Man I can't get enough: Machine Learning, bioinformatics, algorithmic trading, database design, GPU programming, 3D modeling/printing.
Wish I had more time
Ask HN: I am 30+ and bored with life and the software industry, what do I do?
31–40 of 134 posts
Re: Ask HN: I am 30+ and bored with life and the software industry, what do I do?
#32If it's any consolation, I am the same age that you are (approximately), feel similarly, got laid off on Monday, and am looking at a "tabular rasa" (blank slate) for what to do next. Happy to chat with you if you like. I don't have an answer but I'm searching!
I was working for an org that turned out to be all about the technology and not enough about solving real known problems.
Re: Ask HN: I am 30+ and bored with life and the software industry, what do I do?
#33Why do you care what is going on in the industry? Why don't you focus on you, and enjoy software development on a personal level? I personally don't think you are seeing things correctly. Learn what you want to, work on what you want to. Tackle the difficult problems. We still have very difficult problems in this industry. I suspect you are not challenging yourself enough and that's why you are getting bored.
I agree, OP seems way to concerned with what other people are doing. My question is, what does _he_ want to do? Forget about keeping up with the joneses, find a cave somewhere and don't come out until you built something.
Re: Ask HN: I am 30+ and bored with life and the software industry, what do I do?
#34Quit programming and start growing food.
Re: Ask HN: I am 30+ and bored with life and the software industry, what do I do?
#35Sounds like you've recognized some pitfalls inherent in the culture.
I think the good thing is, you don't need to be defined by this. There are a lot of people out there who prize solid planning and skill above gee wiz buzzwords. Find some of these people and work with them. Or if not, start your own gig and grow it.
Re: Ask HN: I am 30+ and bored with life and the software industry, what do I do?
#36I studied civil engineering in college, worked in the field for six years, and got my PE.
It bored me. I slowly studied programming and left the civil field for software. I now make as much designing for the web as I did designing bridges.
Life is not a predefined trajectory. It is chaos. Roll where your heart leads ya.
Re: Ask HN: I am 30+ and bored with life and the software industry, what do I do?
#37I completely relate. I see the whole programming scene today as a cynic. My first computer was a Commodore, but I wish I'd been a programmer in the 80s rather than a kid. At least back then it wasn't cool.
The software industry is very trendy and it's amazing how people can be smart enough to program but don't care about simplicity, it's almost as if being smart-enough leads to boredom which leads to technical churn. Which is why there's so little technical innovation.
The worst kind are those who think technical innovation moves at a fast pace because of their startup's efforts, rather than the glacial pace it does in reality.
Re: Ask HN: I am 30+ and bored with life and the software industry, what do I do?
#38First, go travel and clear your mind.
After try to do something that actually help someone, actually make a difference and make you feel better. Either its programming or gardening, follow your love and get away from the crazy race.
Re: Ask HN: I am 30+ and bored with life and the software industry, what do I do?
#39Try diving deeper into real CS, there is the entire world of things that can revive your passion. If you mainly were focused on building CRUD apps and websites it's not surprising to get bored and burned out. Get out of your typical routines and try finding challenging stuff to do. Some ideas: * Figure out how to write AI for games. A simple example would be, how to write a bot that finds shortest path out of labyrin…
I strongly second this. I started out doing software development for desktop, user-mode Windows specifically, and diving in deeper (embedded) and into true CS has only made me more excited for software.
Re: Ask HN: I am 30+ and bored with life and the software industry, what do I do?
#40Reminds me of that "the more you stray from the path, the closer you get to Zen" thing.
I stopped thinking of software technology in terms of technologies, but rather tried to think it as a means to help other people. I might be bored by technologies in its own sake, but I'm never bored with the idea of helping others.