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From web developer to database developer in 10 years

notes.eatonphil.com

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Re: From web developer to database developer in 10 years

#51

Post by brightball »

agentultra wrote: post #41

Great story! I always like to tell developers that they can do anything if you just stick to the fundamentals. It's not such a big mountain as it seems! The type-casting part is relatable. It definitely feels like we're all being pigeon-holed by hiring managers and ATS systems that categorize us and rank us by keywords and work history. It can sometimes be quite difficult to switch from something like web development…

I've never seen it as that much of a leap. At least half of my work on web applications in my career, especially earlier before SPA's were so popular, revolved around finely tuning the database. In the later parts of my career, it still does because it seems like fewer people want to "deal" with the database internals.

IMO pivoting fully into DB development would be a very natural path, for me at least.

Re: From web developer to database developer in 10 years

#52

Post by rekabis »

This is the first time I have ever heard the term “database developer” to mean a developer of the database internals, of the database engine itself.

Every other use I have ever come across has meant the development of the databases themselves, the file in which data is stored in a relational (and recently, non-relational) manner.

Because when we talk about “a database”, we are almost never talking about the engine that works with one, we’re talking about the file that holds all the data. The former is invariably called a “database server”.

Wouldn’t a much more accurate and subject-separate term have been “database engine developer” or “database server developer”? That alone, I think, could have reduced or even eliminated a lot of confusion.

And no, not a newb: working with computers since 1982, on the Internet since 1988, on the web since 1992, and in the IT industry since 1997. In the English-speaking world, too.

Re: From web developer to database developer in 10 years

#53

Post by dangus »

bob1029 wrote: post #37
fogj094j0923j4 wrote: post #18

>I held out while unemployed Watching Eaton's journey online was very inspiring but sadly I have also seen a lot of people doing this to no avail. This is eerily similar to how musicians do busking until they got noticed by a record label.

The part where the analogy breaks down for me is the ZIRP phenomenon and historical developer salaries. The only thing that is sad to me is watching someone with 250K+ annual cash salary for a solid decade somehow becoming destitute after mere months of trying to do things without active W2 employment. Savings rate is a huge part of the "no avail" aspect. You can beat the pants off this game by simply being frugal. I…

I completely agree with you, it’s scarily easy to inflate your lifestyle or even not inflate it that much and just spend inefficiently.

Still, it might be worth keeping in mind that W2 salaried upper middle class is the highest taxed segment of the US population. People who make more by owning companies and assets are taxed less, people who make less are taxed less.

If you spent those 10 years paying for daycare, paying for after school programs, saving for your kids’ college (because you expect to pay nearly full price due to your income), and making other logically sound luxury spending decisions like eating fresh healthy foods rather than survival staples or taking a vacation because you only live once, I can see how you can end up with not quite enough savings.

Or you might have a runway but you know it is really unwise to spend it, which ends up effectively making you functionally destitute by choice.

Re: From web developer to database developer in 10 years

#54

Post by never_inline »

freedomben wrote: post #42
MikeNotThePope wrote: post #22

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>> the majority of recruiters barely read past company name and job title This is a failing of the hiring manager. If the recruiter can't tell who is and isn't a good fit, the hiring manager should have corrected the situation or not partnered with the recruiter.

Disagree. The most common reason I've seen for this is the recruiters using largely or entirely automated tools to comb LinkedIn, Github, and many other sources and auto-blasting out those cold emails. They don't even look at the resume until you reply with interest. It's not (usually) the hiring manager's fault. They frequently don't even know that is occurring. I find that practice disgusting personally and will ne…

It probably doesn't work. It seems to work because you will never know the opportunity cost of not hiring a better person, after you already hired a worse person.

Re: From web developer to database developer in 10 years

#55

Post by never_inline »

LRVNHQ wrote: post #25
ramon156 wrote: post #23

Earlier quoted context omitted.

How do you have the time to do this? I already barely have free time, let alone time to attend classes

The overwhelming majority of people who work around 40 hours a week have plenty of free time. "I don't have freetime" is usually a tell sign that people either don't know how to manage their time / prioritize free time activities, or have made choice that they refuse to see as choice but as obligations instead (which implicitely just means they prioritize this activity a lot)

Idk if it's about my demographic, but everyone in development positions who I know has to work till 7pm. There are people at less serious positions who leave at 5.

Re: From web developer to database developer in 10 years

#57

Post by skeeter2020 »

ramon156 wrote: post #23
ChrisMarshallNY wrote: post #21

Earlier quoted context omitted.

My entire career was switching from one discipline to another. For me, the key was twofold: 1) Spend a lot of extracurricular (not work) time, exploring new tech that interests me. This often included purchasing expensive kit, and attending classes, on my own dime (but I could usually use the spend in my tax write-offs). 2) Be willing to accept being paid a lot less than my peers. My career is a fairly eclectic one.…

How do you have the time to do this? I already barely have free time, let alone time to attend classes

what works for me: I need to establish a "normal state" that includes some of this, achieve momentum and then add a little more. Most of us have a lot of slack hiding in the required activities, but you can't recapture this all at once. Do something scheduled but onyl a few hours a week. Once it ends, keep doing something scheduled in that timeslot - even if it's not "official" (ex: I go to the library on a specific day/time and study low-level electronics). It is way easier to keep going with your normal routine and supplement than it is to make big changes all at once.

Re: From web developer to database developer in 10 years

#58

Post by wil421 »

LRVNHQ wrote: post #25
ramon156 wrote: post #23

Earlier quoted context omitted.

How do you have the time to do this? I already barely have free time, let alone time to attend classes

The overwhelming majority of people who work around 40 hours a week have plenty of free time. "I don't have freetime" is usually a tell sign that people either don't know how to manage their time / prioritize free time activities, or have made choice that they refuse to see as choice but as obligations instead (which implicitely just means they prioritize this activity a lot)

Do you have a kids and a spouse? What’s your age range? I found that the time I had in my 20s is filled by life obligations.

Re: From web developer to database developer in 10 years

#59

Post by jonas21 »

ChrisMarshallNY wrote: post #31
znpy wrote: post #29

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Wild guess: gp is self-employed and can manage their own time. I’m assuming that with some planning you can carve “learning time” across contracts.

No, I always worked for companies. However, there was never the "996" shit, you see, these days. I generally did about 50 hours per week. Sometimes more; sometimes, less. Sometimes, if the extracurricular stuff also benefitted my day job, I could get the company to help out, there.

How did you manage to write off for your expenses for tax purposes? I thought this was not possible for regular employees in the US (your profile says you're in the New York). I'd love to be able to do this.

Re: From web developer to database developer in 10 years

#60

Post by paulryanrogers »

hitarpetar wrote: post #36
paulryanrogers wrote: post #34

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> The overwhelming majority of people who work around 40 hours a week have plenty of free time. Overwhelming majority? Plenty of people don't make enough from their 40h/w job to pay all their expenses and have to get another job or have to share responsibilities with a working spouse. Having kids or aging parents is also a common demand on ones time.

you're describing people who work MORE than 40 hours a week

Good point. Still, plenty of households can't get by on one 40h/w job. And regardless, childcare and elder parent responsibilities are things that I'd consider taking away from 'free' time, not a part of it.
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