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Ask HN: Developers who switched careers, what are you doing now?

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Re: Ask HN: Developers who switched careers, what are you doing now?

#301

Post by lifeplusplus »

RubberMullet wrote: post #213

Quit my job as the CTO at a small Bay Area startup. One too many failed startups had taken their toll, I felt like a boxer that had lost his chin. Thought about culinary school and becoming a chef but after reading Kitchen Confidential, I changed my mind. Decided on welding/fabrication and ended up working on a ranch that had a metal fabrication shop. I enrolled in some classes at the local CC so I could improve my s…

I think last part is the important part of this post... Selling decade old bitcoins

Re: Ask HN: Developers who switched careers, what are you doing now?

#302

Post by lifeplusplus »

ChrisMarshallNY wrote: post #63

I was a manager, for many years. I ran a development shop, but did not write paid code. I was good at it, but hated it. I wanted to code all the time. During that time, I wrote open-source stuff, on the side (unpaid). Since leaving that job, I am now writing code, more than ever, and still not getting paid. Not what you're looking for, I know, but that's my story, and I'm sticking to it.

I'm from NYC mind if I connect

Re: Ask HN: Developers who switched careers, what are you doing now?

#303

Post by bradly »

snowman-yelling wrote: post #299
bradly wrote: post #222

I left tech in July and I'm building furniture and woodworking now. I had been doing Rails since 2007, ending my career with a great 4.5 year stretch at Apple and was ready for a break. Two to four weeks off a year just isn't enough for me and my family and simply getting paid 10-20% more wasn't going to change our life. I'm loving it. I don't sit or stand in place for eight hours a day. I'm learning a ton. I'm engag…

How did you get connected with the the volunteer opportunities? Do you live somewhere that you can afford to have enough space for a home workshop? I want to woodwork, but the Seattle area is prohibitively expensive to have the woodworking space.

In San Diego there is the San Diego Fine Woodworking Association that is completely volunteer ran, from teaching classes to cleaning bathrooms. We also have a non-profit mill in the area that mills local trees that have fallen or been cleared. Both of these orgs love volunteers.

I do not have a home shop. I pay $200 / month for access to a maker space with all the big tools along with a 10’x5’ CNC and lasers. Check out Is Good Woodworks for an example of a community shop in Seattle.

Re: Ask HN: Developers who switched careers, what are you doing now?

#304

Post by gaws »

marcrosoft wrote: post #226
soared wrote: post #167

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Always feels weird when someone in the top 1% of earners, making over $500k/yr, complains about taxes.

Why? They are the ones that end up paying the most.

> They are the ones that end up paying the most.

Top 1%? Paying their share of taxes? Ha ha ha.

Re: Ask HN: Developers who switched careers, what are you doing now?

#305

Post by lifeplusplus »

eric4smith wrote: post #125

Not a full switch. But I started a cleaning company. I build custom software to help run the business because I could not find anything to fit my needs. My skills also came in handy to build the website to make it exactly for our needs. And things like building a chatbot to help bring on new cleaners is what we are starting to build right now. I still code, but not so much these days. Mostly manage and architect. But…

Are you looking for a cofounder

Re: Ask HN: Developers who switched careers, what are you doing now?

#306

Post by lifeplusplus »

Auracle wrote: post #208

When I was 12 I suffered a brain injury that causes me to be tired all of time, along with some hormonal shifts. I didn’t realize it for a long time as it happened in the height of puberty. When I was 17 I started going to doctors to figure out the fatigue without much luck (“well, the sleep study came back fine so it must just be depression!”). I went to college for CS, but I knew I couldn’t manage a 40+ hour work w…

I always hear wedding photography pays the most

Re: Ask HN: Developers who switched careers, what are you doing now?

#307

Post by ChrisMarshallNY »

lifeplusplus wrote: post #302
ChrisMarshallNY wrote: post #63

I was a manager, for many years. I ran a development shop, but did not write paid code. I was good at it, but hated it. I wanted to code all the time. During that time, I wrote open-source stuff, on the side (unpaid). Since leaving that job, I am now writing code, more than ever, and still not getting paid. Not what you're looking for, I know, but that's my story, and I'm sticking to it.

I'm from NYC mind if I connect

Sure. I’m on Long Island.

My HN profile has ways to get to me.

Re: Ask HN: Developers who switched careers, what are you doing now?

#308

Post by 55555 »

onlyrealcuzzo wrote: post #277
55555 wrote: post #255

Earlier quoted context omitted.

He’s saying his tax rate is dropping to 12%. So at his level it is possibly easier to make more money by switching to a job/business with a lower tax rate, even if income is somewhat lower. (I’m not sure how he’s getting 12%… LTCG with deductions?)

In real estate your cash flow can be much higher than your taxable income due to depreciation. Since it's unearned income, you don't have to pay payroll taxes. And you can also avoid paying capital gains tax on the first $250k in capital gains on a property (after 1 year). There are a lot of people in speculative markets that pay close to 0 tax in real estate.

Thanks! That’s interesting.

Re: Ask HN: Developers who switched careers, what are you doing now?

#310

Post by pacomerh »

swayvil wrote: post #6

Switched to remodeling houses and landscaping. I switched because this is better. Healthier. Saner. Happier. More in line with my long-term goals and general growth.

Better, healthier how?, subjective maybe?. . Seems like you had a toxic job maybe?. I work in tech and all those good qualities apply.
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