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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?

#361

Post by jjav »

pyth0 wrote: post #180
inoffensivename wrote: post #169

I'm on a hiatus from tech after nearly 20 years at a FAANG, I'm now an airline pilot. The money sucks and the hours are long, but somehow the simplicity of the mission (go from A to B, don't bend any metal) appeals to me. Being able to switch the phone off after work, not having to worry about stupid office politics, planning, or performance reviews is quite liberating. The view from my office desk is unbeatable! I'm…

> not having to worry about stupid office politics, planning, or performance reviews You don't have performance reviews as a pilot? Maybe that should concern me next time I'm flying

Do any other fields of work have the insane performance review style as tech? None of my accountant, lawyer or doctor friends do.

For example at a previous tech company the levels were something like this (going by memory, not exact):

1 - Fails to meet expectations.

2 - Meets all expectations, delivers on time with only occasional mistakes.

3 - Exceeds expectations, delivers ahead of schedule with better quality than asked.

4 - Consistently invents new technologies and promotes them within the organization with demonstrable financial gain to the company.

5 - Invented the field (literally, that's what the description said!)

So unless you're one of a few people in the world (who didn't work for that company), it's impossible to be rated a 5. A 4 is also nearly impossible, sure maybe once a decade you might achieve that but nobody on earth does that every year.

Doing your job solidly well is clearly a 2, but a 2 is also seen as a straight road to RIF. In what other industry is that so?

So basically everyone is competing for 3 (mediocre bonus) or 2 (RIF). Sure, a few 4 and 5 get handed out to the friends of the VP but not for meeting that impossible criteria, only through politics.

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

#362

Post by __derek__ »

inoffensivename wrote: post #350
__derek__ wrote: post #345

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> I'm now an airline pilot How did you make this move? I've day-dreamed about this, but curious to hear details from someone who did it.

I started taking flying lessons about 7 years ago, and about 4 years ago I got my instructor certificate. I taught people how to fly on weekends and after work until my 1500 hours came up, then I applied to an airline and got a job. The flight instructor thing was actually occasionally rewarding, especially when people landed the airplane by themselves for the first time. Seeing the look of joy and satisfaction on th…

Gotcha. You were a hobbyist before. That makes sense.

I hear you on the instruction. I used to teach climbing courses as a volunteer, and it was always nice watching people grow more confident.

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

#363

Post by edu »

obiefernandez wrote: post #26

Other than some long-term entanglements I’ve basically retired from tech and started over as a music producer/touring DJ. Living the dream, but definitely feels like starting again from the bottom https://soundcloud.com/obie

Oh! That sounds awesome, my dream.

Did you had much music teaching as a kid? How was your path?

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

#364

Post by pilotdeveloper »

I'm in the process of switching careers _again_. I come from a different background and I moved to Software development ~10 years ago. I'm a skydiving instructor and also a commercial pilot and trying to find out which kind of pilot I want to be (avoiding the airlines, looking for bush flying, firefighting, etc). Life is too much fun to have only one career

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

#365

Post by bespokedevelopr »

jwmoz wrote: post #158
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!

Yeah no doubt. There’s a couple people I work with that I’ve been helping out because they want to get into software development. So I try to point them in the right direction for learning resources and such and give them encouragement on their projects.

Quite a few people I work with are in school to move on to other things. It’s a great job for getting studying and homework done on shift.

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

#366

Post by pilotdeveloper »

__derek__ wrote: post #345
inoffensivename wrote: post #169

I'm on a hiatus from tech after nearly 20 years at a FAANG, I'm now an airline pilot. The money sucks and the hours are long, but somehow the simplicity of the mission (go from A to B, don't bend any metal) appeals to me. Being able to switch the phone off after work, not having to worry about stupid office politics, planning, or performance reviews is quite liberating. The view from my office desk is unbeatable! I'm…

> I'm now an airline pilot How did you make this move? I've day-dreamed about this, but curious to hear details from someone who did it.

It's also possible to go to a cheap country to build hours on your bill and getting there faster. In Argentina you could get a wet hour of a Cessna 150 for $50. 1500 hours is 75Kusd. In two o three years you could be there

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

#367

Post by adamsmith143 »

mrsofty wrote: post #298
adamsmith143 wrote: post #211

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Please don't do this. Virtually all day traders lose money and the ones that don't are almost certainly running on luck. If you really had an edge in the market you would open a hedge fund and rake in billions. Everyone else is just playing the law of large numbers and the winners happened to flip 50 tails in a row.

I agree but trading OPTIONS is not day trading. It is based on probability and DURATION. Selling premium allows you to pick your duration,probability of profit and value at risk. This is NOT day trading which is financial sugar. This is the message that tastylive.com advocates. I am NOT compensated by them but they ARE people I trust and respect.

>I agree but trading OPTIONS is not day trading. It is based on probability and DURATION.

Idk if you bought a course from them or what or why you are convinced that trading Options, at home as a non professional trader is somehow NOT day trading.

>Selling premium allows you to pick your duration,probability of profit and value at risk. This is NOT day trading which is financial sugar.

So you have non zero probability of profit which you are almost certainly miscalculating and some value at risk. Aka you are not guaranteed to make money and if the market does something unexpected you will in fact lose it. You seem to THINK you are more sophisticated or safer than the average Robinhood options trader but you really aren't...

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

#368

Post by adamsmith143 »

mrsofty wrote: post #331
adamsmith143 wrote: post #211

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Please don't do this. Virtually all day traders lose money and the ones that don't are almost certainly running on luck. If you really had an edge in the market you would open a hedge fund and rake in billions. Everyone else is just playing the law of large numbers and the winners happened to flip 50 tails in a row.

Nope options allow you to choose your probability so it's NOT 50/50. We tend to sell premium with prob of profit of 80 - 90% it's less premium YOU are mistaken.

Lol ok this guy thinks he stumbled upon a free money machine where can make money on 90% of trades. Day Traders are among the most delusional people on the planet.

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

#369

Post by mtm »

kqr2 wrote: post #340
mtm wrote: post #299

After working full time in a wide variety of tech since 1983 (embedded systems work on medical equipment and commercial fire alarm systems, hotel reservation systems, ramp and fuel delivery systems in aviation, multiple startups in Silicon Valley, etc, ad naseum) I’m currently taking a break and working as a pin setter mechanic at a couple of local bowling alleys. The work is physical (running up and down the back of…

How did you get the experience to do this?

On the job training. Entry level pin setter mechanic training is fairly basic (Lock out tag out procedures, basic machine operations, simple trouble call resolutions (ball returns, re-spotting pins, that sort of thing)). Usually you'll be working with a full mechanic, learning how to do various repairs and preventive maintenance on the machines.

I'm working with the Brunswick A2 machines. Here's a link to the service manual if you're curious what these machines are like (PDF): https://brunswickbowling.com/uploads/document-library/Servic...

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