Based on your other comment I would explore working in a field either with a mission or a small team that isn’t looking to get rich off of an idea. I left a software job for some of the same reasons you stated, but I found I could go back in time by finding a company to join in an earlier stage where customers and reputation still matter more than the dollars or some board of directors.
Ask HN: What's the best way to exit tech?
21–30 of 71 posts
Re: Ask HN: What's the best way to exit tech?
#22First, have a million dollars...
Doesn’t just about everyone in tech? (I’m not in tech anymore since 2003 so just watch from sidelines)
Not everybody in tech, not even those working in Silicon Valley, make $200K+ per year and have six figures of RSUs. Even in Silicon Valley there are plenty of tech employers paying low six-figure or even five-figure salaries without RSUs. There’s a reason so many people do the Leetcode grind. I am personally far away from $1 million in assets.
Re: Ask HN: What's the best way to exit tech?
#23What do you not like about tech? I work in gov space sector and while it’s crazy bureaucratic and risk adverse, it’s a fulfilling mission and most people I work with are just excited to be working “in space” like their 12-year old self dreamed of.
> What do you not like about tech? I feel that it's no longer about making quality products, but more about milking money by any means, even if immoral and/or obviously (self-)destructive. It may have been like that for some time already, but I wasn't able to realize that before. It seems to me as if we've become the machine that we wanted to build. I would love doing something that's more "down to earth". Optimally,…
I’m sort off in your boat, I think. Late 40s and quite tired of the tech rat race and money obsession. I’m about 6 months into a totally different thing: writing/selling my own apps (mobile). I have the luxury of a working spouse and some savings so I don’t have to focus too much on speed or high profitability.
I very much like the idea of building the thing I want to, to the quality and aesthetic I want (eg no ads or dark monetization patterns), and selling directly to customer. It’s still early days but it has put me in a good state of mind.
Re: Ask HN: What's the best way to exit tech?
#24i don't know.. few months ago, i asked myself similar question - should i still keep myself around programming-or-anything-IT - first time in, what, 40 years? i am 54, and been everything from bottom to top, transistors to prolog to CTO, but recently i see only politics and newbie-shortsightedness.. seems IT turned into self-entrenching Institution like all the rest. Maybe i should try hand-carpentery, total-DIY, fix-everything, cook, ... and ignoring the bills..
Mentoring and coaching maybe the only thing that still drives me in (and around that, may turn all the other cogwheels too).. but noone needs/pays-for that either.
hah. Will do some e-foiling. Bake on the sun. Then.. will see then.
email in profile, if you feel like it
Re: Ask HN: What's the best way to exit tech?
#25Have you considered teaching computer science? If you are based in California and you have at least a bachelor’s degree with extensive work experience or a master’s degree, you are eligible to teach at the community college level. Computer science instructors are in high demand at the community college level; there are many students who want to pursue computer science degrees, but staff can be hard to find due to the lure of industry and positions at research universities. Salaries for full-time tenure track positions, especially in the Bay Area, are higher than what many people assume, and your work experience can translate to a higher salary based on the salary tables community college districts in California use. With extensive work experience and a master’s degree it’s possible to start off making six figures. It’s not FAANG pay, but it’s not poverty pay, either.
Another major perk: summer and winter breaks, adding up to roughly three months of the year. In particular, because the salary covers 10 months, you can do whatever you want in the summer (though it’s wise to spend some time prepping for the upcoming term). There are few other full-time jobs in America I can think of with three months off per year.
Because it’s a major investment for a college to hire a tenure-track professor, it’s best to get some part-time teaching experience first so you can find out whether or not you like teaching. I did this at San Jose State University, teaching a course on programming language principles and paradigms at night online during COVID while working full-time as an industry AI researcher. I had a wonderful time and I discovered that I enjoyed all aspects of teaching, even grading (okay, I didn’t enjoy dealing with cases of academic dishonesty, but that comes with teaching). If you have experience teaching in the workplace (for example, giving training exercises in Rust or git), then please empathize this in your applications. Community colleges aren’t solely for educating future transfer students; they are also a valuable lifeline for people looking to build their practical skills.
Re: Ask HN: What's the best way to exit tech?
#26I'm currently working to do something akin to this. Would love any feedback.
I've spent my 20 year career designing hardware for many startups and large companies. Some pretty complex things like Kidney Dialysis machines, surgical robotics and artificial hearts.
As a architect, technical leader and having a seemingly "important" role in these things one is not really taken care of in the way one would expect. A lot like the conversation we've all been having about the gutting out of the engineering focused culture in much of our formerly engineering led industries.
I've been working to build a small, simple business that does product design, architecture, engineering services and also has the ability to do injection molding, 3d printing, machining, prototyping, etc all in house, all right here in The SOMA neighborhood of San Francisco.
I'm not trying to solve the most complex problems, be the biggest or fastest growing. I'm just trying to be stable, reputable and reliable, a "small giant".
Re: Ask HN: What's the best way to exit tech?
#27Civic tech. Do good work with smart people. Look at 18F, USDS, the Digital Services Coalition consultancies….Some projects are more exciting than others, but these orgs are mission-driven, mostly about improving digital services for Americans.
Re: Ask HN: What's the best way to exit tech?
#28[deleted]
Re: Ask HN: What's the best way to exit tech?
#29Civic tech. Do good work with smart people. Look at 18F, USDS, the Digital Services Coalition consultancies….Some projects are more exciting than others, but these orgs are mission-driven, mostly about improving digital services for Americans.
This is the right answer. There’s also the SBIR, if you want to try building something ambitious: https://www.sbir.gov/
Re: Ask HN: What's the best way to exit tech?
#30I switched to be a hiking guide for a while. Came back to coding better than ever!