Slashdot Mirror
Ask Slashdot: Life After Software Development?
An anonymous reader writes "I've been writing database apps for various industries as the senior developer or tech lead on a given project for most of the past 20 years. The last few years have become particularly taxing as I struggle to reiterate basic concepts to the same technically illiterate managers and stakeholders who keep turning up in charge. While most are knowledgeable about the industries our software is targeting, they just don't get the mechanics of what we do and never will. After so many years, I'm tired of repeating myself. I need a break. I need to walk away from it, and want to look at doing something that doesn't focus heavily on the IT industry day in, day out. Unfortunately, I'm locked to a regional city and I've just spent the majority of my adult life coding, with no other major skills to fall back on. While I'm not keen on remaining in front of a screen, I wouldn't be averse to becoming a tech user and consumer, rather than a creator. Are there similar Slashdotters out there who have made the leap of faith away from tech jobs and into something different? If so, where did you end up? Is there a life after IT for people who are geeks at heart? Apart from staying in my current job, is there any advice for someone who can't really risk the mortgage and kid's education on a whim?"
If you have experience on a given subject, coding or otherwise, there is a market for books and teaching. I happen to like coding and plan on keeping at it till my mortgage is paid off. Then I'll retire.
"Have you ever thought about just turning off the TV, sitting down with your kids, and hitting them?"
Apart from staying in my current job, is there any advice for someone who can't really risk the mortgage and kid's education on a whim?
"On a whim" is exactly what you're talking about doing: leaving what I assume to be a well-paying job, with absolutely zero skills outside your current position, to find something new (which, incidentally, is a process you're obviously sufficiently clueless about to be unable to figure out for yourself).
My advice? Do the responsible thing and stick it out until retirement or mortgage/kiddo's schooling is paid off, then take your walkabout.
An enigma, wrapped in a riddle, shrouded in bacon and cheese
Can you say "do you want fries with that?"
Try a different kind of development? - maybe Game Development? You man still deal with the same issues - but at least it's more light-hearted and the business rules of the app are still arbitrary but more fun.
It's a series of rules. It doesn't take much intelligence or creativity and pays pretty well. It can be taught very quickly. Learn to like copying and filling out forms. Bonuys, as a developer, you probably won't forge anything due to your own inability to recognize what someone can or cannot prove via provided documents. As a PREPARER, you aren't 100% liable for validating these documents, so it's pretty much boilerplate.
It's what I intend to do once I lose an important sense/appendage (as long as it's not both my hands and both eyes completely, in which case I'm fucked)
Often wrong but never in doubt.
I am Jack9.
Everyone knows me.
A word from the wise; never give-up your talen, just re-invent it!
If you're great at conceptualizing design & integration, pull-out from the hands-on, and go more towards the hand-off kind of roles. There's a huge gap between sofware development and IT (software devs hate IT, and IT hate software devs), and it's a great niche to be in if you're willing to innovate.
But at the end of the day, the trick is to just evolve your talent.
If you put what you wrote on the heading of your resume and sent it to some startup companies (or VC of those startups) you'll get attention.
Now, if your tired of telling people basic concepts because you're an arrogant ass, well, you'll get attention and be shown the door. If you're a person who has passion for good work, have done good work, and are willing to try something new with a similar passion, entrepreneurs will notice.
Whether the attention is good or bad is up to your attitude but put what you wrote in the header and you'll show you have balls, which is exactly what's lacking but needed most in many of the applicants I see for a startup company.
Spend a tour of duty with the Dark Side.
A feeling of having made the same mistake before: Deja Foobar
We now live in a service economy. Micky Dee's is always hireing, and front desk jobs at La Quinta might be available in your area. But if you're over 45, look, just move under a bridge and get it over with.
If you want news from today, you have to come back tomorrow.
That's what I did. Of course I'm 62 and my savings allow me to do this, but I have to admit that it feels good.
I'd offer advice, but you mentioned "I've just spent the majority of my adult life coding, with no other major skills to fall back on". That's your problem. If a developer is not continually growing skills outside of just cutting code, they only be cutting code until the day they grow obsolete. Which is usually pretty quick.
Have you learned an industry? Learned how to manage a project? Developers can move into product development consultant or general management. But if you have 20 years experience doing the same thing over and over again...good luck.
If it's time to stop, it's time to stop.
However, it sounds like you're probably not quite a sprint chicken any more, so I'll point this out: there is a definite age ceiling in the tech world.
You can avoid hitting it quite so hard as long as you keep working in the field, but once you switch tracks, it can be a lot harder to break back in. The way a lot of management will see things, you left/got pushed out, and they can hire a younger, naive, and inexperienced dev who will write bad code that is hard to maintain in three times the time for half the price. (Note: all the MBA types will see in that sentence is "younger means energetic for half the price"). And if you haven't been working - they can say that the younger/cheaper guy is "fresh", whereas your knowledge is "dated".
Again - not saying "don't" - just saying, "be aware of the consequences if you take this leap."
Check your premises.
I've been struggling with the same problem myself. Any change is undoubtedly going to come with a decrease in pretty big income at least at first. There aren't that many jobs that pay as well as a programmer that you can just jump right in to. I recommend you find something you still have some passion about first. Ideas that have come across my mind are writing some books and opening a coffee shop. I've made minor progress towards both and realize its not going to be a change that just happens over night. Its going to take a lot of work for me to change my work but if I don't do anything about it now I'll end up stuck here forever. I like coffee and I like hanging out at coffee shops. Why not make coffee for a living? I like writing so I'm working on writing a book in my spare time to see how it turns out. Ultimately, if you aren't interested in what you're doing regardless of what it is you're going to find yourself in the same situation you're in now so find something you like doing and figure out a way to start a business around it. As a programmer, just think of it as yet another problem to solve and you'll figure your way out of the cage.
If you have been with that company for a long time, you might be able to take the position your boss has (well maybe not his exact position, but similar within the company). Being that you are tired of explaining things over and over to your revolving bosses, you could probably become one, and then you would no longer need to explain it anymore to him (though that doesn't mean you wouldn't need to explain it to the boss's boss... but usually at that level you start getting more into the "this is the problem, this is my solution, it will cost X amount of developer hours/$$$ and provides XYZ benefits").
We were all warned a long time ago that MS products sucked, remember the Magic 8 Ball said, "Outlook not so good"
Sorry, our society is set up with a single option to adulthood. You must choose this option in high school, before you are allowed to drive, vote or drink. Then this single choice will follow you forever. Don't ever change or grow as a person; your debt in the form of the house, etc, won't like it. Never mind that we have tech toys all over the place, we certainly didn't do much to improve our social model. Toys, yes, we have. Catering to people? Fuck that, there are profits to be made here.
> who can't really risk the mortgage and kid's education on a whim
If you have expensives to meet (and exceed for savings) then you can't drastically change your job/life without already knowing you'll succeed (too risky). What I, as a random internet user, suggest is to go frugal. Basically, reduce your spending as much as possible (at whatever rate your family can handle). Once you need less money, your savings will increase faster and you'll be able to meet your lowered expensives much easier. At that point in your life, switching careers on a whim becomes easier and less risky.
As for staying at your job, why do they need to know all the mechannics, that's your job not theirs. With your 'never will' attitude, you're already setting yourself up for failure on that front. Stop repeating yourself: think hard and come up with different ways to explain things. I know you can do it, you know the topics, find different words and make stories.
Maybe instead of quitting IT try reinventing your career within the CS domain...try a different sector of the industry, build your own product, switch languages and/or disciplines. The kind of work environment you're describing is not bound to working with software. You can code for a living and not be lorded over by non-technical people.
Trading in securities and options is mentally challenging and (potentially) profitable. You can spend as much or as little time on it as you like, and when you come across someone who doesn't understand the market, instead of tolerating them and repeating yourself, you can make money from their ignorance. There are brokerages that allow software developers to automate their trading too, such as Interactive Brokers and TradeStation.
I lived in a major city employed very handsomely as a System Admin. My family and I decided that the city was not providing some of the things that we said that we needed. We left, toured around the country for awhile, and then landed on a ranch in the mountains. We have exactly what we asked for but I find myself in the position of having to make ends meet and I am finding myself very grateful that I spent so many years employed in the tech industry. The ability to only work part-time days as an independent contractor really helps me find time to do other things that I want to do with my life like raise animals and grow food and still afford to do this.
I feel like I grew up a bit sheltered by the tech industry to how hard it truly is to make a living without some sort of corporate backing (and therefore, usually, corruption, incompetence, etc). I really wasn't aware of just how much money I was making and how far it went. I am beginning to understand that I am very, very lucky to have the experience that I have. It is now on my shoulders to use that experience as courage for striking it out independently. :-)
Good luck.
If you're tired of listening to idiots, why not start a company. Then you're in charge. There are many downsides to this but it solves your immediate problem.
You could also get into mobile app development. That can be done as a solo gig.
MidnightBSD: The BSD for Everyone
Been there.
Done that.
Now I raise pigs on pasture.
Shepherding pigs is more fun.
Love it.
I've seen technical school classes being taught by guys straight out of industry with no prior teaching experience.
There's the cliche about insanity being defined as doing the same thing over and over even though it isn't working.
Why not try to stop explaining technical mechanics to managers so much? if it's frustrating to you, I would guess it's frustrating for them too, especially if they are perceptive enough to sense your contempt. if they knew what you know, they might just be in your position or working for you instead of being a manager.
Part of the job of a technical lead is to communicate with non technical folks, in my experience. There is something driving you to feel the need to give explanations despite their not being received; find that root cause and look for a different solution.
Or you could start an adventure sport company, that would be kind of fun and there are more people getting active all the time.
Dear Slashdot,
I've spent my entire life doing one thing. I have no marketable skills except doing that one thing. I like doing that one thing, and that alone. I hate my job because it also involves doing something other than that one thing.
I want to stop doing that one thing, or anything related to it, but still make the same safe, secure, decent amount of money doing something else. But I have no idea what that something else is, and I don't want to take any risks finding out.
What do I do?
Answer:
You're fucked.
Seriously, open your horizons some (management or technical sales is where many geeks go when they reach this point), or be willing to take risks. But the magical safe, secure, job you are looking for does not exist.
What do you like to do as a hobby? Find some way to make that into a job. You'll have to start "part-time" at first until you can build enough cash flow to not risk the mortgage and kids education. It takes time. Check out a few books:
48 Days To the Work You Love
What Color is Your Parachute?
You get the entire winter to vacation. The rest of the time you hang out watching MILFs jog past. And the immigrants you work with can always get weed.
You missed the part where he doesn't want to risk the mortgage and kid's college fund.
Up not out. You can be the manager who excels at the technical side of things.. And try to learn not to suck too bad at the social side of it.
I'm 55 and have been involved with software development since the late 1970's.
I'm done!
I'm thinking an ice cream truck.
* Carthago Delenda Est *
YOu arne't going tlo take a leap AND keep the mortagae and college..unless you have someone who is willing to support you. Rich uncle? investors into a private business?
In the mean time, take a pay cut, get a city or state programming job.
It's boring, the tech is boring, but I work 40 a week. This has finally given me time to pursue other interests. Currently I'm learning to play the bass with the goal of getting a gig after a year.
BY boring I don't mean I'm not doing anything, I'm actually quite busy but there isn't any real challenges since it's older tech.
Also, I get actual vacation time and sick time and no one whines that I took time off.
Alternatively, you can get a coding job in a completely different industry. I have worked in pretty much every major industry. Finance, health care, avionics, robotics, tape libraries, etc...
The Kruger Dunning explains most post on
I understand and certainly sympathize with the O.P., but I have a more general question. First, some background. I have spent my entire career in IT in one capacity or another (programmer, o.s. maintenance, vendor support, systems engineer, a bit of hardware design, and more).
The O.P. wants to escape programming; I want to escape IT, but I still want to do something technical. Has anyone escaped from IT and still had a rewarding technical career?
We are lucky that we have one that pays well! The grass is always greener. I bet your bosses deal with the same BS that you do, maybe a different day or different topic, same BS. The grocery kid at the store has the same problems, just a different set of glasses. Gotta make paper. I'd suggest that you go out and buy yourself a BMW, maybe that will cheer you up. At least you get to use your brain, unlike most of the rest of the working world.
I had a quasi midlife crisis and thought the same things. Bought a car cash, spent years trying to save up what I spent on it and am having a hard time dealing with that fact. I feel like leaving my job because I've hit the ceiling, and it sucks. I can't afford to quit however, it is slavery eh? I've contemplated suicide to end it, that didn't seem like an option. I don't know what to do but keep working and getting enough energy to do it again the next day. It's miserable a circle of horrific torture, and I eat which is the saddest thing, there are many in this world that starve. It's no wonder these prescription pills help me deal and is a reason why so many people go to shrinks now. I've searched for spiritual answers, searched for a purpose of it all, and it's just really really bad. But it could be worse, it's not worse though. It could also be better and it's not better either.
I don't know what to tell you man, you have a responsibility now. I don't have a mortgauge or kids and I am basically hopeless without those responsibilities. Just do it again and again until you die, rest peacefully in your grave knowing that you kept the machine going, an imperfect machine that takes the lives of people and turns them into disposable economic units. It's hell here.
You can't go through life as a condescending a-hole thinking everyone is an illiterate this or an idiot that. People skills are part of solving problems for people. It sounds like you're in the wrong career. You need to be in something where you will not come into contact with other people.
Why not give a shot at being a technically competant manager. Sounds like your company could use one.
I used to be an IT guy. Went from phone jockey to DB developer over about 8 years. After seeing what happens to people who are in IT for a long time, decided that I didn't want to turn into one of those people, so I dropped out, and started my own business. But with it came a tremendous amount of risk. I'm glad I did it, but with the qualifier, "is there any advice for someone who can't really risk the mortgage and kid's education on a whim?", I've gotta say that you probably should just stay put. Any career change is going to come along with a significant amount of risk.
Or, you could do what I did, and radically change your lifestyle, reducing your risk. If you're willing to give up the trappings of the typical consumerist lifestyle, you can get by on significantly less than most people in the US think they need to live comfortably. Get rid of the mortgage, fancy cars, overpriced gadgets and new clothes. Learn to be happy living with much less, and suddenly, the possibilities expand greatly. Of course, most people don't do it, but if you do do it, then you can really do whatever you'd like to do, and not worry about "risking" your lifestyle, since you would have already thrown that out the window.
I don't respond to AC's.
Kill yourself. There is no life after software development.
HAND.
Dude you are just burned out, I am int he same boat where I realize that I just don't want to spend my life in a cube in front of a computer under artificial lights for 8 hours a day. I am sticking it out now, but slowly educating myself on other careers, plus I think the IT industry is about to shrink like a mofo over the next 10 years.
Been there, done that.
A few years ago I quit a good job because I was tired of the same thing, day in, day out.
Decided to try my hand at different things, collapsed economically, got depressed, felt I was useless and then...
I got me a job (lower paying) as IT Manager again. Guess what, I'm happy because I know what I'm doing, I feel good because I know the ins and outs of the job and it is, frankly, a piece of cake.
So take a vacation, cool off and get back to the good job you have.
Be very, very careful what you put into that head, because you will never, ever get it out. - Cardinal Wolsey
Sounds like you need a change of employer not a change of career. After about 15 years in IT I tried my hand at engineering in the medical device field - after 3 years of FDA and ISO regulation I went back into IT. It was a good experience and a nice change of pace but I really am happier in IT. Being at the right company makes a big difference.
I have a similar background. I decided to finish my bachelors degree and get a masters degree and become one of the decision makers so I could be a knowledgeable decision maker rather than a clueless one. I decided to get my MBA instead of a masters in computer science or MIS with the idea of being a manager of programmers rather than a programmer. I'm hoping the ability to speak techno and business and the ability to interact with users and programmers will be advantageous. Good luck!
Go elsewhere. The United States, and the United Kingdom are infected with a style on management that is trained to be incompetent, right from 'management school'. Go elsewhere, and enjoy a whole new lease of life, working for people who are not brain damaged by some oddball right wing management philosophy from a university department of 'management science'. Anyone in management who has not done the job of their juniors, does not belong there. How can you possibly manage people, whos detailed skill set, you clearly do not understand. Having worked all over the world, I have definitely found this phenomenon to be peculiar to the USA (in particular), and also to Great Britain. I am amazed at just how stupid some of these people are. It really is incredible, that anyone should choose to employ people with 'business degrees' in any level of management. These people are incompetent at best, and techinally worthless. A total liability.
I went from managing the GUI and color pipeline QA department for a company that made large format printing software, to managing a print shop. I've never been happier.
I was glad I found a way to use the skills I spent so long developing, and re-focusing my energy in an area I really, really enjoy. The skillsets don't really overlap all THAT much, but enough is similar that it was a comfortable transition. Remember, the software you're developing DOES something, and to be a good developer, you must have a fairly deep understanding of whatever that something is. If you can find a way to enjoy the industry you're writing software for, it's a logical switch.
The one thing I'd strongly suggest regardless of what you leave to do, and that I myself need to be better at, is keeping your old skills up-to-date. You'll always need a trade-skill, and if you can show that you contributed to projects to keep your skills active, it won't be as hard to put on your developer shoes again as it will if you don't even open your IDE for next 5 years.
for a software company with products aimed at software developers. Your experience provides great credibility in that role. From there move into product management.
That's the route I took. Much more interesting than the daily development grind IMHO.
I've always thought of myself as a "programmer", but having worked since '87 with computers for some pretty big companies and ever-larger projects and teams, I found I acquired a few useful skills that I didn't even realize until someone started asking me the right questions.
In short, you can't interact with businesses and enterprise-level systems development without learning a whole host of skills that have nothing to do with hammering a keyboard to produce or debug code.
I do not fail; I succeed at finding out what does not work.
1) Move up the management chain. Stop moving up when you can't take the bs. You don't code anymore. You are still paid well. You have to reduce your reliance on technical skills and switch to people skills. It is messy. I find it hard because the goals are harder to understand. People don't act in their best interests and so doing something illogical (e.g. not allowing an employee to build a better solution because the current solution is owned by someone with more influence than you have) is the better choice if you want to keep your job. It is really hard to avoid becoming the dilbert manager when a dilbert manager decides your fate.
2) Move into sales or marketing. Again you have to tone down your technical skills in favor of people skills. If you move into writing white papers you can keep some of the technical skills but you will need to understand people well enough to influence them. It takes getting used to. I didn't like it at first but so far it has been easier than coding, a little boring but I feel my work is useful to the company and customers. If you move into technical presales you typically get a bonus but you also have to travel a bit more.
Learn how to communicate more efficiently. There's potentially opportunities at you company to train to become a process re-engineer. You can basically take what you already know about the company and help other individuals figure out better procedures to do their jobs. Along the way finding areas where your software lacks and fixing those as well.
This takes a step back, because you have to realize that your current processes are not necessarily "normal" and that there may be a lot of insanity in them. You won't see it, because that's how things have been done around there for years, so it's "normal" now. Figure out how to reset yourself and then start building business cases to change things. That'll transition you out of being a coder into something else.
Dude, you're an adult, you're not going to like your job every day, and you're not going to like everyone you work with. I'm working on finishing a project I hate, for a client who is a complete dick right now. But, he's the dick that pays my bills, and I manage to keep the work interesting by doing it different ways, rather than repeating the same thing over and over again.
There's really no way around repeating yourself. It's one of the evils of this industry. The thing I've found that works is talking about things in terms of electricity and plumbing. Some of it doesn't really fit, but it's a metaphor that people can visualize. The problem with explaining software mechanics to people is that there's no pipe to envision, no wire to point to, and the guts of the thing exist in the ether where they're shielded from perception.
Another thing that works is to make yourself less approachable. Not being rude per say, but people won't ask you a lot of questions, if you're not forthright in answering them. Or, if you give them an answer in terms you know they'll never understand. At the company I work for, the team in England is notorious for doing things like that. Even to other programmers. When dealing with technical people, you're asking them, at that point, to rewire something without telling you. But, if you're talking about non technical people, they won't understand a word of it; which means they'll find you less useful for answering questions, which means fewer questions.
If they ask you to do something stupid, do it. If they ask you to do something that will break your product, do it. It's not your job to do the job right. It's your job to do what the idiots in management want you to do, even if they don't understand what they're asking you to do. This isn't art, it's production. And you're not a highly skilled person doing a job. No, you're a very expensive piece of software that delivers what they want. So there's no point in questioning it.
As far as life after software development... there's always entrepreneurialism. You probably know enough to make a fair amount of money doing it. But it's not the kind of thing you can just go out and do. You'll need to find an idea, plan, and execute it. So you've probably got time if you're not in a hurry.
This signature has Super Cow Powers
Have you ever thought about job in government ? I took this path some years ago and I don't have any regrets. And even if sometimes the job maybe be boring I have a steady paycheck and can afford some tech toys like Lego Mindstorms and Arduino Kits to keep my nerd side happy.
I was a software developer for 6 years and decided that there was no way that I was going to retire as a programmer. I chose to go back to school and am currently in my 2nd year of pharmacy school. I have 5 kids and am piling up student loans - this is not for the faint of heart. I realized that I have a very long time to work before retirement and so I thought that this would be a good plan. Good luck in making a decision.
You could teach. It would give you the satisfaction of bringing up snotheads into a world where they will hopefully contribute. You won't get paid diddly for another 20 years.
Or you could be a technical manager, but if you haven't been one by now, you probably don't have the charisma to cut it.
If you are clever (read insightful), you could write a book, but you'd have to be really special to have it sell, and the peak for computing books was during the late 80s/early 90s.
Or you could go freelance, but that is very risky.
while(1) attack(People.Sandy);
...or find some other activity that makes you forget about your job
I'd agree with taking a vacation.
Also, I'm always in favor of trying your hand at writing, either fiction or non-fiction. If nothing else, it's a good hobby.
I am still admittedly young. I left the IT world and entered the fold of industrial technicians after about 7 years of writing software. It's varied work, fulfilling with often time immediate results from my efforts. But sadly I went from explaining capabilities of a platform to explaining the limitations of a given piece of equipment.
Apart from staying in my current job, is there any advice for someone who can't really risk the mortgage and kid's education on a whim?"
There's a reason the monetary system is debt based. You just found it.
Deleted
Been there, done that. My solution was to go after an advanced degree. If you're in a major city, there must be at least one college/university with a decent computer science department that would allow you to take classes on a slow schedule. They would broaden your view, create good outside contacts, make your days tolerable, and give you ideas for new directions that you could actually (not theoretically) go in. You're not trapped any more than you want to be ... your imagination is your ticket out. (BTW, I'm 54 and about to finish a PhD.)
Burned out back on 2002, while working on a small software company I co-owned. I was 34 at the time. Sold my half of the company, went on to finish college, and later completed a PhD. I am a professor at a university now. The entire transition took me 7 years, but I enjoyed being a student again. I do not make as much money as before, but have enough to live, enjoy the workplace, can work from home or with my own odd schedules, like to work on my research projects, life is more balanced in general, and interacting with the students and teaching is interesting. I have found age is not an issue in academia as it is sometimes in industry. My advice to you would be: do not worry too much how you wil make a living, but rather be concerned to be doing what you love. I've not seen many educated people starving, but I have seen plenty of educated people regretting their life choices and wishing they had the guts to do what they dreamed to do with their life.
Think about what you like, think about the skills and competences for your dream job and take some classes/courses to fill the gaps.
this guy needs a hobby something awful.
i think he needs to take a 'vacation to reality'.
step 1. try to live on minimum wage for 2 months. i give him 4 days before he breaks down and buys a pizza or goes to a movie or something else financially disastrous to the ordinary person.
step 2. fill out interviews for jobs in other areas, like, say, cashier at Target. make bets on how long he says in an exasperated voice "ive sent out dozens of resumes and nobody is calling me back!"
step 3. actually go to job interviews. see how the 'clueless idiots' in management seem like when they dont actually depend on you - when you are just some expendable blob for them to use.
after all that i think he might change his opinion. he might be able to get a job with less hours, but he is not going to run off without thinking.
After working for years as a mechanical engineer in medical device design, I wanted to switch to software (a longtime hobby). It's a hard road, but you can retrain in something you are passionate about. If you have an understanding manager they might be willing to let you work and get paid at 80% time. If you can stretch that reduced income, you can use the free time as I did to go back to school or to train in some new area. Alternatively, you can probably work fewer hours but still make a decent living as a consultant, and again have an alternate work-life balance that frees up the time you need to find something new.
Looking back on my path, the advice I have is:
1) Never, ever, ever, give up on something you are passionate about.
2) The road is often bumpy and the path is unclear. Have faith. Keep going.
3) It's going to be a bitch.
You were me about 5 years ago. Burned out. Sick of computers and working for morons that had no clue what I did. BTW I've done everything from Linux kernel development to GUI design (MS CS, top o' my class). Tried the whole gamut of things. Project management, department manager... You name it. I was just sick of it all. I'm pretty creative and good with my hands (put myself through school as a mechanic) so I was thinking of something creative and artsy that would pay the bills. Then, in a flash, it came to me. BODY PAINTING! Yes! Think about it. You make about $50/hr. You only work on beautiful young girls. And you work for yourself! Of course you have to live in a warm area and you have to be pretty proactive about attracting clientele (I have sons...). Once you've established yourself you can make more than you ever did in IT and the perks are, well, pretty perky!
Hey, take my advice. Body painting is the way to go. If you're really into it you can move in to Tattooing as well (not my thing...). My life's never been better!
I was in software development until the local industry started collapsing in the wake of the GFC and I was let go. I came to realise that I didn't want to get another job where I'd be stuck inside staring at a screen all day. Like you, I don't have any qualifications or experience outside of software so I considered two options:
* Doing a heavy machinery operator's course and finding a remote job in the mines. Pros: $$$'s, working in the outback, operating massive machines. Cons: FI/FO, sitting on my arse 12 hours a day.
* Taking up agriculture on a full-time basis. Pros: Always had a green thumb, own boss, varied outdoor work. Cons: Lots of hard work, seasonal risk, no guaranteed markets.
Now granted I was young, single and didn't have a mortgage, but I did have savings and had always enjoyed growing things. Before deciding which way to go, I went around to local restaurants and cafes and talked to the owners and chefs about where they bought their ingredients, how much they bought and if they'd consider buying anything from me if I were to start growing. A number were receptive of the idea and combined with there being a few popular farmer's markets I decided to take the plunge.
Today, almost 2.5 years later I'm employing a couple of part-time workers and my recently-retired parents are helping out to keep themselves occupied. I'm producing a diverse range of produce and value-adding. Farmer's markets here are a goldmine - I charge just as much as the big supermarkets do and people still flock to buy my produce thinking they're getting a bargain. Or maybe they just like to support local growers. Either way, I'm making good coin and an increasing amount of coin being my own boss and I'm loving it. I also met my soon-to-be wife at one! :-)
I still do the odd bit of coding and quite enjoy it now because when I do it I do it for myself. So far I've done a remote monitoring/security system, irrigation scheduling software and a livestock traceability system. So yeah, if you've ever had a bit of a green thumb and like the outdoors then give it a shot at least as a side-gig. I've been thinking all along that while the global economy may implode, at the end of the day "people gotta eat!"
Burn out is what happens when we keep doing the same thing without feeling like we've made a difference. What you are feeling is completely normal and it's not something that you can ignore and work through (without drugs). Those who keep doing something ineffective are less fit than those that try something else. It's the result of behavioral evolution.
I've been where you are (3 years past the burn out point in a testing job), so I know what it's like. Don't trivialize your feelings. Don't act rashly.
The first step is to take stock of your life and see what you really need. Think big and come up with several plans. E.g., what if you sell the house and move into a rental in another city? Can you get rid of one or more cars or downsize? How important is retirement to you? I know quite a few knowledge workers who are doing contracting and consulting into their 60s and 70s for a fat hourly.
The second step is to take stock of your skills and contacts.
* Making a good impression on people means that you are often welcome when they move elsewhere. E.g., my old supervisor, who wrote me a letter of recommendation, moved to a higher-up position in another company. Remember that people know people know people know people.
* Development skills are applicable to a lot of different jobs. You have to be analytical, understand and apply complex concepts, plan well, etc. These skills translate well to many different fields. E.g., one ex-IT worker turned these skills toward catering and did very well because his grasp of logistics and planning meant that he was more dependable and adaptable.
The third step is to learn how to run a business. Your skills could see you being a contractor, a consultant, or running a multi-person business, either in or out of IT. At the least, you can use those skills to fine tune your personal finances to save a little more money.
The fourth, and final, step is to start looking for something that will work for you. Most jobs aren't advertised. Some short-term contracts have an excellent hourly but require travel. A more fulfilling job may pay less. Working 6 months a year at twice your current hourly pays the same and leaves you with 6 months of free time.
Your skills as a developer will do a lot to help you make the transition. This is just another project you need to plan and execute.
While retaining your job. Scott Adams worked at Dilbert tirelessly until it was at a point where he could support himself with it, but that tipping point happened only after a lot of long days of hard work.
What do you do for passion? Whatever you do, be excellent at it and money will follow.
Are you sure you are an expert ?
If you think so, start a blog about your expertise. Try to write what you know, and share your knowledge. The more you share, the more you learn.
You'll learn how to communicate your knowledge, which is a very important skill.
You'll probably learn a lot of human skills in the process, because these skills are not common in the computing world.
If you have nothing to share, it means that you don't know your value.
In 6-12 months, you'll probably get some audience, interested in what you explain.
At your work, try to negotiate 4 days of work per week, and extend your capabilities outside of your work. Your work is just the security you need, so don't sacrifice everything for your pleasure.
I spent 25 years in IT, coding, sytems engineer for Sun, IT Manager for mobile phone company, consulting and lastly independent contractor writing python (fun), but had enough and wanted to live in a semi rural area out of the city. Bought a property (mortgage) spent 3 years (whilst contracting) making > 1000 concrete slabs to build a water lily and Koi farm, built a house (bigger mortgage), had a second child, got rid of tonnes (literally cut it up by hand) of steel on the property. Then we opened the business 4 years ago. For this first 3 years after we opened I continued to contract part time to pay for further building etc.... Last year we opened the online store (using my IT background here too). Stopped doing contracting just over 12months ago. I am now spending some of my time playing with Arduino to build a wireless based sensor and control network for the lily farm, (including security). Having fun and no where near as much stress. However its taken about 7 years and a serious amount of hard work both physical and ongoing contracting. For a while we really had no spare money at all - everything was poured into the business. All of this has been risky. Think about it, starting a whole new retail business during a major economic downturn.
Would I recommend any one else do it. Probably not, unless you have a clear vision, expect what ever you do to take twice as long as you would like, and it could all just fail. But if you want to re-invent yourself you have to take some risks. But then I always have in my career choices (not all things worked out)
Cheers
T
I had 15 years in IT (Systems Admin, network design, etc). And walked away from it. I found another industry where my skills would be applicable, advertising in my case, and jumped into it.
I've found that my skill set helps when trying to make things live online that aren't stupid or annoying.
I recommend you take a look around and see what's out there. Maybe you just need to change the context/business sector you're in to one where your skills are needed and can have an impact.
Reeses
Being a software developer is like serving the army: when you do your job, you are praised. But when you are retiring, you are replaced by younger people with greater stamina and you are not looked after and easily forgotten because you are no longer "part of the project". In addition, when there is a paradigm shift (e.g., from procedural based programming towards OOP), "the company" prefers the new generation as opposed to training the current generation.
I did software development for 10 years and then I went totally sideways and started a company which retails and caters liquid nitrogen ice cream. When I realized that I could make killer ice cream with a show, then I stuck with it until I could live off it. I suggest you do something similar. Do a cool business that you get a kick out of from the start, so you have the enthusiasm to make it into something bigger. I have a few pictures at http://www.puremagicicecream.com/
It's possible that the most demoralising part of your life right now is the thought-stopping you're doing to yourself - eg. can't because of mortgage, kids, whatever. Don't carry out the dreams that happen, but be free enough in your mind to think them through. A free mind is much better at shrugging off stress and limitations, and (to be frank) doing some creative thinking. Engage your spouse in it... laugh... turn it into a joke... fantasize about selling up and becoming a drifter I.T guru-for-hire in , and the crazy adventures you'll have... remember - this is imagination, not reality. Still, leave open the possibility that if you come across a solution that stands up to the cold hard light of day, that you'll take it.
You might discover a few weeks in that some creative solutions will occur to you.
My advice: switch to coding in Javascript. You'll feel a lot more like a user and less like a programmer ;-)
Become a PMP (project management professional, or "project manager") by getting certification from http://www.pmi.org/Certification.aspx It will cost a few thousand bucks, but it is one of the few tech positions where your age and experience are actually an asset. Do a few 3-12 month contract gigs to build up your resume and soon you will be billing out at $125-175/hr.
Managing software development projects is way easier than actually doing the development work yourself. Simply double the reasonable time/cost estimates for everything, ensure things actually get done on time by hiring decent people and frequently checking their work, then look like a hero when your projects are completed in less time than you originally budgeted. Agile and Scrum are meaningless buzzwords, but you can charge an extra $25/hr+ if you get certified in them too.
Dude, you have lots of alternatives. There's never been a better time to be in high tech.
1. Write a book. If you don't have good writing skills, develop them. Lots of programmers THINK they can write. Very few can. If you can write good programming books, or even developer docs for companies that put out SDKs, you'll have a whole new career path. I know this works because I do it for a living.
2. Write mobile apps. There is SO much happening in the mobile space that it's amazing. A good iPhone programmer can make $100/hr (US). Learn iOS, Android, or Windows Phone programming. I recently dove into this and am really doing well with it.
3. Go back to school. You sound like you're about my age (early 50s). My daughter is in law school with people who are my age. Go be a lawyer. Make big bucks. You don't need to go to a fancy law school, just one that will take you. You'll still do well if you can pass the bar.I know a woman who does adoptions from an office in her home. She charges $900 apiece and does an average of a dozen of them a month. Or go be an accountant. Or go into PR. Or a whole lot of other stuff.
4. Go teach. If you have a Master's degree in a computer-related field, you can get a job as a professor at a community or tech college. They're always looking for good, experienced people. It's not much money, but the retirement packages tend to be good. It's extremely rewarding (I've done this before).
5. Go teach. If you can live on you wife/significant other's salar for 18 months, you can get a teaching certification and go teach in the high schools. I really don't recommend it though. I've got a friend who just retired from doing that. In his last term, he had one math class where every single student had a parole officer. And this was at a fairly good school.
6 Start your own business. Doesn't have to be in high tech.
7. Much, much more. There's lots of opportunity for smart people.
Why the fuck did you have kids & buy a house?
Sure the work is less intellectually stimulating, but it is also less stressful. More likely than not you have the skill for it. You are less likely to have to pull long hours (QA has much more definable deliverables than development). Because you are older, you can brush off the egos of the younger developers who think of you as glorified IT personal. It's more utilitarian and less creative, but it sounds like you are sick of being on the hook for the deliverables. So the stage of your career when you thought of development as creative work has long passed.
Any guest worker system is indistinguishable from indentured servitude.
Don't take this wrong, but you could always do something more manual as far as labor goes.
Paint houses.
Dig ditches.
Flip burgers.
Toss dwarves.
Teach Canadians about beer.
Become a chauffeur.
Rob banks.
There are lots of things which are WAY more satisfying at the end of a day/week than coding will ever be. Unless you code fun things like trojans or adware and the like.
So no matter which road you choose, I want to personally wish you the very best of luck in finding something which will suit your financial and mental needs.
You problem is not necessarily with software development, but with IT. IT is just one part of software, and sometimes it's the most annoying and ridiculous part.
Your story sounds somewhat similar to mine. I was a web programmer for 13 years and I just got tired of it all. I too have a wife and mortgage (but no kids). Now I'm trying to do something completely different: create a comic!
I can totally understand how you feel. You reach a point where you just don't want to do your job anymore, and it starts affecting your personal life. Granted you have responsibilities to maintain, but sometimes your life is more important. If you are absolutely sure you don't want to work in IT anymore, then I'll try and give some advice based on my own situation. Maybe it'll help you, maybe it won't, but at least you'll know you are not alone!
1. Minor Skills and Dreams
You mentioned you have no other "major" skills. What about minor skills? Is there any skills you enjoy that you can nurture and turn into a major skill? Is there something you've always wanted to do but haven't had the time? Can your IT skills assist this in any way? In my case, I have minor skills in drawing and writing. I also have a dream of becoming a successful comic creator. I used my knowledge of IT to create a blog (http://www.tokimagic.com/) to help me nurture this talent and fulfill my dream. Granted I have a very long way to go - and it might not even be successful - but I'm willing to give it a try.
2. Reduce your working days
Instead of working full-time work, what about part-time? Can you become a contractor and work only a few days, and then use your remaining days exploring other avenues, such as developing your minor skills, taking up a course, starting a business, or just plain bum around and recharge your batteries? This is what I did... I went from working 5 days to 2 days. I admit I am lucky because I'm a contractor and it just happened to end up that way without me doing anything, but my point is that it is a possible option for you, and you will still have some income to help with the mortgage and kids.
3. Send your wife to work
This might sound funny but it's a viable option. If your wife still has relevant skills then have a chat with her. If she is happy to become the bread-winner then you of course have to become the house b*tch. You'll have to clean the house, cook and look after the kids, but some men enjoy doing that. You can use this time too to explore your ideas. I'm the house b*tch, and I'm lucky that my wife enjoys her work.
4. Change your environment
And I don't mean just changing your work, or even which city you live in. I mean literally moving overseas and working there! Sometimes doing the same job but working in a totally foreign environment can do wonders for your enjoyment. You can rent out your place to help alleviate the mortgage pain. Pick a country with low living cost (like China) and work for a foreign company to get decent pay. There are plenty of schools for foreign kids, and your wife can go for a $5 massage every day! It's very scary, but think of it as an adventure. Maybe your whole family will enjoy the challenge. I didn't try this myself but my wife and I did talk about it (we still do). I also have a friend who was in a similar situation, and now he's working in Japan (admittedly not cheap) doing the same thing, working longer hours, but enjoying himself.
Sorry, that's all the advice I have but I hope that helps in some way. Having since switched to part-time and doing something other than IT, I feel so much happier these days. I don't know how this will end but if you don't try to change your life, you will die unhappy and full of regrets.
Good luck!
And I quote:
you stick with the job you have not the one you want
you go to bed with the wife you have not the one you want
etc.
except
you dream of the job you want not the one you have, etc.
There is a great book about just this subject called "Get a Life, Not a Job" By Paula Caligiuri
Having to explain to people how to use effective technologies to efficiently do work only to have them insist that we do things circa 1960's-70's computing techniques. Entrenched people develop strong application-centric user patterns and then drag all the new users down with them by forcing everyone to use broken systems because it's some kind of sick tradition or technological religion.
C.O.T.T.S., is a term I wish would die! die! die!. If you ask to do something database-custom don't force me to program it in VB inside MS Excel. And, stop asking me why I'm doing it this way or that way. If you knew what you were doing you wouldn't be asking me to do it for you in the first place. If I have to make it custom EFFICIENTLY it's not going to be C.O.T.T.S.. If your budget for the whole project is only $500 bucks then you get C.O.T.T.S. and nothing custom.
People who start off by asking for you to program the multi-user front-end equivalent of the database for the US Library of Congress catalogue and then get mad when you explain to them that they only have Access 97 and need a server for that. Then they realise they don't know what a server is and that's threatening so they want it to work in Access 97 instead. But it needs to be massively multi-user Hmmm....where's my hammer.....
People who think spreadsheets are a database. They have a database server but all the enterprise data are in numerous files scattered throughout the office on various drives. The server only has 'pubs' db on it or is used for 40 other databases that only contain one big table each. Those tables are not proper relational normal form.....ever. Table names include 'all_client_data_2001', 'all_client_data_2002', 'all_client_data_2002_autumn', 'all_client_data_2003_february' .
People who think Word processor is a database....
People who think the words 'process automation' mean spending money on labor to manually process files with a GUI application. "Yep, that's 1 down. Only another 800 to go. What did that take, 30 minutes? Let's see 30 minutes multiplied by 800.......Aw !F79k! "
Being forced to use the wrong tool because that's what everyone else does. "You must not use a wrench for those bolts. Use this screw driver instead. That's how we've always done it.", every six months they will come and ask why their things are slow.
Being told that a 'protocol' has been decided upon for doing a particular task and seeing that is is being done incorrectly
but within the bounds of the skill set of the managers. (circa 1960s-1970s flat files )
'I.T. professionals' who can't use a command line....but are in charge of the whole operation.
Same I.T. Pros who only know how to use one operating system and can't do interconnect.
The list goes on and on.
Game dev? Are you kidding? Why not recommend he try out for a professional football league, too? The skills overlap between database dev and game dev is just about zero. AI, rendering pipeline, networking, performance tuning, low-level optimizations, realtime considerations, simulation issues, etc. etc. etc. are not coming out of a burned-out dba. You've got to be at the top of your game, full of energy and ready to climb the proverbial mountain. Game development isn't something you just stumble into, at least at the level that one can afford to pay normal suburban bills. (e.g. working for a game studio vs. spending 3 months coding a free iphone app). I worked on two PC Gamer Game Of The Year titles approx 15 years ago and it would take me probably 2 years to get back up to speed (re)learning algorithms, libraries, and the state of the industry.
Finally, the only people who would say game development is "fun" or "lighthearted" are those who have never done it. Working in a game studio is just about the most stressful environment I've ever encountered (and one of the lowest paying) and I've been coding professionally since 1980, building Apple ][ games in 6502 assembly.
Sorry to be so brash, but this thread needed a dose of reality.
.....an (fake) incompetent Manager and earn better money while smiling at frustrated coders explaining the mechanics of their work to you.
It is not without risk, but you can always hire out yourself and your tech skills as an independent consultant.
The advantage is, you don't have to, and are not expected to, drink the Kool-Aid at your job. You don't have to believe the B.S. management is telling you because you will be probably be gone when your contract is up. You don't have to solve all their problems, or live with the ones they are not solving, for the same reason.
The disadvantage is, there may be times you are between jobs and those times can be fairly unpredictable in timing and duration. Also, in an economic downturn, consultants are the first to go.
I decided to pursue a PhD in CS (AI) to go into research. Code slinging was great, but I wanted to take it to the next level. Considered MBA or JD, decided against the MBA because top tier schools generally want executive experience I don't have. I decided against JD because I have no great love of lawyers.
JCPM: Xerox Smalltalk '80 for 16-bit O.S., 32 years ago, Simula-67, 45 years ago, Algol-60, 52 years ago. Why do they happen these things?
PMP is a globally recognized certification, true. And yes, experience is an asset, if it's in project management.
Managing software development projects is way easier than actually doing the development work yourself.
1. No, it's not.
2. If you've spent 20 years as a programmer and suddenly switch to an entirely different role, whatever that role might be, I doubt you're going to find it significantly easier than what you've spent two decades practicing and perfecting.
2a. But lots of people think it's easier. Until they try it.
3. No, it's not.
look like a hero when your projects are completed in less time than you originally budgeted
If this happens, yes, you'll look like a hero. It's really difficult.
A lot of people also assume that they can inflate the cost estimates, come in way under budget, and look like a super hero. Not necessarily. In many companies, what you've effectively done is tie up hundreds of thousands of dollars (if it's a small project. Millions or tens of millions if it's medium to large) that could've been used to fund another project that got killed last year because it didn't fit in the budget.
Project management can be a lot of fun and very rewarding, but you have different kinds of stress to deal with. Developers who go all prima donna on you. Buggy code. Scope creep. (That's the killer.) Inaccurate requirements. Changing requirements (because the regulatory requirements governing your industry changed). SMEs who turn out to be horribly wrong on their estimated work breakdown structure. Stakeholders who argue. Stakeholders who can't clearly define what they want. Vendors who suck so badly that you end up suing them. Etc.
Not meaning to put anyone off. But honestly, I've seen a lot of techs who look at project managers and think they have it easy, and then get a nasty shock when they try it themselves.
I understand where you are coming from. My issue personally isn't so much with managers, but dealing with globally shared codebases, politics, and working for megacorps where you can't write anything interesting without convincing an architect that it was his idea first.
I have been considering a move towards data analysis type jobs at non-tech firms. These generally aren't jobs in an IT group, and you do data mining or build models that forecast sales and other things. From the few people I have talked to, you get an assignment, and you have free reign in how you get it done, whether its an excel spreadsheet, R, SASS, or whatever you come up with. The only downside is that you are often working with a bunch of cobbled together scripts, vb excel and whatever. Personally I have a much better time working with shitty code and making it pretty (by my definition of pretty) than sitting around in circle jerk code reviews having my code picked apart because I didn't use enough abstract factories or put an ORM somewhere irrelevant. You get to stay technical, so if you want to go back to your old role, you still have the option
is there any advice for someone who can't really risk the mortgage and kid's education on a whim?
realistically, no. you are probably well paid ... you are in IT, which pays well compared to other trades, and a senior one at that. jumping into a new field and making anywhere close to that is a stretch of the imagination.
it's very hard to even switch specialization even within the IT field. i recently made the switch from enterprise middleware to mobile development. it was hard. i essentially had to spend a year teaching, and proving myself with self-published apps.
even if you are willing to take a large paycut to start as a newbie somewhere, you don't fit into well-defined categories. folks are looking for seasoned professionals that bring experience and knowledge with them, or young upstarts that will make up for their lack of experience with ambition. with your age (i assume) and existing knowledge base, you don't fit into the upstart group, and you won't have the exp if you switch specialization.
can seasoned professionals learn dynamically as younger folks? if a seasoned professional, if anything ... and i find myself coming to the conclusion often that java is the answer to all software development problems. there's one data point for you, anyway.
It sounds like you're mostly fed up with dealing with management and that you've decided in your mind that its not possible to find a place without clueless management. Considering just how in-demand developers are right now, I'd encourage you to look around. When you are interviewed, interview _them_ and get a good feeling for what the management is really like. There are certainly places that don't have clueless management.
My feeling (as an entrepreneur, and someone who struggles with this a lot) is that you're more likely to find that in a smaller company (where you get more say over the final product). Maybe at a startup that's well funded and has been around a couple years. Or just a small-medium business. There's also consulting and longer-term contracts. These days you really do have a LOT of options if you're a good developer. If there's not much in your area, consider remote work. Or starting a startup on the side (follow Hacker News religiously if so -- see news.ycombinator.com).
In short, call your headhunter (http://bartoszmilewski.com/2012/02/06/call-your-headhunter/).
If you actually _are_ tired of coding itself, that's an entirely different conversation.
it is amazing how cheaply you can well by local standards in the 3rd world.
and if you want to live in exciting places and make some more travel money become a scuba instructor.
If you are tired of repeating yourself, write it down genius. Publish it in a journal or book. When specific instances come up, just refer people to the appropriate article or chapter.
At the very least, go back to earlier email and create standard response templates out of contents. I send out very little work email that isn't templates. I'm considering moving to a parser and autoresponse system for work.
"who have made the leap of faith away from tech jobs and into something different?"
I have 4 kids and went to school to get a degree in digital arts & design ( I was 40 yr old). I was tired of my other career and found that motion graphics (which I started learning on the side) was really my passion. With what little savings I had we bought a fixer upper house, fixed it up while going to school and now we rent it out. The renters are paying for my loan on the house and for my school debt. I got a job after school in AVL/Communications doing what I love. My wife works part time and I work full time. My pay is average but we were able to buy a house after relocating. So far it is working out and I couldn't be happier. We did have family to fall back on if I didn't find a job right away but still, it was a huge leap of faith. My decision was a risk, but one worth taking. From my experience, I can say that it is possible to make a change like that. First, know what it is you want to do. Start learning it now and when the time is right, go for it.
Wish I had mod points, because I couldn't agree more. If you've been there that long, you might as well make the leap to management. Although it may not always seem like it, companies desperately need people in charge who know what they're doing. Demonstrate that you have the 'people' skills and know how to present to upper mgmt, and you're probably a shoe in.
I have a friend that was in the same situation a while back. They had been an expert for years with new managers rotating in every 12 months or so. Being new, the managers were terrible at understanding what was going on, and even more terrible at explaining to upper mgmt, which only served to make the rest of the group look bad. Finally after 3-4 years of this they just told their director they were considering their career options but what they were really interested in was being a manager as soon as a position opened up. The implied threat of course, is that they were willing to leave. This is the kind of thing that gets things moving. They were promoted within the month. So if I were you, I'd give it a shot, but take a look around and see what else is out there. If nothing else, maybe you'll get a raise or some perks while you're looking at other options.
The sending of this message pretty much inconveniences everyone involved.
yeah, I could have been more clear here.
I have kids from a previous marriage, as does my wife. The youngest is 4, and we both have joint custody.
While I am sure my wife would support me in any endeavor, our ex-partners would be less inclined.
So in this instance, "locked" is appropriate I think...
Life can get complicated.
I quit after ten years of nonstop coding (a spiral down through interesting jobs into well-paid but mind-numbing MIS type work) and spent two years as a bicycle courier. I highly recommend it. It made me happy again.
I had to suddenly start living off a third of the income I'd been earning, but it's doable. You don't actually need a lot, just to survive. Of course, if you have a family, you're going to need a supportive partner.
Consult back to the industry in the area you see as most lacking. The chances are the manages in the area feel as out of their skills set as you see them to been. Most would pay a consultant to talk to people in your current position.
Not sure how many slashdotters fit into this category, especially given the slashdot footer quote as type this: "O Lord, grant that we may always be right, for Thou knowest we will never change our minds"... I made the leap from programming to pastoring three years ago. Still seem to find plenty of occasions for a splash of code, though: rostering with php/mysql, Bible translation with Word/VBA, Wordpress plugins for pod-casting sermons. Almost any job with an administrative or research dimension would benefit from a little office-automation, particularly with the business process knowledge you must have picked up in the industries you were slaving for.
Surely you should have been promoted to your incompetence by now. Maybe you already have.
The Windows development team always needs fresh blood.
Realistically my advice is this
1. Take a holiday
2. Look at jobs that don't involve coding but are somewhat related so all your experience hasn't gone to waste. You might have to take a cut in pay, but at least you won't be starving. examples: Business Analyst, Data Analyst, DBA,
3. Also think about something you might be interested in in the future. Start planning now for a change in a couple of years - acquiring information, market research, and so on. Maybe you can start a business selling gelato or something.
I was a database app programmer (remedy systems) for far too long. I burnt out just as you are doing. I now teach kung fu. Now when I try to explain something, I get to hit the audience. There is nothing quite so enjoyable as being able to throw the customer to the floor.
Getting back on topic....what about considering academia - assuming your town has a university nearby. The money you will make is not as good as industry - so expect some level of pay cut but the chances of losing your job are a lot less than industry, most of the time at least. However you will get to work with us crazy academics and get exposed to a huge variety of different problems and issues.
As an added bonus, should you find that you do not like it, most universities have very good training programs so you should get the chance to gain some different skills and leave.
I had to answer a similar question. I make good money in a half-sales, half-technical position. Younger people with less skills get promoted over me to be management. I stay at the bottom with an engineering masters degree while the young kids with MBAs rise upwards.
I have always dabbled in side projects because computers and technology is just so much fun. That is part of why I (stupidly) got my masters in tech also, when I kind of knew I should do the MBA.
There were almost a hundred very interesting projects on my list, but none of them could ever pay my bills, especially at my current salary. About the best I could hope for was to publish a book or a journal article on one of these topics, but that just gives you a resume boost-- no big career bump.
Then it occurred to me in a flash-- by forming a company and combining all the pet projects into one very large (unbelievably large) project, I had a good chance at making money, and a possibility of making much more than my current salary.
Similar to the comments about Dilbert, my idea has the benefit of no conflict with my day job. Now all my spare time goes into my own venture. Should it prove to be too small to live on, I can keep grinding the day job and paying the bills.
My project is way too big, and I don't have enough financing. Guess what? At each roadblock a solution was found, and I was able to progress to the next one. Now a sales guy and a marketing guy are providing industry contacts and guidance so there is a much better chance of success. Should there be some income to share, they will join the venture.
TL,DR; find what you want to do, and do it until you are good at it!
While retaining your job.
That is not a sentence.
someone who can't really risk the mortgage...
I am going to jump off the tracks of the original post: huge mortgage debt for many people (in the USA, especially California) is a problem in the lives of many people (like me and the original poster). That this is actually a problem that can be addressed, can be solved, and can be greatly diminished for coming generations of Americans is the unrecognised American progressive political problem that should be solved over the next twenty years.
Problems with surges in the valuation of land and real estate in a Capitalist society is one way of describing what Henry George wrote about in "Progress and Poverty" in 1879. (The other writer of the time, looking at the same set of problems was Karl Marx.) Both writers sort of spotted the particular weakness in capitalism. I'll describe it in these contemporary terms: Reselling land and buildings for a profit raises the cost basis for the manufacturing and farm goods processing business. In other words, it raises the cost basis for the entire society.
The real estate cost basis of the US has been rising since 1939 (roughly), in contrast China had a real estate cost basis reset event that bottomed out near zero about 1972 when Nixon visited China. The problem with resetting the US real estate cost basis (lowering all real estate prices) is to not wipe out the owner's equity when selling and recover the buyer's down payment when she sells.
Remember Star Trek and any number of utopian stories? Getting caught in the mortgage jam is not a part of any of those stories. Mortgage debt is paralysis for people who want to move on.
I have been considering a move towards data analysis type jobs
Now that's a real possibility. "Big data" and the analysis thereof is a field in which there is high demand. A good way to start is to take the Stanford online class in machine learning. It's tough, but will give you an idea of what's possible and how to do it. You might be able to use the technology with your existing employer. Run a classifier to figure out which customers are likely to order something in the next month, and you'll have something they probably don't have now.
This requires math. At least calculus. It's not really that difficult mathematically, but you have to speak the language. (Personally I think the notation used by the machine learning people is awful. They have stuff like superscripts as indices, sometimes in the same equations that have exponents. Sometimes the math makes more sense in Matlab/Octave.)
My wife and I were very lucky on this. Her parents, ages 88 and 95, needed in-home care, and were willing to pay for us to move to their town to provide it, as we were nearing retirement, and I was transitioning to full-time tech volunteering. It turned out to be vastly cheaper to live here in Indiana than in Silicon Valley, especially with the jobs gone away in the current recession just after they started coming back from the previous recession. We now live in the inherited house and have a comfortable income, between retirement and inheritance.
The writer is in a very different situation, but also has options outside the conventional I assume that the writer has significant home equity after 20 years, and has some savings and investments socked away, some in tax-deferred retirement accounts. Consider, then, the option of moving somewhere vastly cheaper. Quite comfortable houses in our town are available for as little as $70,000. There is a university town nearby (Indiana University, Bloomington), and we have several colleges and university affiliates right here in Columbus.
If you would like a different challenge among the enclued, you could do much worse than to join my outfit, Sugar Labs (a partner of One Laptop Per Child) working on Free Software for education plus Open Education Resources for millions of children now, and ultimately a billion at a time. Our mission is to end global poverty and its many associated ills, using technology as infrastructure for everything else needed. But there are other options right around here. For example, the OpenMRS Medical Records System is being developed in part nearby in Indianapolis. Your database skills would be perfect for them, and they even pay. ^_^
The schools here are pretty decent, and I and my wife also have experience in homeschooling our son and daughter.
So there really are options. Look around, and ignore the naysayers who claim that it can't be done.
"A knot!" said Alice, ever ready to be useful. "Oh, do let me help to undo it!"
Don't risk the family future.
Take a small hit in income and work on projects where you're not in the lead role. Undersell your skills and over deliver. If you find yourself on the critical path, put in a burst of activity and get off it. Look for ways to assist team members to help themselves rather than let yourself become the one stop shop. Find ways to help the team work better together so that the burden is shared. Figure out ways to deal with, ignore, or work around problem people - develop people skills. Resist working crazy hours except at critical points in the project. Basically figure out how to do what you do without shouldering all the burden. I'm still coding, but I don't sit in a corner with my eyes shut, I try to figure out what's going, anticipate problems, get a feel for the teams strengths and weaknesses, pick my battles, and smooth the way forward for me and the project. Find a place to work where the above is possible.
Find ways to burn off stress - walk/bike an hour home, buy a console fitness game, get a hobby.
Save like crazy, spend little, retire early, or reach the point where you only work part of the year, or can live off a low paying job.
I don't want to be all Negative Nancy here, but the form of the final question, "Apart from staying in my current job, is there any advice for someone who can't really risk the mortgage and kid's education on a whim," sounds a lot like, "Any advice for someone who wants to jump, but isn't ready to jump yet?"
I can't tell you which path is yours, but the proper stocks/bonds mix should ensure an education for your kids. The sun will still rise if you stop paying the mortgage, for that matter. And yes, you'll still be able to rent, because as long as you can show up with first/last/security, nobody gives a damn about your credit, particularly if the only delinquency is a mortgage. And until that causes your credit score to tank, you have time to line up your new living arrangements and buy your new sailboat and move your family onto it.
Or maybe I'm just biased about the whole sailboat thing. I sent this from mine. Point is, dream big. Before you know it, they'll be stuffing you into a wooden box and covering you with dirt. Nobody will care if you actually served all 30 years of your debt sentence.
Airline Pilot. It was the most awesome career change possible away from the IT grind.
I would suggest industrial automation for a large plant, hardware distributor or panel shop. You would need to learn some ladder logic and get some electrical experience but it's not that hard to learn. The problems and scenery will always change, and your managers will always be on your side when it comes to making things work better and more efficiently.
Before we get to the details, an important sidenote: That 'constantly correcting mistakes' part that has you frustrated has a name: It's called consulting, and it pays thrice the rates of a developer. For that exact reason.
I do development for a living and am trying to push into consulting. However, I do also have a diploma in performing arts, and actually consider myself quite talented in that field aswell. ... It doesn't pay as well as software development, but it *is* a very good contrast programm. It can be a serious drag if you do it fulltime though, just as with every other profession on the planet. I don't perform on stage anymore, but I am a regular argentine Tango dancer, for the fun and alternative lifestyle that come with spending your spare time on tango marathons throughout central europe.
Here is my advice, from a performing arts backround and freelance software development:
I know the pain of constantly running into the same mistakes people do with every new customer. You have to make it worthwhile. Since you seem to be an experienced DB guy, I'd just start upping your rates until
a) the money you get is sufficient enough to bear the pain that comes with the profession or
b) your customers start dropping away and the workload becomes more bareable.
At the same time you should make the consulting part more of a profession of yours. If people don't pay for your time, they won't listen to you. What doesn't cost anything isn't worth anything and the customer who isn't willing to pay what your advice is worth, isn't worthwhile your time anyway. It would be a waste.
Now for the interesting part: ... which is kinda the same thing in this case.
While you gradually shift your career in the above mentioned ways - without dumping the baby with the bathwater - you should definitely get yourself what I call a constrast programm. Learn an entirely different skill, preferably something you admire but never really dreamt of of mastering. Think breakdancing or parcour is cool? Get into it. Im serious. Go out there and find an artform totally away from the screen and keyboard that will give a whole new meaning to your life. I discovered Tango 4,5 years ago and it changed my life radically in many ways benefitial to me and the people around me. Granted, I have dance training, but I've never experienced anything like the social and erotic aspects of Tango before. Definitely changed my life for the better. And my relation to the opposite sex
Maybe for you it's Paragliding, Kung Fu, a Religious Community, writing poetry or something else. What ever you do of the above, definitely start looking for your contrast programm now.
When you've found it you can still change your life around it and drop development if it still is a drag. I'm still in development and I'm staying for now - for the realtively safe cash and the fexibility it offers, but I know I can stop on a dime as soon as I'm fed up or simply focus on the fun parts and ignore customers or recruiters that are a PITA. ... If they don't pay the 650 Euro / day rate I ask from them that is. To give you an impression: I'm writing this on my MB Air from Berlin, where I'm staying for the Berlinale Film Festival, some nights of argentine Tango and doing some webwork for my customers back home, all the while being together with my girlfriend I met in Tango ... you get the picture :-)
Got out there and do some exploring again, you won't regret it.
My 2 cents.
We suffer more in our imagination than in reality. - Seneca
Don't take mortgages.
Don't get kids.
Don't LIVE.
In an economic system that has it's IDEAL goal to concentrate 99,9999% or wealth/power into the hands of 0.0001% of the population (i.e. about 7000 people for the whole Planet) - you have to work hard and then IDEALLY die quickly after your productivity drops, i.e. at the age of about 50 years.
How will this resolve? By the way of Great Planetary Revolution - but we're not there yet. Think closer to 2050. And at any rate - chances to actually improve your sad position as a result of such revolution are about as high as getting into the chosen 7000 owning 99.9999% of wealth and power.
Ergo - the only meaningful choice for you is to STOP SLAVING for the rich (and STUPID as your admit). Get involved in the FREE SOFTWARE development. Stop paying mortgages. Forget about you family - you can't do anything for them anyway. Do something for the cause of Justice and evolution on Earth.
Vassili Leonov
In addition to either allowing yourself to go into another part of IT (I mentioned management or technical sales), or risk-taking, there is a third option: Be willing to take a pay cut, and it may be a large one. If you are willing to take a pay cut, you can perform a career switch. It's not at all uncommon for people to switch careers entirely, but matching a good IT salary is usually not an option absent serious (read: expensive and time-consuming) training.
In fact, I don't know of too many non-management salaried fields, period, that match what a decently-paid IT "veteran" can earn that do not absolutely a degree in the field. (As in, accountants, lawyers, certain kinds of engineers, and the healthcare profession can make serious coin, but it takes years to make that switch.)
That's what I did, one and a half year ago, when I found myself in nearly the same position as you are now. I literally felt a burnout syndrome creeping up slowly and that was for me the sign to change. Before you say you can't do that because of your family and so on: I have a 3 year old daughter and my university is 250km away and I don't get any financial support from the public hand. When I first got the idea, I didn't believe it was possible at all, but after some time and more thinking about it, more and more possibilities turned up for realization.
Most important, don't give up easily. What first seems impossible might turn out as a lovely new experience.
"I need a break. I need to walk away from it, and want to look at doing something that doesn't focus heavily on the IT industry day in, day out. Unfortunately, I'm locked to a regional city and I've just spent the majority of my adult life coding, with no other major skills to fall back on"
As someone who spent the majority of your working life in coding you will find a reluctance to hire you on in other areas, regardless of what skills you would bring to the task. The usual way out for aging IT techies is to become, but then again you probably don't display the necessary Machiavellian mentality to be a successive PHB. A realistic solution is to go into teaching coding.
--
definition: PHB
The usual way out for aging IT techies is to become a manager
Once the trap is sprung (a signed marriage contract) *then* a woman can let her inner Material Girl out.
This is why marriage is disappearing fast here in Europe. My GF can ask for stuff, and if it is a good idea, I will support. If she is full of @@@@ she has no leverage to *force* me to pay for any whims. If she wants something, she earns the money to buy it, and all is well with the world.
When I worked in NYC and San Francisco, I got to see first hand the extremely short leash that married women keep men on. I'm still in touch with a couple of the guys I worked with in Mountain View, and they bury themselves in work to avoid thinking about the prison marriage has put them in. I never worked in the UK but from what I've heard the situation is similar there. Maybe it's an Anglo-Saxon thing, the whole married man's burden ethic.
From what I saw the secret to keeping guys in line in the U.S. is getting every man shoehorned into a Marriage+Mortgage trap. They meekly fall in line and obey after that.
considering your position with mortgage and kids, but when I got laid off from my job after 20 years as tech support and systems admin, I decided to make a big change in my life. I joined the Peace Corps. It has certainly shaken things up.
I completely agree, the Anglo-American approach to management is a travesty. Quite honestly it bewilders me that it endures, in the face of pretty brutal evidence that it doesn't work vs. other management cultures. But ....
I'm sad to say I see the MBA type culture spreading into Europe as well. The sad truth is that the best managers here are heads down, and spend a lot of time in the trenches with the engineers, workers, and customers. But they are not watching their backs. The MBA-style managers have more time to spend politicking at company HQ, and over time, they start to weasel into influence. This is a mortal threat to the current high competitiveness of German companies but I don't see anyone taking it seriously.
...So just keep doing what you're doing, and stick with looking down on your "technically illiterate" SUPERIORS.
Fucking asshole.
Night classes will allow you to keep paying your bills while you test the waters of a new career. Look through the class catalog of a nearby university or community college, and plan out what courses or even new degrees you'd need for an acceptably paying move.
You're past mid-career, so any major change at this point will require major retooling of your resume, contacts, awareness, and mindset. You're entrenched in your field right now, and shouldn't expect to become ideally informed about another field from your self-research alone.
It is possible that even at your age, a new degree, an internship, and/or considerable volunteer work will be required for you to get your foot into some new door. You will be much better informed, and probably better positioned, after at least a semester's worth of classes, job hunting, and resume & cover letter revision.
I'm basically in the same situation (coder, computer science, I never want to work with computers again. They rise my blood-pressure). I have recently bought a greenhouse, and gardening is fun for the whole family (the kids just love it!). Suggestion: Buy a semi-large greenhouse an start planting herbs as a business. Gardening is fun and quite easy to learn. After one growing-season you'll be the herb-master (geek). Culinary herbs are also quite easy to grow, and there are sooo many other plants and species to explore... it's fun :)
A greenhouse is not a big investment, and if you fail to sell fresh herbs => dry them up and sell them as spice/herb mixes on the internet (if you can bare to sit in front of your screen for a while :))
Good luck on your search. I hope to follow you soon. All the best.
You're posting this question on the wrong site. Most of what you find here are going to be people who are either still stuck in IT or can't imagine getting tired of it. So no surprise that the advice is mostly "stick it out" or simply not understanding the question.
I don't have any great advice for you either, but I can commiserate. My situation isn't quite the same, but I face a similar quandary. I'm 45, and doing a job I hate. Part of the reason is that I've had my career derailed, twice. The first time it was because I was too openly gay for my division head's comfort; when I made a mistake that would've gotten any other employee a stern lecture about poor judgment, he used it as an excuse to fire me. I tried to turn lemons into lemonade by going back to school in another field (digital media and graphic design), meanwhile taking a part-time IT job that was beneath me, to put food on the table. That job went away and I finished art school just in time for the dot-bomb job market, but I managed to find another low-end tech support job, with a creative agency, which I at least enjoyed. The second derailment happened several years later when my in-over-his-head boss thought I was after his job (because I kept trying to help him with it), and I was fired when we had an argument over one of his mistakes.
My job since then is right back where I was when I graduated from college almost 25 years ago, with a CPI-adjusted income to match. Even if I weren't sick of IT (which I am), my tech career is dead: no one is going to hire someone my age with my work history and with tech skills (other than answering the phone and resetting passwords) that are 5-15 years out of date. I want to get into another field that I still have some interest and passion for (e.g. graphic design), but someone my age with my work history and no relevant experience (just a school portfolio with a layer of dust on it) is in no better position there, either. Like you, I'm burned out, and hoping to start over. I know it's possible, because other people do it.
Anyway, if you want to get into another field, SlashDot is the wrong place to ask about that. You say you have no other skills, but you surely have other talents you could be using. You need to figure out what those are, and what kinds of things you'd rather be doing, and start asking these kinds of questions in forums where the people who do that for a living hang out.
I'm curious. Who do you mean when you say "ordinary" person. Nobody who is reliable works for minimum wage for very long. Even McDonald's pays for reliability. What percentage of the adult population do you think works for minimum wage?
Answer: 1.4% of people 25 or over. Those 25 or over earning minimum wage are likely either just starting in the work force, felons, or addicts. You don't even need to be literate to earn more than minimum wage. Ref: http://www.getrichslowly.org/blog/2007/10/09/who-earns-the-minimum-wage/
I know a single mother who earns much more than the national _median wage_. She is a waitress and bar tender in a mid-scale restaurant. My cousin sustains an expensive lifestyle in Carmel CA as a cocktail waitress. I don't know how much she earns, but its probably more than most engineers.
Your replies/responses are mind boggling.
Thank you, guys.
Casteism
I was lucky enough to find a new gig that utilizes unix sysadmin analytical skills in a different context. While it's still ops (more like app admin), it involves profiting on low latencies and proximity to certain data exchanges. And they're (insanely) profitable, but when systems aren't working properly the impact on profitability is pretty instant, and outages can involve pretty large losses pretty quickly. So.. No on-call, very little outsourcing risk, respect for operations team, technical and logical rigor in decision making, and actual bonuses. Can't complain!
ps: no state income tax neither. And rent for a detached cozy house with a garage and yard for less than 25% of take-home.
There has been some good advice here; hopefully some of it applies to your situation.
I am a little further down the road - 25 years development and the company went broke. Fortunately my skills were not just development - people skills (HR calls it "soft skills") can help you in your next step. You have them, but being a "techie" you do not recognize them; you may need someone to help you see them. For exampe as a lead lead on a project you have to coordinate, manage, others; do you coach / teach / mentor them?
Is there room to move in your current organization - talk to HR about pursuing courses in new tech or project management..
One question I have in reading your post - when was you last vacation? Take one and unwind with your family - read and reflect on some of the advice posted and discuss it with your spouse - she will have good insight.
you've got a high-level functioning ability to understand systems -- systems of equasions, systems of products, systems of procedures, and systems of tasks. there's a world beyond IT that is only beginning to benefits from IT-structured individuals. engineering's growing into it naturally, as you would expect it to be, so the best places to start today are engineering-adjacent.
for example, assembly. assembly lines for certain complex products can be restructured with programming concepts quite easily. think paralellism, locking, iteration, and reporting. I've started making that same move by starting my own such company. basically, now I'm programming humans to use physical resources, instead of computers to use disk and memory resources. it's totally different and exactly the same.
believe it or not, the most interesting part to me is the quality control. think debug tools, and life's amazingly simple.
so there must be some industry in your city that is learning to use programmers outside of the computer.
I work for a large software based company and one of the senior developers did just what you are proposing. Due to frustration at the company outsourcing projects to India, seeing the result and knowing what the end result would be he cleaned out his office and left. He became a real-estate agent, which worked well for him until that bubble popped.
Now he's back to coding for us. But fortunately management has gotten a clue about the consequences of outsourcing so his primary frustration is gone. So even though he's back were he started he is very glad for the break. He even said he appreciates the company more now that he's back. He lost perspective of how difficult the working world can be.
Myself, my plan is to live low and build up as much income as possible. So if I ever feel that itch to do something else I can take the income level out of the equation. I think I would become a teacher, professor or something along those lines.
To answer your ultimate question: Teaching might be the answer your looking for.
Shit's easy but nobody is going to hire you to do it without a masters or phd in it.
As a software developer, you've honed your skills to make things work and hopefully make things work efficiently. Management is a good route to go, possibly not even in the software industry, since the skills you need as a software developer hinge on you being able to find solutions to abstract problems. This is a very valuable skill as it seems most managers don't seem to have it. Working for a enterprise company means that your pay shouldn't go do much if it goes down at all. The other option is to look into office efficiency consultants. Being able to improve the workflow of a company to increase there income/productivity is a much needed skill as well. Of course, it will take time to find one of these positions, but if you want to get out of software they are viable career paths.
/* TODO: Spawn child process, interest child in technology, have child write a new sig */
It can be done, and the kids are OK. I've always quit jobs when the initial agreement was violated. Never felt a qualm. There are places in the North SF Bay (Atchison Village, q.v.) where you can buy a very adequate apartment outright for 40k.
You people. So blindered.
If you can, try writing a scifi novel... God knows this planet desperately needs more scifi writers. you will be accurate than most and perhaps more entertaining.... and you can start by doing it in your fee time.....
Perhaps keep your networking with colleagues in other departments up as best you can.
Do as many lunches with them as you can, happy hour, whatever.
Then, if you feel you can confide in a few, let it be known you might be interested in doing something new, and to let you know if there are openings in their departments. Be patient. Hopefully you will have earned some cred with them, and good karma, and they will think to mention you if there are positions opening up in their depts...
So thoughts on stuff that isn't DB programing, but might be able to leverage your skills (if you find them tolerable):
Project management (DB projects, or any IT-ish projects)
Coordination roles between IT and business folks (the "Jump to Conclusions Guy")
My very boring story, very short:
1. Five years J2EE for a dotcom, then
2. Two years IT at Very Big health plan. Got known for being friendly (for a IT guy) and able to get along with another dept that did coordination with IT depts.
3. Coordination person at such a dept was retiring, and asked if I had ever thought about doing their job. Pondered for a week or two, then said "um, okay, sure!"
4. Coordination person asked for up-to-date resume. Gave it to their mgr. They put in the good word about me. I was put into the interview queue.
5. Got the job. Same pay range. Stayed in same company with very good benefits!
A little bit more wild:
1. Determine what actual income is a minimum you need to 'enjoy life' and provide for your family.
2. Look at _all_ jobs that are posted (dice, carreerbuilder, local paper's classifieds, whatever) and just see what kinds of jobs pay enough
3. Kinda do a self risk/reward analysis on if you think you'd be successful at any of those jobs, and apply for the ones that seem worth the risk.
VERY wild, burns bridge if you jump, but actually watched someone do this:
Even while you are working your current job: Apply for a job, and accept it. Pick a starting date. Then put in for a long vacation from your current job, vacation to start same day as 1st day of working the new job.
During your new job, within the vacation, decide if you want to stay. If you do, quit the other job. If you decide you don't like it, then quit, and go back to original job.
Uh, Linux geek since 1999.
National Park Ranger. I would totally do it. When I go on a hiking trip, sometimes there is an older guy manning the ranger station and I think that's not a bad way to retire. Or you could move to Mexico where your money is worth a little more and start a business or something. I know some people that did that. But you're tied to your location huh. Hmm.
simple, fast homepage with your links: http://www.ngumbi.com/
Don't let work be your life.
You have one or more children, a house, probably a spouse and other family and friends. THAT is your LIFE.
WORK is that thing you do in order to pay for your LIFE.
Personally I've hated almost everything about my job (in IT) for the better part of the last two years. Most of the people are nice but that's about it. I like to write code. I write specs. I like to go off and make things. I go to meetings instead. I tell people what we should do and they pay no attention.
you moron.
It seems he does not like clueless managers. But if he heeded your advice, he would surely have to deal with all sorts of clueless manager colleagues. Management is all about communicating, negotiating and scheming. From what he writes it does absolutely not seem he would be happy with that.
The world of commercial management is full of nasty compromises, half-baked initiatives, big talk followed by little action, stupid politics, sloppy practices and so on. I am still in doubt whether the average manager is an intelligent ignorant (in for the money) or a willfully suffering cretin. How do you think the financial industry could destroy large parts of itself, without their managers freaking out or trying to stop it ?
Management is very much like politics, actually. And like schizophrenia.
Willing to take it ?
In my case, when I turned 40 I realized I had mastered software engineering. I went back to school for my master's and PhD. I also took Improv Comedy lessons and joined an Improv troupe. I started a writing group and became embedded in the writing community. I am now launching a new career in publishing. The answer, in my mind, is that you have demonstrated excellence in your field - you can probably do so in another. Go back to square one and think about what thrills you. Then (in the words of Master Suzuki) approach it with the Beginner's Mind. Take the time to immerse yourself and grow into that new realm. Become an expert. It will take time but it will be rewarding. And, it will stretch your mind in a new direction. This new mindset will improve everything from your work situation to your personal relationships. Remember, you were smart enough to become the best in your field - there are other fields that are less challenging that you can dominate. Pick one. Stick to it. And within a few years you will have options. Party On
Accept Jesus and become a missionary!
I took time to learn something new (genetics and genomics) and found my skills were applicable and the work and learning very interesting. Don't expect to make this kind of real change in your life without seriously downsizing all the crap you don't really need (house, car, holidays etc.). These things are a large part of what is tying you to doing something you don't want to.
Korma: Good
I was in the IT Field not much money unless your a Chief or VP/Director. So i got into the energy business selling Gas and Electric and doing pretty good . Since the deregulation of power to residential and small commercial its has opened up to alot of opportunities. The markets that are opened up are TX , IL, MA , CT and NY, NJ. I go to www.affordablepower.net and explains how it works. There is a subdomain for the plans too . service.affordablepower.net
I think this sounds like someone who hasnt actually written anything. Write what? Yet another book on software programming or a book on something current where the information will be outdated before it is actually published? I have written tech books and the financial compensation for the time invested compares with minimum wage.
take from one who knows, firsthand. You Are Doomed. You were seduced by the Pretty Digital but left to rot in corporate hell.
Yes, it's really irritating to have to explain the SAME BASIC CONCEPTS OVER AND OVER to the same types of clueless people. However, I've found that if you charge enough for it, you'll quickly get over that irritation. Doing it on a consulting basis makes it even easier.
Having run a cafe, made apps, worked in games, worked in big company. DON'T start a coffee bar, pub etc. to make a living it is a great way to go bust quickly. Get a boss who understands technology they do exist I have a CS degree, the people who work for me get paid slightly less but they don't get made to do stupid tasks (mostly).
Teaching can be an adventure, too. Take a job teaching English overseas. Most only want a 4 year degree - any degree - as qualifications and the pay is decent, the food great...I've been teaching English in Korea for six years. I pay less than 5% tax and no US taxes. I make less than I did in the USA, but my take-home-pay and nearly tax-free status makes it very affordable. The cost of living is cheap enough in most places that I can save quite a bit of money
I hear you! I've decided this year to toss it in after 20 years in software engineering; I'm tired of the fact that nothing I do really makes any difference to anyone's life. It's just the same endless procession of one project after another - same old same old year after year. So - I'm applying for entry into medical school. I sit the entry exam at the end of March for entry in 2013. I figure at age 45 I've still got time to train and have a productive working life before I get sealed up in a box.
You need to something outside yourself to fill the void. Seriously consider getting involved with a charity or non-profit that is aligned with your interests. Volunteer at an animal shelter, deliver meals on wheels, help build hiking trails, organize car club events. Whatever gets you out of the house, out of the office, and involved with people can help.
don't be fooled into thinking you can turn a hobby into a career and continue to enjoy it...
http://youarenotsosmart.com/2011/12/14/the-overjustification-effect/
Instead of working in an IT department for a company that does accounting, construction, or whatever other industry...why not move to a software development firm (think Google, Microsoft, Apple, Mcaffee, Intuit, etc...)? It could be a much smaller firm or whatever, you get the idea. That might move you further away from the stakeholders because you'd be focused a lot more on your software product and the stakeholders that you do deal with tend to be a lot more knowledgeable about your product.
However, software companies also have IT departments. You could consider working there. Of course you'll likely get the whole 2nd class citizen vibe from the software side.
Just thoughts from one anonymous coward.