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Ask HN: How are you, a dev/programmer, preparing for the probable recession?

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31–40 of 51 posts

Re: Ask HN: How are you, a dev/programmer, preparing for the probable recession?

#31
Been saving a good amount pre-tax as always. And maintained my emergency fund.

Didn't get a new car - spent a bit on maintenance of a 2008 Civic. New tires do a lot!

Gonna go see My Chemical Romance a few times (once overseas - work that strong dollar!)

Re: Ask HN: How are you, a dev/programmer, preparing for the probable recession?

#32

I have a large cash cushion that can fund the next 5 years of my life. Other than that, I'm prepared to postpone some life goals if shit does hit the fan.

If you're storing your assets as cash, how will you deal with inflation?

Hopefully you'll never have to deal with what's happening in (e g.) Turkey over the last few years, but: if you were Turkish and you had five years worth of cash saved up two years ago, and you've never spent any of it, you now have what, 1 year's worth of cash?

We assume this'll never happen to the dollar/euro/pound, but what if it does? Even to a lesser degree. Are you prepared?

Re: Ask HN: How are you, a dev/programmer, preparing for the probable recession?

#33
post #8

Financially, I moved from the EU to South East Asia, decreasing cost of living by 70-80%. Additionally, just before I moved I was able to get a position with a 50% increase in pay. I'm saving a lot of money here, and locally am investing it into quite a few ventures which would continue to exist if the worlds economy would go south. Mentally & physically, I am taking beatings, right and left, every day, doing martial…

> I think, when the hard times come around, I'll be conditioned enough by always being tired and sore, that its just going to be a walk in the park.

What do you think is going to happen? Mass civil unrest?

Re: Ask HN: How are you, a dev/programmer, preparing for the probable recession?

#34
post #15

I'm probably an outlier, but I just... haven't? I grew up extraordinarily poor and spent the first few years of my adult life working low-paying jobs while teaching myself to code until I've gotten to where I am now. I feel incredibly and unbelievably blessed to have "made it" relative to where I, my family, and any of my peers would have ever previously thought possible. This, I think, has also changed how I view po…

Similar here. Grew up middle class, but there weren't really any jobs when I graduated. Malaysia just had bare basics PHP jobs until the app wave came in. Back in the day, it paid worse than fast food jobs. It was only until the startups and the first unicorns that the money came in, and programming for a living was a viable career. I'm actually quite grateful and flattered to be paying taxes instead of back then when I needed government aid to buy a baby car seat.

It looks like many unicorns are dying, and that could cause a shockwave, especially when others rely on them. But I don't think it will ever get as bad as when I first started.

Re: Ask HN: How are you, a dev/programmer, preparing for the probable recession?

#36
post #8

Financially, I moved from the EU to South East Asia, decreasing cost of living by 70-80%. Additionally, just before I moved I was able to get a position with a 50% increase in pay. I'm saving a lot of money here, and locally am investing it into quite a few ventures which would continue to exist if the worlds economy would go south. Mentally & physically, I am taking beatings, right and left, every day, doing martial…

Do you have suggestions for finding jobs that support this kind of work arrangement? For example, do the jobs advertise themselves as 100% remote from the beginning, or is that something you negotiated with them during the interview process? Also, how do you deal with the time difference?

I'm in a similar situation (European, getting paid US rates, living in SEA) and for me it's been freelance all the way. I'm earning enough that I save way more than I would back home, I have an amazing quality of life, and I don't have to work non-stop. When a freelance project ends, I work on my own stuff for a while, or travel. I've been working on a project for about a year now and it'll end soon. During that time I've easily saved up enough to live for... maybe 5 years here if I went super basic. But at least 3 with my normal lifestyle. Not counting holidays back home which would cut into my savings a lot.

I'm not planning to take 5 years off, I'm gonna take a few months to work on my own projects, then a vacation for a month or two since I haven't been home since before covid. Hopefully one of my own projects will start to earn me some money and I'll work on growing that, but if it doesn't I'll probably start looking for more freelance work at around the 6 month mark.

It's not all roses, there's visa issues, tax compliance is essentially impossible (although I do have a visa that allows me to work) and I do sometimes struggle with the culture here, as much as I love other parts of it (so not much different to home there I guess).

But, on the other hand, as someone who grew up poor, this level of financial security is almost impossible to believe. I can just... Take 6 months off work. Or a year even. And not have to worry about money. I feel free in a way that I never have before. I know this is privilege and I acknowledge that and try to ensure I don't abuse it.

Re: Ask HN: How are you, a dev/programmer, preparing for the probable recession?

#38
post #13
post #8

Financially, I moved from the EU to South East Asia, decreasing cost of living by 70-80%. Additionally, just before I moved I was able to get a position with a 50% increase in pay. I'm saving a lot of money here, and locally am investing it into quite a few ventures which would continue to exist if the worlds economy would go south. Mentally & physically, I am taking beatings, right and left, every day, doing martial…

where in SE Asia?

Cambodia is a great choice in my opinion. Check out this (Itchy Feet on the Cheap) Canadian YouTuber’s reasons why he chose Cambodia after living in many countries including Vietnam: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=IFlFA0b9070

Re: Ask HN: How are you, a dev/programmer, preparing for the probable recession?

#40

I have a large cash cushion that can fund the next 5 years of my life. Other than that, I'm prepared to postpone some life goals if shit does hit the fan.

If you're storing your assets as cash, how will you deal with inflation? Hopefully you'll never have to deal with what's happening in (e g.) Turkey over the last few years, but: if you were Turkish and you had five years worth of cash saved up two years ago, and you've never spent any of it, you now have what, 1 year's worth of cash? We assume this'll never happen to the dollar/euro/pound, but what if it does? Even t…

One year worth of cash is still enough.

I do the same as the OP and the way I deal with inflation is that I just keep adding more money every month. The objective of this stash is not to make a profit or fight inflation, its just to have a good enough amount of money to survive with 0 salary for at least a year. Regardless of whether or not I have a year worth of money, I just keep adding more.

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