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Ask HN: Has anyone started over outside of tech?

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Re: Ask HN: Has anyone started over outside of tech?

#151

Post by bespokedevelopr »

I quit my software dev job last April. Burned out and in a rough spot mentally. I worked as a dev for 8 years and it was great but changes to lifestyles and work life from Covid were taking a toll on me.

I hoped to become an electrician but that didn’t really work out due to circumstances outside of my control.

I work as a security guard now and have been doing this since October. Honestly never saw myself doing this job before but it turns out it’s a pretty sweet gig.

It’s low stress and low anxiety which is just what I needed. The people I work with aren’t your stereotypical security, maybe it’s because of the city I’m in but everyone is very nice and open minded.

I get to chill and read books for hours while I get paid. It’s the mental vacation I needed from programming.

I write about it occasionally on my blog.

Re: Ask HN: Has anyone started over outside of tech?

#153

Post by theGnuMe »

dogtorwoof wrote: post #83
boosting6889 wrote: post #7

I would actually like to be a doctor but it’s not really feasible starting down that route in my 30s

What’s interesting to read about this is I’m a doctor who wants to transition to tech.

There's lots of opportunity in the medical tech space.

Re: Ask HN: Has anyone started over outside of tech?

#154

Post by jollofricepeas »

shigawire wrote: post #138
martopix wrote: post #104

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Beautiful answer -- why would you just accumulate savings without using them for living an interesting life? It's worth taking risks. I'm considering doing something of the sort, probably much less risky actually.

>why would you just accumulate savings without using them for living an interesting life? Having kids. Not that you have to do this with kids, but it is a reason

I don’t understand Americans POV on this subject.

Other than providing tutors and making sure their children are in the best secondary schools, I don’t understand the American obsession with paying for college.

The best way to prepare your child is to let them experience reality not coddle them.

- A luxury university diploma will not guarantee a good job

- There are other educational opportunities besides an expensive university

- Acquiring internships and work experience is far more valuable to establishing a network and getting your foot in the door

It is unrealistic to expect parents to go into crippling debt to pay for your entire time at a luxury university when a regular school and internships will suffice.

Re: Ask HN: Has anyone started over outside of tech?

#155

Post by hahamrfunnyguy »

I started a business outside of pure software and ran it from 2012-2023. It's probably still considered tech because we were making and selling electronic devices that had microcontrollers and still had software.

I also have a YouTube channel which I focused seriously on for a year or two. I decided I wasn't really enjoying it or making enough money to continue doing it seriously. I still publish videos and make about a thousand bucks a year.

I am now running a software startup which I founded in 2020. I plan on using the profits to buy a farm. I could probably buy a farm now, but I still want to build the startup and continue on with my current lifestyle for the time being. If that doesn't work out, I will farm in my backyard like I am doing already.

You might be able to "retire" now if you cut your expenses. My yearly budget for all expenses (medical, taxes, food, housing, transportation, vacation, hobbies, entertainment, etc.) is $32,000.

My budget margins are thin, but if nothing drastic changes, I should be able to continue at my current lifestyle in perpetuity. I am keeping my tech skills active if I need to go back to work at a "real job" at any point, but the plan is for the startup to be generating some revenue this year.

Re: Ask HN: Has anyone started over outside of tech?

#156

Post by sarojmoh1 »

I left a very toxic job where I was the only dev 11 months ago. Kinda been on sabbatical and living off savings.

I've done several other things outside of dev (farming, art modeling, rideshare and deliveries, clinical trial, retail, and am actually working as a dishwasher tonight)

Harsh reality has set in that I need to return to work though.

The thing is...for most people there's not much you can do that will even let you make close to half of what you'd make in tech.

I also found that I was stressing myself out at minimum wage jobs too (not even close to as bad as tech).

So I kinda concluded that you should make as much as you can if you're gonna be stressed (to an extent of course).

I don't have family or any big payments, debt. I live below my means. Just turned 30 and one thing I'm considering is working for next decade in tech and investing everything to retire in early 40s

Re: Ask HN: Has anyone started over outside of tech?

#157

Post by brookst »

User23 wrote: post #130
mabbo wrote: post #47

The greatest such story I've ever read is this one from a GitHub issue comment: https://github.com/docker/cli/issues/267#issuecomment-695149... > Sorry I missed your comment of many months ago. I no longer build software; I now make furniture out of wood. The hours are long, the pay sucks, and there's always the opportunity to remove my finger with a table saw, but nobody asks me if I can add an RSS feed to a DBMS, s…

> the opportunity to remove my finger with a table saw This is a solved problem. SawStop will reduce the injury from amputation to somewhere between laceration and a pinch.

I think they were using it as shorthand for all of the physical risks that physical fabricators have, rather than saying circular saws are the one single risk and there is no mitigation.

Re: Ask HN: Has anyone started over outside of tech?

#158

Post by jwmoz »

bespokedevelopr wrote: post #151

I quit my software dev job last April. Burned out and in a rough spot mentally. I worked as a dev for 8 years and it was great but changes to lifestyles and work life from Covid were taking a toll on me. I hoped to become an electrician but that didn’t really work out due to circumstances outside of my control. I work as a security guard now and have been doing this since October. Honestly never saw myself doing this…

That is a massive switch, would have thought usually the other way round!

Re: Ask HN: Has anyone started over outside of tech?

#159

Post by gsatic »

siva7 wrote: post #41

It is important to understand that everyone has sometimes escape phantasies (teachers, therapists, baristas, founders, medical doctors, professors, developers, etc., they all do) because something is making them truly unhappy in their day-to-day job and they assume other people happier. Finding about the root cause what makes you unhappy will usually lead to more satisfying results than just running after to become a…

The underlying issue is Corporate wonderland is a mindless machine whether you work with computers or not.

No great surprise at all that people checkout and burnout, cause people are not machines.

Re: Ask HN: Has anyone started over outside of tech?

#160

Post by roarcher »

adamsbriscoe wrote: post #29
boosting6889 wrote: post #7

I would actually like to be a doctor but it’s not really feasible starting down that route in my 30s

It is feasible actually. Graduated med school with two people in their late 30s, early 40s. You didn't ask for it but be forewarned: it'll take 10 years before you have a realistic taste of what the job actually is like. I don't usually speak in absolutes, but I will confidently claim that no amount of shadowing, training, volunteering in clinics/hospitals, or family will provide you with a shortcut to that experienc…

> it'll take 10 years before you have a realistic taste of what the job actually is like.

And if you're taking out loans to go to school, you may have no choice but to continue even if you find out it's not for you. I know someone who's halfway through med school and clearly hates everything about it, but is past the point of no return financially. If she doesn't finish and become a working doctor, she'll never have the income to pay back her debt of several hundred thousand dollars at 7% interest.

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