by synu on 3/3/23, 11:59 AM with 448 comments
Thanks to tech I have a lot of savings. Not enough to retire on early, though maybe starting to be fairly close, so I feel like I could do something like this in the next few years fairly safely, and I wouldn't feel as much the loss of income if I didn't have the savings.
Has anyone here done this and have a story to share, either positive or negative? What did you switch to? How did it work out?
by artagnon on 3/3/23, 1:15 PM
For various reasons, mathematics didn't work out, and I was forced to interview again. Fortunately, I did manage to find a job as a compiler engineer again, and will be moving to London soon.
Now, the price of my adventure was quite steep. I uprooted my life when I moved from the US to Paris (especially because I didn't know French at the time), and the upcoming move to London will once again be difficult. I nearly halved my savings, by studying mathematics at my own expense, and will be back to earning the equivalent of my starting salary in the US.
However, I'm an adventurous person, and view my experience in positive light. I'd been wanting to study Jacob Lurie's books for the longest time, and I finally did it. I worked on a mathematical manuscript, which is now up on arXiv [1], and on a type theory project which has been submitted to LICS '23 [2]. I've had a good life in Paris, and my French is decent.
There's the larger philosophical question of "What is a life well-lived?", and for me, the answer is to pursue those things that you're truly passionate about, even if it doesn't work out.
by mabbo on 3/3/23, 1:07 PM
https://github.com/docker/cli/issues/267#issuecomment-695149...
> Sorry I missed your comment of many months ago. I no longer build software; I now make furniture out of wood. The hours are long, the pay sucks, and there's always the opportunity to remove my finger with a table saw, but nobody asks me if I can add an RSS feed to a DBMS, so there's that :-)
by fwlr on 3/3/23, 1:05 PM
by walledstance on 3/3/23, 12:52 PM
But seriously, it is a hard job. You learn quickly that just because you understand something doesn’t mean you can explain it to someone.
by pungentcomment on 3/3/23, 1:04 PM
An error message from a server while in the car going on a small vacation triggered the change. I had enough. So on the spot I thought of my options and decided on becoming a trucker.
My first aim was to do long haul but I never went that way. I got hired to do local LTL deliveries/pick ups and I loved it. For me it's hard to beat driving a truck when it's nice outside. Winter can be a bitch but you learn manage.
Constantly going in and out of the truck got me and keeps me in shape. I lost 100lbs and feel much better than the fat slob I used to be, tied to the keyboard. It also help that I bike to work (not in winter though).
Took a real pay cut but I would never go back. I don't think I can anyway. I started programming again a couple of years ago on personal projects and I love it. I realize that my skills are greatly diminished but it's still fun to find solutions to problems, fix the damn bugs lol, and be proud of the final product.
by SamWhited on 3/3/23, 1:08 PM
I did not have the savings to do it, but I eventually quit and became a bicycle mechanic. I actually enjoy what I do now, and the work environment doesn't have me constantly jumping back and forth between panic, undirected rage, and extreme listlessness like tech always did. That being said, I'm now broke and probably going to lose my house, so there is that.
by endymi0n on 3/3/23, 12:33 PM
https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3134322
The coffeeshop fallacy (2011)
It‘s easy to get blinded by how incredibly privileged the tech bubble is and have had a better experience so far just trying to find a great non-toxic spot in there. YMMV, good luck!
by siva7 on 3/3/23, 1:03 PM
by gabereiser on 3/3/23, 4:02 PM
I think the expectations that you sit at a job for 40 years before you can live is old corporate propaganda to keep people working. The objective of working is to earn money, money to be spent living. Work to live. Don't live to work.
If you keep your skills sharp, you can always return when you have that passion again. Burn out doesn't last forever.
by theden on 3/3/23, 1:14 PM
- The general pay and flexibility of a tech job is too good, it's easy to forget how privileged it is to be in a position holding a tech job. A lot of people out there are struggling, the fact that we can imagine starting over (and maybe have the time and means to do so as an option) says it all
- It's hard to escape the curse of tech. Even when I stopped working in tech, I have to use a computer and the internet everyday...and old habits come back, enticing opportunities arise, savings are disappearing...
- Money is not everything, but a day's tech work of pay equaling a week's worth of gigs or teaching really makes it easy to say no, especially when you live in a expensive city with expensive rent. For two years I working harder trying to doing both at full throttle and it drained me. I think with the current capitalistic system, by design it's really hard for people to pursuit multiple professions without a large sacrifice, e.g., for the majority of jobs you need to work full-time to make ends meet, not leaving one much focus time for other pursuits
- I felt guilt that I was "wasting" my tech skills, given tech industry really helped in my upward mobility. I don't have lifestyle creep (I'm okay with descaling), but not being able to save money for situations where I could help my parents and whatnot in the future definitely made me feel at unease
- I did learn that I was pushing myself and it's much better to only work a few days a week, or take a few months off a year (if you're contracting). Prior I would never take a day off and wouldn't think twice about it, now I get more FOMO about all the things in life I do outside of tech
- Success in some fields outside of tech is different, and in some cases arbitrary. Say in the arts, the competitive culture is very much there, and there isn't a shortage, but weirdly I didn't care and do my own thing (even just making ends meet is often considered success)
by KineticLensman on 3/3/23, 1:07 PM
The downside was that I lost money doing it (transport costs and no pay) and some of the tasks were mundane and / or physically uncomfortable (e.g. cleaning waterbowls on a cold rainy January day). But overall I loved it, partly because the birds and environment were so appealing, but also because compared with my old life, when I went home at the end of the day, I had no keep-you-awake-at-night responsibilities to worry about. I was also really pleased to have progressed in a new 'career' where my old status and technical skills counted for nothing, and I had to earn trust from the much younger bird team by pitching in and doing physical stuff. This was for me the best thing.
by inoffensivename on 3/3/23, 2:17 PM
The money sucks and the hours are long, but somehow the simplicity of the mission (go from A to B, don't bend any metal) appeals to me. Being able to switch the phone off after work, not having to worry about stupid office politics, planning, or performance reviews is quite liberating. The view from my office desk is unbeatable!
I'm sure this job will lose its lustre soon enough, and maybe I'll return to tech, but for now it's fun.
by framebit on 3/3/23, 2:10 PM
The decision to turn my back on what I thought was my passion was a profound spiritual experience. The decision to change came from outside of me. The decision of what path to follow was up to me though.
Tech was hiring and hiring like crazy, and I wasn't going to do an unprofitable degree twice so CS it was. I had a job before I graduated making 4x what my mom was making at her non-profit admin job.
If I hadn't pursued my art career first and had the chance to get deeply disillusioned with it, I would definitely be sitting at my desk trying to write code and thinking "what if... I'm not made for this... there's something else..." The truth is that I'm not cut out for the arts industry. I like stability, I like being salaried, I like having the upper hand in the hiring market (I know Big Tech is doing layoffs, but try spamming applications for a year to everything you can think of until the only place that calls you back is a cashier position at a grocery store. I have skills that are in demand now.) I like work that is decent and stimulating enough but which is definitely not "my passion" because that helps me keep boundaries on it.
I feel for folks who didn't get that chance to try out that other thing, who went straight into this career maybe because they wanted to, maybe because they didn't have the safety net I had that allowed me to do a second degree, maybe because life has held them down and change doesn't feel like an option. I've been out there with my chosen field and gotten burned hard by it so I'm content to stay put. It's definitely one of the cliche sayings about how the lows make the highs much higher.
I have no useful advice for anybody beyond their very early 20s facing this question. I know I would be eaten by this question if I hadn't already gotten my answer at the start.
by droctothorpe on 3/3/23, 12:48 PM
by mtm on 3/3/23, 4:44 PM
by whilestanding on 3/3/23, 4:19 PM
by adybray on 3/3/23, 12:50 PM
by stephenSinniah on 3/3/23, 1:06 PM
by bespokedevelopr on 3/3/23, 2:02 PM
I hoped to become an electrician but that didn’t really work out due to circumstances outside of my control.
I work as a security guard now and have been doing this since October. Honestly never saw myself doing this job before but it turns out it’s a pretty sweet gig.
It’s low stress and low anxiety which is just what I needed. The people I work with aren’t your stereotypical security, maybe it’s because of the city I’m in but everyone is very nice and open minded.
I get to chill and read books for hours while I get paid. It’s the mental vacation I needed from programming.
I write about it occasionally on my blog.
by obiefernandez on 3/3/23, 12:53 PM
by lettergram on 3/3/23, 1:48 PM
That said, I’ve started a farm. Mostly because:
(a) I enjoy being independent and growing the majority of my own food enables that
(b) its very satisfying to provide for yourself and family
(C) there’s a very real possibility that AGI takes away many jobs; having land, your own resources, etc is real wealth
(D) I can work 100% remote and hire someone where I’m at to do much of the farm work ($20k out here is a good part-time job).
I’m into growing niche items (working on getting a registered highland cattle herd), organic honey, ginseng root, expensive flowers like snap dragons, etc - haven’t made a profit quite yet, but farms are tax deductible. So, if you’re still working, you can write off the losses. Once it’s up and running you then pay taxes, but you have a profit. Takes typically 3-7 years to make a profit though
Most profitably small farms focus on niche stuff. One of the neighbors runs a co-op selling raw milk at $15/gal and specialty pig meat.
I don’t think it’s super profitable by any means. That said my property value has doubled in the last few years and cows reproduce (literally growing in wealth).
by gavinhoward on 3/3/23, 3:44 PM
Became a school bus driver. Quit when the school district was asking me to drive in an unsafe way. (Too fast for my experience level.)
Tried to become a helicopter pilot. The FAA grounded me for life.
Now trying to start a software business with software I wrote alone from scratch. It would be a professional services business, not selling the software, which will be FOSS.
I have a few backup plans if that fails. For example, I've already written a book when I was a teen, but didn't like it, so I deleted it. I'm trying to write another now.
I can only do this because my wife has a job. Thank goodness for her and her patience.
by noeontheend on 3/3/23, 3:16 PM
I'm technically 3/4 time at the church, so I've been looking for a part time tech job to augment that for the last two years, but have found getting one quite difficult since there are so few available. I always assumed this foray into church music would be a break from technical work and I'd go back after I was done, but my two closest mentors are strongly encouraging me to go to graduate school for organ performance after I finish my term, as my undergraduate degree is in math. I'm also somewhat concerned about my viability as a candidate trying to re-enter the tech world after being away for a few years.
I'm not yet sure what I'm going to do next year. I'm definitely happier than I ever was working in tech, although I struggle with feeling like I'm looked down upon for "just" being a musician. I also worry about the long term financial impact (retirement) if I do stay in church music, as the pay is obviously much, much lower than I'd expect otherwise. Unlike most people in this thread, I took my break early in my career, so I don't have a large pile of savings to fall back on.
by room271 on 3/3/23, 1:28 PM
It's not clear from your post what it is about tech that is demotivating you and without that it is hard to give good advice. But I'd caution against just leaving without having some clarity about what is next - i.e. discerning a positive pull. It may well be that your challenges/frustrations are only tangentially related to tech itself - could it be social, mental health, team/company, etc?
Flexible or part-time working is also something to explore - especially as you are not struggling financially. I've done variously 4 days or 9/10 days for the last 5 years or so and that's allowed me to do some volunteering on the off day, which has been a great change from sitting in front of a screen - as it's been physical and people-focused.
A sabbatical is another option. Take 3 or 6 months off, do something different, and you may rediscover a bit of passion for tech or otherwise figure out what you want to do next.
I also recommend chatting to friends/people you trust who know you well and might be able to give some wisdom/help you understand where the frustration is coming from.
And of course, if you do leave tech, you can always jump back in!
by hahamrfunnyguy on 3/3/23, 2:05 PM
I also have a YouTube channel which I focused seriously on for a year or two. I decided I wasn't really enjoying it or making enough money to continue doing it seriously. I still publish videos and make about a thousand bucks a year.
I am now running a software startup which I founded in 2020. I plan on using the profits to buy a farm. I could probably buy a farm now, but I still want to build the startup and continue on with my current lifestyle for the time being. If that doesn't work out, I will farm in my backyard like I am doing already.
You might be able to "retire" now if you cut your expenses. My yearly budget for all expenses (medical, taxes, food, housing, transportation, vacation, hobbies, entertainment, etc.) is $32,000.
My budget margins are thin, but if nothing drastic changes, I should be able to continue at my current lifestyle in perpetuity. I am keeping my tech skills active if I need to go back to work at a "real job" at any point, but the plan is for the startup to be generating some revenue this year.
by ineedasername on 3/3/23, 2:17 PM
I say briefly because I quickly found myself in a job that surrounded by 100 problems easily solvable with simple tech solutions, and started to do them- either because it saved me time or it was painful to watch other people do something painful slow when simple tools would do it— things like stitching together data files (basically a join) with a small C program because the ancient mainframe reporting system was limited in max char lengths from columns.
It was very fulfilling to be in a non-tech environment where my impact on things was so immediately tangible and useful, instead of a place where direct benefits were rarely apparent.
by subungual on 3/3/23, 4:57 PM
I'm happy with my choice. My work still involves the computer, but I certainly don't spend most of my time on it. I get to interact with a wide variety of people, and sometimes I can make their days and lives a little better. My work is challenging and involves a lot of thinking and dealing with imperfect information. If I want to fold in skills gained from tech work in the future, there is no shortage of opportunities. Leaving tech for medicine was about the worst financial decision I could have made, but I would absolutely do it again. It's been a long road, but it was the right decision, I think.
by mcnugget on 3/3/23, 12:51 PM
by xyzwave on 3/3/23, 4:36 PM
> the finest genius studies at one of our colleges, and is not installed in an office within one year afterwards in the cities or suburbs of Boston or New York, it seems to his friends and to himself that he is right in being disheartened, and in complaining the rest of his life. A sturdy lad from New Hampshire or Vermont, who in turn tries all the professions, who teams it, farms it, peddles, keeps a school, preaches, edits a newspaper, goes to Congress, buys a township, and so forth, in successive years, and always, like a cat, falls on his feet, is worth a hundred of these city dolls. He walks abreast with his days, and feels no shame in not 'studying a profession,' for he does not postpone his life, but lives already.
by cushychicken on 3/3/23, 3:46 PM
The cultural shift is, frankly, seismic.
The problems are no less important or impactful, but the timescale we're working on is years or even decades, so much of the all-out, balls-to-the wall constant stress you find in the startup/scaleup/consumer tech sphere is not there.
I still get to do impactful work, that I find more interesting at a consumer tech job. I took a ~10% pay cut (I'm not a SWE, so YMMV considerably on the size of pay cut you might take), but I'm super happy with the choice I made.
There are tons of federal research labs and opportunities out there hurting for software talent if you enjoy the practice but not the culture of most consumer software shops.
by mattbroad on 3/4/23, 5:02 PM
I knew I wanted to do another entrepreneurial role but not do so immediately. I didn't want a tech job.
I spent a few years in construction project management and it was a great experience. A huge change from the tech business world. Initially the money was pretty tragic. But it was fun! And it improved. Moving from high tech to construction is a little bit like entering another world. I found it fascinating.
During that period I also read Ray Kroc's (founder of McDonalds) book which includes him saying "When you're green you're growing. And when you're ripe, you rot."
I prefer to be green and growing. In my career I've encountered many people in a fairly robotic non-or-minimal growth mode. Each to their own.
My experience left me thinking the world would be even better if career switching was easier (for those that want to). I also theorised how I might include this in my next startup (time will tell…). During that period I progressed my vision and plans for my next startup. The period was invaluable. My new startup has been underway for some time now.
Good luck with your plans.
by Agoreddah on 3/3/23, 1:48 PM
by cryptica on 3/3/23, 2:38 PM
Imagine that your job is to pick an apple from a tree. The tree is 100 meters from you, just as you are about to start walking towards the tree, your boss tells you "Not like that, you need to walk on your hands..." You try to explain to your boss why it's not the most efficient way to pick an apple but he tells you "You are mistaken because this is the industry standard; that's how all the big apple pickers are doing it" So you start walking on your hands... Then the boss insists that you need to climb onto a unicycle with your hands and traverse a pool of crocodile-infested water while juggling with your feet all while being suspended on a tightrope... But the whole time, the boss insists, and he is dead serious, that his only goal is to simply to pick the apple from the tree... But every time you try to point out that juggling upside down on a unicycle is not an efficient way to do it, your intelligence is called into question. That's what it feels like to be a senior software developer these days. So yes, I've thought of quitting.
by jbonino on 3/10/23, 6:15 PM
I eventually was running short on money, so started contacting as a cloud developer. I make more in six months as a contractor than I did as a full-time employee. I do not have benefits, but happen to be married to someone that does.
I have a greater appreciation for software after taking a six month break and working hard labor. I also realized how much I enjoy being an engineer. My plan now has been to contract six months on six months off for the inevitable future.
It’s been absolutely fantastic and am now exploring different types of engineering that fit my personality more. I also completed my career “flower” which taught me a lot about myself and my potential livelihood. I highly recommend that activity and got the idea from a book called “what color is your parachute?”
by jtode on 3/4/23, 5:43 PM
I have done many things, but I went from IT into being a Technical Director for animation. In my case my income went up, cause reasons, but I think for many folks in pure tech it would be a significant cut. But my coworkers are awesome, my work is fun, I'm pure remote from the shore of Lake Winnipeg. Life is great.
I can't generalize my experience onto the entire labour market, but from what I can see, the whole "gaps in your record" matters a lot less now than it did. My record is abysmal from that perspective, again because reasons, but in animation at least that really doesn't matter. I'm one of many autodidacts here.
by earthnail on 3/3/23, 12:57 PM
It might ironically be easier to start a company. At least you know half of the stuff (tech); and the other half you have to learn from scratch. But knowing one half is a bit like being talented when you learn the other half - it gives you a head start over all the MBAs.
by bmj on 3/3/23, 1:10 PM
There's also the not-so-small matter of providing good health insurance for my not-yet-adult kids. That change is probably another three to five years down the road.
by matonias on 3/3/23, 12:37 PM
by jderiksen on 3/3/23, 3:37 PM
1. Full-time musician. Too hard even if you are extremely talented and good at self-promotion. I am good at what I do but I am not a first-call instrumentalist or a charismatic frontperson.
2. Mental health field. I found that the starting pay was too low, didn't relish the idea of going to grad school again, and I found that the training process was too intense for me -- I require a lot of alone time and recharging time.
In both cases I wanted to switch because I had let myself burn out. A key to preventing burnout for me is finding a role where I don't have to sit in multiple meetings a day and where I can work less than 40 hours a week.
by raincole on 3/3/23, 1:07 PM
Countrary to the popular opinion, I believe people tend to underestimate how much money they really need, until they (or their family) need medical care.
by dxs on 3/3/23, 10:17 PM
You can take a look at the following (might find some ideas): www.bumfuzzle.com
"A couple of Minnesota suburban kids with a world-view that extended all of about twenty miles. It was big news when we upped and moved all the way to the big city of Chicago. Bigger news still, when we announced to the family just a couple years later that we were going to sail around the world. For four years we circumnavigated the globe aboard Bumfuzzle, our 35′ catamaran, returning a little more world-wise." And whole bunches more: "Bumfuzzle—twenty years under our keels and wheels. A life this good, we’re happy to have shared it all this time, and to have made so many friends over the years."
If I had actually been smart enough, I would have at least tried to go in their direction (starting in the 1960s, when I was young). Anyhow, me, I'm retired in Cuenca, Ecuador, living in an apartment right behind this place hotellosbalconescuenca.com/?lang=en , and things are not bad at all.
I'm spending my time learning how to think better, and studying whatever seems most interesting today.
by MrBuddyCasino on 3/3/23, 12:38 PM
by jnsaff2 on 3/3/23, 1:09 PM
Then had to go back to tech but did set clear boundaries like never doing unpaid overtime. Always clocking out at 5pm and not taking any shit.
That made a huge difference and I started enjoying tech again.
by Balgair on 3/3/23, 4:02 PM
It was a long journey, and a lot of hard work, and a lot of luck. But I've managed to 'make it' just fine. I'm much happier with the choice.
One tip is to really make the choice, don't have a foot in the 'old world', so to speak. If you decided to change, you've got to put in some barriers to going back, because when the new thing gets tough, you're going to want to go back.
by withinboredom on 3/4/23, 12:03 AM
I still “did tech” while in the military though. I bought a satellite dish in a war zone, and sold internet to my colleagues. I learned so much about networking, proxies, dealing with fair use problems, … it was kinda fun sometimes. Except when I just wanted to go to sleep.
Then this one time, I made some prank calling websites (using Skype under the hood, of all things. Twilio really made life easy!) and that shit got me in so much trouble. I was glad to shut it down.
Eventually, I bought a sailboat and worked at startups for a couple of years before meeting my wife. But man, than 5-6 year break was great for me. I highly recommend some kind of break if you think you need a break. As they say in sailing, “if you think you might need X, you do need X. Don’t wait until it’s too late.”
by Princesscaraan on 3/3/23, 1:09 PM
by exabrial on 3/3/23, 3:32 PM
It truly would be a restart, and unlike software development, I'd have to move to where the job is, not the other way around like we're all used to.
Just something to consider.
by sarojmoh1 on 3/3/23, 2:08 PM
I've done several other things outside of dev (farming, art modeling, rideshare and deliveries, clinical trial, retail, and am actually working as a dishwasher tonight)
Harsh reality has set in that I need to return to work though.
The thing is...for most people there's not much you can do that will even let you make close to half of what you'd make in tech.
I also found that I was stressing myself out at minimum wage jobs too (not even close to as bad as tech).
So I kinda concluded that you should make as much as you can if you're gonna be stressed (to an extent of course).
I don't have family or any big payments, debt. I live below my means. Just turned 30 and one thing I'm considering is working for next decade in tech and investing everything to retire in early 40s
by scythe on 3/3/23, 3:57 PM
I left the tech industry in 2017, got into an MS in 2019, and now I have a year and a half to licensure — hopefully! I'm basically happy with the change, but it was a long road out — I had saved up $50k, which is all gone now.
There's a snag: I was diagnosed with cancer in 2021. Life comes at you fast. I might have a long career ahead (I'm 31) or I might not. I certainly could have done a lot more skiing in the past six years if I had just kept plugging away at the text editor. But I'm glad I went for it. Don't assume you have forever.
by pelagicAustral on 3/3/23, 12:46 PM
by mikelevins on 3/3/23, 3:59 PM
She passed away in the summer of 2021.
Her distillery, Delaware Phoenix, gained some positive reviews.
There's a memorial page about her here:
by deckeraa on 3/3/23, 1:20 PM
If you're feeling burnt out or bored by tech, you may want to try something similar -- tech was becoming non-fun for me at 55 hours/week, but is fun again at 10-15 hours/week. Plus you get to try out new things without waiting for retirement.
From a financial side, just make sure you've adjusted your expenses to be in line with what you're likely to make doing less tech (since most fields pay less), and implement those expense adjustments before you make a career change.
by siva7 on 3/3/23, 12:45 PM
by taylorhou on 3/3/23, 4:02 PM
The consistency and challenge of personally getting better/more skilled while being able to yell at the top of my lungs when I miss a shot helps relieve almost all of my pent up stress from work, family, life.
when I exit one day, i'm going into food truck business.
by ljf on 3/3/23, 3:37 PM
One now runs a couple of Airbnb places, one inherited and one bought - making the same money they used to make in a low/mid IT role in the UK - and working far far less. In fact they are starting to get bored but not yet too worried about that.
Another friend started a cupcake business which I thought was a poor idea as the market for cake in London was pretty saturated. 5 years in they have a few employees and are making great money - BUT they work so damn hard, as many or more hours as when they worked in IT. but for now they still love it.
by bryanlarsen on 3/3/23, 2:01 PM
If you get extremely lucky, good customers and good bosses can make a job more satisfying than a hobby. You're doing something for the greater good, rather than just for yourself.
But mostly it works the other way. You're working on what your customers and bosses tell you to do rather than what you want to do. Customers and bosses are the reason you dread going in to work.
Very few fields let you make a living without customers or bosses.
by ezedv on 3/8/23, 7:13 PM
You can check them out if you or anyone else is interested: https://www.ratherlabs.com
by karaterobot on 3/3/23, 5:34 PM
I also hated being a front-end developer, because of the constant churn of new frameworks and techniques — "article driven development", where somebody releases a shiny new package or writes a neat article, and all the lemmings run in that direction for six months, before running in a different direction. I like programming, and still do it for fun, but it's such a different experience when you don't have to do it "at scale" and in a team environment.
I switched to doing design, which I sort of did already, and now work for a non-profit. My work is something I can more or less describe to my family and they don't have a glazed over look in their eyes. Still technically in "tech", but in a different corner of it, working in a different capacity (for less money...)
by dhfbshfbu4u3 on 3/3/23, 1:27 PM
I’ve stayed tech-adjacent the whole time though. So, despite some very exciting times and decent compensation, I’ve always wondered what might have happened if I flipped back to tech or even jumped way outside the world of regular business entirely.
In any case, I can’t say I regret the change. I made it for the right choices. As you work your way through this decision, think about where you want to be in 20-30 years. Really try to see the day to day life you are living. What gets you excited in that future state? If you can see that, then go explore it.
From what you’ve said it sounds like you have a great opportunity to explore something new. Just remember that sometimes there’s no road back… and that’s 100% ok.
by 65 on 3/3/23, 4:05 PM
I am considering freelancing so I can focus on making and selling shoes. I don't need to go all in on making shoes right off the bat, but having an extra 4 hours a day to do the non-tech thing I enjoy doing would be great. I would still be making enough money to cover the bills while I work on the new career.
by michepriest on 3/5/23, 12:43 AM
After my last job I wanted to quit tech. I spent 18 months trying a bunch of different things (no-code, podcasting, illustrating, creating info products and courses, E-commerce, and micro-coaching). I now do a variety of things including co-founder for hire where I not only advise but roll up my sleeves to get first customers and put together a data backed go-to-market strategy. The beauty of the co-founder for hire gig is it’s 10 hours a week. I get to focus on the things in tech that I love without the mad hours, politics, and stress.
The thing is, you can always go back to tech. Taking a mid-career gap year/sabbatical is an amazing experience. You’re sure to learn a lot about yourself. Tech isn’t going anywhere.
by DamnInteresting on 3/3/23, 5:06 PM
A long-term coding contract recently ended for me, so I have been looking for some new full-stack web dev work. Everything I encounter now is tangled in over-engineered dependency hellscapes. Simple sites that could be vanilla HTML/CSS/JS are instead built and rebuilt on whatever tools and frameworks are currently trendiest. Technology is selected because it is cool instead of appropriate. I don't mind learning new tech if it's useful and fitting, but I loathe the 'disposable skills' of dumping frameworks every 2 years.
I've watched this tendency gradually growing in web dev circles for about a decade, but in just the past few years it's gone bananas. It's so much unnecessary faffing, it's got me looking into other fields for new work.
by detourdog on 3/3/23, 1:12 PM
by happyjack on 3/3/23, 8:59 PM
I have some cash savings, hate my day to day job, and dream of having a small machine shop producing aircraft parts (I'm a pilot and sell some aircraft parts on the side).
I think I'm too big of a pussy to turn down $150 an hour and find happiness (my current industry sucks and is is a cocktease).
by whitehexagon on 3/3/23, 2:44 PM
I did the 'café / tea room / barista / baker' dream for a season, hard work but fun! and since the lock-down nightmare, I am back to playing around with some tech ideas.
Maybe my next project is a farm renovation, and some local up-cycling services, something towards 'save the planet'. Just fixing up an old espresso machine, great fun!
Anyway I am not sure I could go back to freelancing, I cant stand these modern tech stacks :( Am I the only one that feels like I need to write my own language, or even OS? Although Zig is looking good so far... and some unikernals have promise. All this CPU/GPU power and things seem to run slower than ever.
But yeah, I sympathize and would only say, dont wait to start living your dream.
by vintermann on 3/3/23, 5:26 PM
I also know a guy who quit and became a Methodist priest, though I'm not sure he worked as a software developer much, he started at the seminary pretty quickly after finishing his first degree.
by dsq on 3/3/23, 1:00 PM
by newhotelowner on 3/3/23, 1:16 PM
by murrayb on 3/3/23, 1:51 PM
by ezedv on 3/3/23, 1:39 PM
While it was a challenging shift, it was also incredibly rewarding. In fact, I'm now happily employed at Rather Labs, a company that has been instrumental in my career development.
You can check them out if you or anyone else is interested: https://www.ratherlabs.com
by andythemoron on 3/3/23, 6:14 PM
Probably too early to give you an informed opinion but I've enjoyed the ride this far. I have professional excuses to continue learning new things and I get to feel like I'm helping people while occasionally building useful tech tools for my practice.
My colleagues are generally kind nerds, which fills my soul, and I've really enjoyed connecting with them over the past year and a half. Admittedly, I've been exceedingly fortunate in having a large buffer and low personal expenses.
by Glench on 3/3/23, 1:44 PM
by dflannery on 3/6/23, 9:36 PM
After a downturn in my contracting gigs I trained in traffic. It is NOT as well paid as you think! And standing for 8 to 10 hours is physically damaging. And the boredom is not brain-dead it is soul destroying.
I am back in IT and very thankful!
by himoacs on 3/3/23, 1:31 PM
This allows you to enjoy your hobbies without being bogged down by usual bureaucracy/pressure that you might deal with at work. So, continue working in tech (maybe reevaluate your role, amount of responsibility etc) and take music lessons, volunteer, join sport leagues, take pottery lessons etc.
by trizoza on 3/3/23, 3:42 PM
by red-iron-pine on 3/3/23, 2:36 PM
Started making cheese on the side, and he later turned that into a full-time cheese consultant business. Eventually worked for restaurants and local providers, few gigs with large dairy concerns, travel to areas to help set up literal cheese caves, etc.
Almost certainly makes less, way less, money than before but seems happy. Dude has a lot of connections and knows like every kitchen in the city, can rock up to restaurants and knows half the staff, etc.
by TroutMask on 3/3/23, 2:46 PM
I'm back in tech now, which took hard work getting up to date. I was out for ten years and basically missed a whole lot, such as containers, cloud as the path of least resistance, and React. On the other hand, Linux and Python haven't gone out of style.
I enjoyed my time teaching and the perspective gained. I don't regret it, and I did learn more about my own strengths and weaknesses.
by mabbo on 3/3/23, 1:19 PM
The job entailed flying on site to warehouses (Amazon), different ones every week, and installing, integrating, or upgrading on site hardware with new control software.
The hours could be brutal sometimes. I was away from home M-F most weeks. But it was fun and it was a great team of people to work with.
All this to say: there are jobs out there that will let you do something new, but will take advantage of your technical skills.
by hevisko on 3/10/23, 12:26 PM
Public services announcement:
GO fishing, do not pass GO and collect USD200 going into I.T., go straight to fishing!
My perfect spot: a damn on a winefarm, angling there would be.... blish
by andyish on 3/3/23, 1:26 PM
You could try something like a PM/BA role, orientated more around the user and stakeholder management. It's less tech focused and more time communicating with others but probably equally stressful.
I have a friend that bought a coffee shop in a midsize affluent town. Long days, always something going wrong beit staff sickness, stock shortage or maintenance. Kept it up for about 5 years, sold it on and went back into sales.
by d0m on 3/3/23, 3:21 PM
by mikewarot on 3/3/23, 10:57 PM
It was not a wise financial decision, but I'm fortunate that we've got a very low cost of living worked out.
Making gears was very rewarding, but the commute and the pay sucked.
by mrsofty on 3/3/23, 1:02 PM
by sjellen on 3/3/23, 12:51 PM
by ineedausername on 3/3/23, 1:18 PM
by pilotdeveloper on 3/3/23, 8:13 PM
by Beegle on 3/4/23, 7:50 AM
You should try branching out hut don’t lose your networking and don’t let your skills slip until you know for sure you don’t want to go back. (or perhaps can’t go back because AI is doing everything for us)
by CitizenKane on 3/3/23, 1:16 PM
Personally I think that having any kind of balance is a good idea. Even if engaged in another field I can imagine I’d have something to complement whatever it was.
by tristor on 3/3/23, 3:19 PM
I look forward to wrenching instead of sitting all day. Which I know is ironic because I know a lot of mechanics who feel exactly the opposite.
by joe202 on 3/3/23, 1:20 PM
by theparanoid on 3/3/23, 3:18 PM
by aprdm on 3/4/23, 7:35 PM
by thejackgoode on 3/3/23, 12:40 PM
by 0xDEF on 3/3/23, 1:01 PM
Are there other fields where that is possible?
by silverwasthere on 3/3/23, 1:24 PM
I used to work at web hosts and such.
by jokethrowaway on 3/3/23, 6:30 PM
I probably wouldn't have left the sector fully though.
The money is too good and I enjoy the work. The only problem is dealing with corporate culture.
by steviedotboston on 3/3/23, 4:45 PM
by tootie on 3/3/23, 2:23 PM
by cheapliquor on 3/3/23, 4:41 PM
Standing on top of buildings with a flamethrower (for commercial roofs) > sitting at a computer all day.
by freedude on 3/3/23, 8:58 PM
Learn something new. Apply what you know to the the new thing that you learned.
Have FUN!
by jwmoz on 3/3/23, 2:02 PM
by satisfice on 3/3/23, 10:44 PM
Maybe not Hacker News.
by boosting6889 on 3/3/23, 12:40 PM
by zfrank on 3/13/23, 7:34 PM
I just turned 37 and I've been playing guitar and writing songs since I was around 15. I studied music in college and then lived in Hollywood for a while where I studied guitar and audio engineering, played one-off gigs with people and played as a member of a few other bands (in some of which we wrote original music) --- but I never thought to pursue the songs I WROTE solo. They were a different style than what I played in the other bands and I thought they were "too sappy" and that I wasn’t good enough. I was paralyzed by feelings of unworthiness, inadequacy, and the fear of judgment.
Eventually I left the bands, moved back home to Chicago, did some part-time work and then got a sales job. I got sick of that, learned to code, and got a coding job, which I actually REALLY enjoyed (finally! Something I enjoyed doing that I was good at and that paid really well!). But something was STILL nagging at me. I went on a week-long retreat called the Hoffman Process. There I realized there was POWER in vulnerability and that my fear of vulnerability was keeping me from pursuing my music. Like magic, after turning my phone back on after the retreat, I received a message from a very close friend of a video he, for whatever fateful reason, dug up from Facebook of me playing a song I wrote back in 2009, this was 2019. I probably cried in that moment. It felt like the universe sending me a message. I watched and listened to the video of a 22-year-old me playing an original song and realized - my songs were GOOD! I found it so sad that I had written such good songs over a decade ago and let them fade into oblivion rather than honoring them, and myself, by recording and releasing and sharing them!
I started digging up all my old songs (turns out there were a lot!) and even writing NEW songs! I re-learned the old songs, practiced them, and after a year when I started getting anxious again, I started recording demos. When I started getting anxious once again a year or so later, I quit my coding job. I found a local studio and engineer and I've been recording for about a year. Now I'm mixing my first single and working on finding the balance between practicing music, studying music marketing, doing all the other work to "make it" as a musician, and general self-care. But one thing is for sure: no more wavering. I’m not going back to sales, coding, or switching to anything else. I am a musician, songwriter, recording artist, and whatever else this develops into.
On one hand, I regret and grieve the time I "wasted" being too scared to take this path. And on the other hand, this is my story. My story is now my "brand". It's my message. I want to inspire others, through my music and my voice in general, not to live in fear. Maybe saying "to find their passion" is too cliché, so I'll say to listen to their true, authentic selves and to honor that. To own their truth and empower themselves to stand up and have the courage to be vulnerable, different, potentially judged and even ridiculed or "canceled"! (You probably won’t be canceled.)
In recent years I've experienced chronic low-back pain, which is a story unto itself - yet it's 100% related. When we suppress our true selves, our true selves fight to come out, and that can translate to both psychological and physical manifestations. (I’ve also experienced depression and anxiety.) If I lost you here I'd strongly encourage you to keep an open mind. You don't grow as a human being by writing off anything that goes against your current paradigms - when I began to discover all of this, it certainly ran against mine. I expect most of this crowd to lean open-minded. If you're new to ideas like this, or curious to learn more, I would STRONGLY encourage you to read The Myth Of Normal, a very recent book by Gabor Maté. He is my current spirit animal.
I'm SO SO grateful to be on the path I'm on now and I have SO many people and experiences to thank. Not to mention the gratitude I have towards myself for getting myself to this point, for facing my fears, for honoring my truth. Maybe the transition from coding to music I described above sounded easy, but I assure you it was not. I was 36 and terrified to tell my parents! But they were super chill about it, and my dad even followed up to tell me how proud of me he was (happy tear)! NOBODY CARED. NOBODY TOLD ME I WAS AN IDIOT (one friend expressed some skepticism, but THAT’S GONNA HAPPEN! You need to have just enough confidence in yourself and can’t rely on the whole world to cheer you on! Both internal and external doubts are guaranteed, the secret to success is to plow ahead anyways! I am very well acquainted with doubt by now. Doubt comes to my parties uninvited and can’t be forced to leave. I have accepted this and I continue partying anyways.)
We all have fears around infinite things in our lives. When fear, anxiety, depression, chronic physical ailments, or even illness arises in you, I encourage you to take some time to reflect on what's happening in your life and in your thoughts, often well beneath the surface (this is rarely easy). Journaling is a great tool for me. Find your tools and use them. Honor yourself.
You don't have to "do something great," but I believe you should deeply and constantly examine your beliefs, the expectations you have for yourself, and the expectations that you believe others have for you. What do your parents expect for you? What does your partner expect of you? What do your friends, colleagues, children, or siblings expect of you? Is that even true? Is there evidence? What do you expect for yourself? Why??? Think about what you have wanted for yourself at different times in your life, especially when you were younger, before the pressures of our society began to disguise themselves as your own desires. If you’re looking for more inspiration, I suggest reading the book Mastery by Robert Greene. Sounds like OP has some other skills and interests which, if pursued, may lead to a source of potent intrinsic motivation which makes for great potential for eventual monetization.
Once you have an inkling of some path you think you might like to take, or that you wish you had taken years, maybe decades, ago, reflect more on that path and ask yourself "what's the worst that could happen?"
by AlbertCory on 3/3/23, 4:39 PM
One guy who was so into classical piano that he went back to grad school and got his degree in music. Now he gives lessons, last I heard.
Another guy who became a piano tuner. There's good steady, if not spectacular money in that.
Two people who became teachers or teachers' aides. The teacher had a fairly unhappy experience, while the teachers' aide said it was the best job he ever had.
One of the Xerox Star 6-person functional spec team (the one who's completely disappeared and no one knows where he is) became a homeopathic doctor.
Edit: another guy became a kitchen cabinet installer.
by l_theanine on 3/3/23, 12:42 PM
I have heard some people talk about leaving for woodworking and stuff like that, but most people in my circle who get burnt out just stop doing government contracts and get regular jobs when it gets bad. Or go on vacation, have kids, etc.