buy or sell data so it’s really just about figuring out ways to link stuff together.

Re: I've walked away from software development

#225

Post by tartoran »

2sk21 wrote: post #213
notacoward wrote: post #212

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think you're kind of missing OP's point. No matter how enthusiastic you are at the beginning of your career, that field of things you enjoy and teams you enjoy working with is likely to narrow over time for a couple of reasons. Everything's more fun when it's new and you're learning fast, but less and less seems new as you gain experience. A lot of "new" things are obviously reincarnations of things you learned lon…

Thats exactly what I meant! I am in my 50s and I just retired after nearly 30 years in software development, much of it in cutting edge AI. As you say, after a while, you've seen everything and its not quite as interesting the second time around. I still enjoy coding and reading stuff, just not for a living. I get to do whatever I want which is a reward in of itself. Knuth has a wonderful take on how he is spending h…

> then I try to digest that knowledge into a form that is accessible to people who don't have time for such study.

Do you publish your digested knowledge anywhere? Do you have a blog?

Re: I've walked away from software development

#226

Post by Izkata »

xfitm3 wrote: post #222
vsareto wrote: post #73

Earlier quoted context omitted.

People will start drama if you use the wrong words. Either the drama itself or trying to avoid it is an additional source of stress.

Before I left tech the first time I used the wrong pronoun was "free". Second is fireable offense literally classified as hate speech. Most people didn't go to HR unless you are a dick. I support whatever you want to do, truly. I have a habit of joining a zoom and saying "hey guys hows it going?". It's been really hard to break but I am working on it Seriously, if I made that mistake the first 5 min of the meeting is…

> Personally, I think the majority of these people are addicted to their struggle and probably should work on moving past that with a qualified professional.

A generation that grew up reading about and watching recordings/movies of the civil rights fights of the prior generation(s), with no more such large fights of their own, seeking ever further niche subjects to blow up into something they can fight for.

Re: I've walked away from software development

#227

Post by rootbear »

jacques_chester wrote: post #220
rootbear wrote: post #185

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I was diagnosed with ADHD in my fifties! I'd known I likely had it for some years, but the formal diagnosis came late. Alas, none of the meds I tried worked, or they had unacceptable side-effects. So I mostly rely on monitoring my own behavior and trying to establish good habits. The results are mixed.

It's unfortunate you didn't have luck with medication. One thing to consider is asking your psychiatrist whether there are pharmaceutical trials you can join, one of those might be helpful.

Interesting suggestion, thanks. I live in the Washington, DC, area and NIH is right here, so...

Re: I've walked away from software development

#228

Post by oceanghost »

jpmattia wrote: post #18

In the middle of the rant on burnout, he says: > I'm sick of everyone being on Adderall. Is that really a thing? ie What proportion of software folks are using it?

My building used to have a dealer (cocaine, marijuana, stims). You'd place and order and the drugs would show up in your mailbox. It was an open secret.

Re: I've walked away from software development

#229

Post by thwarted »

ryandvm wrote: post #48

I 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…

> When we first started we didn't mind the bullshit so much because we were too dumb to realize how much there was.

…

> Oh, by the way, it's December, so we need you to watch that 45 minute security training video again so you don't accept USB flash drives from strangers in the parking lot.

Admittedly, in the early 90s when I got started professionally there actually wasn't so much bullshit, and yearly security training videos are an example of the kind and extent of how the bullshit has evolved and expanded.

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