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Switching Jobs

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Re: Switching Jobs

#31

Post by nwenzel »

senatorobama wrote: post #30
twblalock wrote: post #19

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I know a few people who left careers as software engineers to go to grad school in a different field, some to a humanities field. It's easier to escape computer work than most fields -- computer workers tend to have relatively high salaries and ought to be able to survive the transition period if they saved enough money.

This. A dream of mine is to study developmental economics, go back to my birth country and join an NGO. But how.

Step 1 is usually, reduce your expenses. When people say they can’t do something like that, it’s usually an economic decision. But, plenty of people live on the lesser salary. We all get used to the higher salary and rachet up spending accordingly. Otherwise, living paycheck to paycheck would only happen for a narrow slice of the country.

I’m not a minimalist, but it seems to me that the solution for many problems starts with “spend less”. We just don’t want to hear it. I know I don’t.

Re: Switching Jobs

#32

Post by franklin_cobb »

gervase wrote: post #13

Is there any way to view the inverse, "Which professions were most likely to switch to X?" I'd be interested to see where most developers are coming from , instead of where they're switching to . I couldn't figure out how to see that information from the page.

I'd be interested in that too. I switched to development from carpentry. I'd like to know where to go when I get burned out on development. I'm not really interested in the standard management or project management routes.

Re: Switching Jobs

#33

Post by franklin_cobb »

rattray wrote: post #29
carbocation wrote: post #25

It seems ... unlikely that physicians switch to become pharmacists, optometrists, or physicians assistants. https://imgur.com/a/AKEus

Interesting. I wonder if that's a data cleanliness issue? eg; one year a Dentist says they're a Physician (maybe they didn't see the "Dentist" category) and the next year they say they're a Dentist.

I know a few dentists who switched over to do plastic surgery (mostly boob and nose jobs).

Re: Switching Jobs

#34

Post by pkaye »

claudiulodro wrote: post #23
gervase wrote: post #13

Is there any way to view the inverse, "Which professions were most likely to switch to X?" I'd be interested to see where most developers are coming from , instead of where they're switching to . I couldn't figure out how to see that information from the page.

As one data point, I was a furniture upholsterer before I switched to development.

How did you make the switch? Did you have practical experience beforehand? Or did you take courses?

Re: Switching Jobs

#35

Post by gboudrias »

nautilus12 wrote: post #12

The top jobs that computer programmers switched to are all other computer related jobs, some nearly identical depending on how you treat the term programmer, vs developer. Kind of depressing that once you become a computer programmer, you can't really escape computer work. Id like to hear more about people that go on to do something totally different successfully, like baking. Maybe its too uncommon. Also interesting…

Programmer here, currently in my first year of a Psychology degree. Just started but time is on my side.

With any luck I'll keep doing development part-time until I graduate. Much better than most student jobs for sure :)

Re: Switching Jobs

#36

Post by bjelkeman-again »

senatorobama wrote: post #30
twblalock wrote: post #19

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I know a few people who left careers as software engineers to go to grad school in a different field, some to a humanities field. It's easier to escape computer work than most fields -- computer workers tend to have relatively high salaries and ought to be able to survive the transition period if they saved enough money.

This. A dream of mine is to study developmental economics, go back to my birth country and join an NGO. But how.

The money working for NGOs isn’t as good in most situations. But there is a lot of opportunity to be entrepreneurial in this context. Software will eat the world in these countries too. One starting point that may be interesting is: https://vc4a.com

Re: Switching Jobs

#37

Post by xapata »

smallnamespace wrote: post #16
nautilus12 wrote: post #12

The top jobs that computer programmers switched to are all other computer related jobs, some nearly identical depending on how you treat the term programmer, vs developer. Kind of depressing that once you become a computer programmer, you can't really escape computer work. Id like to hear more about people that go on to do something totally different successfully, like baking. Maybe its too uncommon. Also interesting…

> Kind of depressing that once you become a computer programmer, you can't really escape computer work Can't, or not rational to? The monetary returns to being a dev vs. other lines of work are high and have been growing for the last 2 decades. One can do much worse than golden handcuffs.

> I see young men, my townsmen, whose misfortune it is to have inherited farms, houses, barns, cattle, and farming tools; for these are more easily acquired than got rid of. Better if they had been born in the open pasture and suckled by a wolf, that they might have seen with clearer eyes what field they were called to labor in. Who made them serfs of the soil? Why should they eat their sixty acres, when man is condemned to eat only his peck of dirt? Why should they begin digging their graves as soon as they are born?

Re: Switching Jobs

#38

Post by lifebeyondfife »

nwenzel wrote: post #31
senatorobama wrote: post #30

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This. A dream of mine is to study developmental economics, go back to my birth country and join an NGO. But how.

Step 1 is usually, reduce your expenses. When people say they can’t do something like that, it’s usually an economic decision. But, plenty of people live on the lesser salary. We all get used to the higher salary and rachet up spending accordingly. Otherwise, living paycheck to paycheck would only happen for a narrow slice of the country. I’m not a minimalist, but it seems to me that the solution for many problems st…

Read about Stoicism. There's a quote - which is apt considering it's nearly Christmas - about what to give someone as a gift. I can't recall it exactly but goes along the lines of, "Don't add to a person's possessions, but rather free them of their desires."

Re: Switching Jobs

#39

Post by everheardofc »

nwenzel wrote: post #31
senatorobama wrote: post #30

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This. A dream of mine is to study developmental economics, go back to my birth country and join an NGO. But how.

Step 1 is usually, reduce your expenses. When people say they can’t do something like that, it’s usually an economic decision. But, plenty of people live on the lesser salary. We all get used to the higher salary and rachet up spending accordingly. Otherwise, living paycheck to paycheck would only happen for a narrow slice of the country. I’m not a minimalist, but it seems to me that the solution for many problems st…

I'm living with my parents. How do I reduce my expenses below zero?

Re: Switching Jobs

#40

Post by corpMaverick »

senatorobama wrote: post #30
twblalock wrote: post #19

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I know a few people who left careers as software engineers to go to grad school in a different field, some to a humanities field. It's easier to escape computer work than most fields -- computer workers tend to have relatively high salaries and ought to be able to survive the transition period if they saved enough money.

This. A dream of mine is to study developmental economics, go back to my birth country and join an NGO. But how.

Read about the two routes.

http://www.paulgraham.com/love.html

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