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Same Stop: Life after 26 years as a programmer for Apple

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111–120 of 438 posts

Re: Same Stop: Life after 26 years as a programmer for Apple

#111

> I am not sure though if this is still the case for software engineers. Are there younger engineers, new to the career, for whom programming is not merely a job but something they can imagine doing in their spare time? I think I met a few as I was winding down my career. I do feel though that back around 1988 or so when I started getting serious into programming that all fellow programmers I met were also doing it w…

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Re: Same Stop: Life after 26 years as a programmer for Apple

#112

> I am not sure though if this is still the case for software engineers. Are there younger engineers, new to the career, for whom programming is not merely a job but something they can imagine doing in their spare time? I think I met a few as I was winding down my career. I do feel though that back around 1988 or so when I started getting serious into programming that all fellow programmers I met were also doing it w…

> replaced by a clock-in and clock-out mentality I started as a software engineer who was "passionate about software" and could see my life revolving around it. The change in my mindset towards this, that gradually happened few years ago, i.e. the "clock-in and clock-out mentality" is one of the best changes in my life! It always shocks me to see such sentiments from people. I mean how difficult is it for people to c…

Your Wwrk should be a passion in your life, not the only passion.

People often assume that "work should be your passion" means that it should be the singular one.

It's my passion, but I still don't being work home, even if I work on related (if distantly) hobbies in my free time (and at work too sometimes)

Re: Same Stop: Life after 26 years as a programmer for Apple

#113

> I am not sure though if this is still the case for software engineers. Are there younger engineers, new to the career, for whom programming is not merely a job but something they can imagine doing in their spare time? I think I met a few as I was winding down my career. I do feel though that back around 1988 or so when I started getting serious into programming that all fellow programmers I met were also doing it w…

I agree. I understand there’s a diverse set of people in the world, with various degrees of interest and passion in their work. But I only much prefer to work with people who are intensely attracted to their work. It’s contagious. Passion breeds passion, and too much “balance” leads to people being ambivalent about work.

Re: Same Stop: Life after 26 years as a programmer for Apple

#114
post #74

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I understand this point of view. Unfortunately, for those who entered computing out of a passion for it, it’s difficult to work for employers or managers where computing isn’t a passion. This leads to all sorts of practices that suck the joy out of programming (e.g., Leetcode, meetings, KPIs, PIPs, certain design decisions, etc.), reducing it to a corporate “monkey dance.” Maybe I have rose-colored glasses, or maybe…

Leetcode is actually one of the things that makes me feel energized about programming... it's just the pure problem-solving part without logging, legacy software constraints, tedious debates about code styling, and the other lame parts of the job.

Definitely worth checking out ICPC problems if you like Leetcode. IPSC is another good one.

Re: Same Stop: Life after 26 years as a programmer for Apple

#115

> I am not sure though if this is still the case for software engineers. Are there younger engineers, new to the career, for whom programming is not merely a job but something they can imagine doing in their spare time? I think I met a few as I was winding down my career. I do feel though that back around 1988 or so when I started getting serious into programming that all fellow programmers I met were also doing it w…

> I want to work with more people who LOVE software and find the development of machines and the code that runs on them as fascinating as I do. Unfortunately, its less and less these days.

While I like software I'm beginning to see it as a rather bad career. While you make more money early in the career, you stop doing so rather fast and other jobs catch up quite quickly and surpass you.

I guess there's always the exception company, etc. but as a non-US career, it can get taxing to see de-growth.

https://whoisnnamdi.com/never-enough-developers/ was a neat read along the same lines.

Re: Same Stop: Life after 26 years as a programmer for Apple

#116

> I am not sure though if this is still the case for software engineers. Are there younger engineers, new to the career, for whom programming is not merely a job but something they can imagine doing in their spare time? I think I met a few as I was winding down my career. I do feel though that back around 1988 or so when I started getting serious into programming that all fellow programmers I met were also doing it w…

I genuinely enjoy writing code at work (the same way I enjoy doing crossword puzzles), but I literally never do it in my spare time. I already spend a greater number of waking hours in front of my computer than I do with my family (or playing music or mountain biking or…), so even though writing code at home isn’t on my list of priorities it doesn’t mean I lack of enthusiasm, it just means that itch is already being scratched.

Re: Same Stop: Life after 26 years as a programmer for Apple

#117

> I am not sure though if this is still the case for software engineers. Are there younger engineers, new to the career, for whom programming is not merely a job but something they can imagine doing in their spare time? I think I met a few as I was winding down my career. I do feel though that back around 1988 or so when I started getting serious into programming that all fellow programmers I met were also doing it w…

> replaced by a clock-in and clock-out mentality I started as a software engineer who was "passionate about software" and could see my life revolving around it. The change in my mindset towards this, that gradually happened few years ago, i.e. the "clock-in and clock-out mentality" is one of the best changes in my life! It always shocks me to see such sentiments from people. I mean how difficult is it for people to c…

"Work is work" is a perfectly fair conclusion. It works pretty well (so to speak) and you can live comfortably like that. Many people do.

On the other hand, there's something that eats at me all the time: the fact that a huge portion of my life is spent on work. If I had to choose between zoning out for 8 hours a day vs working towards something I care about for 10+ hours a day, I can't help but feel like the latter just sounds better. Maybe not easy to attain, but definitely better.

Re: Same Stop: Life after 26 years as a programmer for Apple

#118

> I am not sure though if this is still the case for software engineers. Are there younger engineers, new to the career, for whom programming is not merely a job but something they can imagine doing in their spare time? I think I met a few as I was winding down my career. I do feel though that back around 1988 or so when I started getting serious into programming that all fellow programmers I met were also doing it w…

When a hobby becomes a job, it's now work. Do you really wanna do more work in your extremely limited leisure time?

Think esports pros, playing games used to be a break, but after working 8+ hours a day. It's no longer that relaxing fun activity.

Re: Same Stop: Life after 26 years as a programmer for Apple

#119
post #100

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That's well said... I feel this way even about pure fun pursuits like video games. Yeah, I still like video games, but I also like time with my daughter and wife or getting outside and playing sports or a bunch of other things I didn't use to do that kind of crowd out a well I've gone to many, many times anyway.

I think video games (like movies, books, etc) are a different kind: they are about consuming, while programming (electronics, carpentry, etc) is about creating. Some games, like Sim City or Factorio, sort of blur the line though.

The phenomenon is mostly the same though: something I’ve enjoyed for a long time doesn’t have the same prominence in my life anymore because of other things I’ve taken an interest in.

Re: Same Stop: Life after 26 years as a programmer for Apple

#120

> I am not sure though if this is still the case for software engineers. Are there younger engineers, new to the career, for whom programming is not merely a job but something they can imagine doing in their spare time? I think I met a few as I was winding down my career. I do feel though that back around 1988 or so when I started getting serious into programming that all fellow programmers I met were also doing it w…

You’re looking at it wrong. Some people really love flying planes. Some pilots clock off and go straight home to not think about their jobs until they’re back. If you want to work with people like that, look at the programming equivalent of your local airshow, not SFO.
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