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Ask HN: In mid 40s. What non-tech job can I do?

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Re: Ask HN: In mid 40s. What non-tech job can I do?

#101

Post by nopenopenopeno »

visarga wrote: post #71
factsarelolz wrote: post #38

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> but his coworkers were snotty out-of-touch liberals with no conception of class divisions at all. They were intent on dividing society along gender lines. Unfortunately I have heard the same. I know 3 male high school teachers and the stories I hear are unfathomable, you could never convince me to teach at a high school.

Hard to understand such activism aiming at dividing society, they emphasise the issues while almost completely forgetting to mention cooperation that exists between the various groups.

Right. They seem to think that the aggregate of women could be made happier even while the aggregate of men are made miserable.

Re: Ask HN: In mid 40s. What non-tech job can I do?

#102

Post by nopenopenopeno »

jhpaul wrote: post #93
drewcoo wrote: post #57

Earlier quoted context omitted.

And it's not just schools. It's also social work. And related fields. Basically, all the things you'd want to involve yourself in "to make a difference" are dominated by liberals.

I disagree that most "make a difference" fields are dominated by liberals. In my experience, many non-profit board members tend to be wealthy conservatives - bankers, car dealership owners, real estate brokers, etc. This can lead even organizations where the mission, staff or clients are mostly liberal to develop a conservative, elitist culture. Combined with the revolving door of donors and relatives into senior lea…

Disagree. There are surprisingly few actual conservatives in the American ruling class, which is why the Democratic Party is statistically the party of the rich. I think your definition of “conservative” is something closer to “person I don’t like.”

For the record, I don’t support American liberals or conservatives, who both waste too much time avoiding confrontation with the root problem: capitalism.

Re: Ask HN: In mid 40s. What non-tech job can I do?

#103

Post by jhpaul »

nopenopenopeno wrote: post #102
jhpaul wrote: post #93

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I disagree that most "make a difference" fields are dominated by liberals. In my experience, many non-profit board members tend to be wealthy conservatives - bankers, car dealership owners, real estate brokers, etc. This can lead even organizations where the mission, staff or clients are mostly liberal to develop a conservative, elitist culture. Combined with the revolving door of donors and relatives into senior lea…

Disagree. There are surprisingly few actual conservatives in the American ruling class, which is why the Democratic Party is statistically the party of the rich. I think your definition of “conservative” is something closer to “person I don’t like.” For the record, I don’t support American liberals or conservatives, who both waste too much time avoiding confrontation with the root problem: capitalism.

Fwiw, my definition of conservative in this case is someone with views traditionally in line with the Republican and Libertarian platform. Someone who tends to vote Republican and tends to view things through that lens.

I think your goal is to attack the person and and not the idea, which has nothing to do with my experience-based opinion that it's more nuanced than "dominated by liberals".

Re: Ask HN: In mid 40s. What non-tech job can I do?

#104

Post by pragmatic »

goostavos wrote: post #67
ww520 wrote: post #41

Farming? Modern farming is more like project management, hiring management company, hiring operation company, corps planning, taking to banks, managing finance, managing subcontractors, sales, etc.

I imagine the upstart costs are astronomical (especially when weighed against the low returns) here for anything other than personal garden level? Or is that perception wrong? Is it possible to start a new farming operation and be minimally viable / profitable?

This.

There's no way to break into "family" farming (500-2000 acres basef on location/crop/animals)

"Low returns" lololol

Farming is incredibly profitable (b/c good crop prices and the government makes sure it's very hard to go broke, although some people definitely try their hardest) so you will pay top dollar for land (purchase or rent).

I kinda dreamed about taking over our family farm, but the rents my retired parents are getting makes it unlikely to be profitable.

You really need to be farming 20,000 acres with the latest technology. A 500 acre farm is just not going to pencil out except as a hobby farm.

Re: Ask HN: In mid 40s. What non-tech job can I do?

#105

Post by abnercoimbre »

leethomas wrote: post #60
ljf wrote: post #36

There are so many non-technical jobs in tech companies, which are so much better in the hands of someone that understands technology. Consider the skills and knowledge you have, and see where else you can apply them. Often these roles are far less stressful

> Often these roles are far less stressful What did you have in mind specifically? I can’t think of anything myself that doesn’t seem just as or more stressful and with less flexibility.

Organizer for tech conferences [0]. If you operate an event venue as a former engineer the attendees will thank you. You also save on costs because you can self-host most of the tech stack.

The stress turned out to be higher than a 9-5 job though, so think twice :)

[0] https://handmade-seattle.com

Re: Ask HN: In mid 40s. What non-tech job can I do?

#106

Post by ankaAr »

Get a forge, tools and iron.

Forge swords, axes, knives.

Why? A SWORD, made by you, using your muscles that maybe you don't know you have. It must to be fun.

Or do gardening.

Or as I talk with friends when I'm burned out: a fruit store with no more technology than paper and a pencil to do maths.

Re: Ask HN: In mid 40s. What non-tech job can I do?

#107

Post by c_o_n_v_e_x »

ljf wrote: post #75
leethomas wrote: post #60

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Often these roles are far less stressful What did you have in mind specifically? I can’t think of anything myself that doesn’t seem just as or more stressful and with less flexibility.

Product Owner, Product Manager can be loads of fun and very creative at the right company - though both can be high stress in the wrong team/company. Project Management can be fun if you are organised, Programme Manager if you want it to be a more senior role Business Analyst can be great - and can get pretty senior. In some companies the step out of programming and into architecture can be a very different pace, but…

I wouldn't recommend PO or PM roles if you're looking for low stress. That's not to say these roles aren't fulfilling or rewarding, but they come with stress. When things are going well, praise and recognition goes to the teams. When they aren't, you're the head on a spike.

I'd agree that the stress of Product roles varies with company. Dealing with clueless, egotistical executives and HiPPos is never enjoyable.

Re: Ask HN: In mid 40s. What non-tech job can I do?

#108

Post by nextos »

nunez wrote: post #95
hackyhacky wrote: post #10

I took some time off to teach. Years later, I'm still doing it. I teach computer science and programming. This is a good field to go into, because (a) it applies my knowledge acquired from my earlier life as a developer, and (b) is always in demand. If you want to teach this, you will have no trouble getting a job at a high school, community college, or university. I would also argue it's not, strictly speaking, a te…

Much more emphasis required on the "people-oriented"ness of the job. My wife has taught at the high school and community college levels for almost 15 years. Given ten years of her stories and experience (that's how long we've been together; DAMN TIME FLIES!), this is what I have to add: 1. Spend time at /r/professors and /r/teachers in Reddit. Read their stories. Ask questions. Warning: those subs are overwhelmingly…

> Four-year colleges require Ph.Ds for those roles, no exceptions

In British academia it is not impossible to get a lecturer position (equivalent to US assistant professor) without a PhD.

Simon Peyton Jones, who is famous for his Haskell / GHC work, got one and progressed all the way to full professor.

The OP might want to consider this. If one aims at CS positions that are mostly / fully devoted to teaching in not-so-prominent universities, it's totally doable. There is a shortage of good programming teachers because of the big pay gap compared to industry.

A lecturer will get ~£40-50,000 gross, whereas a good programming job in London will be more than 2x that figure. However, if you land a lectureship somewhere cheap, in practice the paygap won't be so dramatic.

Re: Ask HN: In mid 40s. What non-tech job can I do?

#110

Post by readonthegoapp »

tda wrote: post #46
blowski wrote: post #30

Personally, I found the problem isn't engineering. I do that for free in my spare time. It's dealing with corporate bullshit that grinds me down. As such, helping worthy causes with their technology problems can be hugely rewarding.

What helped for me was switching from a 5000 employee company to a 50 employee one. I really loved my previous job, but just witnessing the politics made me want to quit, and I'm glad I did.

I was going to suggest a digital agency

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