

Ask HN: Finding the perfect job for the burned-out developer - needajob

I am an entrepreneur in mind only. I haven't had the environment, drive, opportunity, or education in business to feel comfortable enough to take the risk to go off on my own. I've been a developer for many years now but am completely burned out on working for someone else. I'm not generally afraid of anything, but I'm unwilling to make my family adopt the financial and time sacrifices and take on the risk that would accompany going off on my own completely by quitting. However, I have looked into the few things I'd be interested in doing to try to do part-time work or to transition, and I get shutdown because none pay the same rate. I have absolutely <i>no</i> idea what to do, and I've been looking for jobs and opportunities for years now. I don't enjoy working with my current employer or the team or what they are working on, because I'm opinionated and because I expect to solve real problems thinking of how it will affect people and how money will be made, rather than to work on make-believe requirements. I am fairly sure that I would either not be able to get a job elsewhere in my pay grade or would get a job and then get fired because of that lack of technical expertise due to several years of disinterest in development. I have very little interest in learning new development skills or getting better on my own, because I'm completely internally driven and motivated by business requirements, and have been working in an environment that is severely lacking in too many ways to elaborate here; they would fill a book.<p>I have basically decided though, again and hopefully I'll follow through this time, that I need to get out. And, I get the feeling that otherwise that decision may be made for me, even though management is non-confrontational.<p>For those that are working happily and have been in a similar circumstance before, what did you do? And, even if you've never been in this situation, what would you recommend for someone that (1) has the desire to work in a startup or as a solo contractor, or to even do something completely different, but can't make the time and rate sacrifices, (2) is a developer that is behind the curve technically and mentally and has no desire to be a better developer?
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_THE_PLAGUE
Hi - I can relate to this post because I also have an on-again, off-again,
"pipe dream" of doing solo work. I really have one big "passion" and that is
machine learning - genetic algorithms and related stuff, but don't have a C.S.
degree so though I have (some) professional experience in that, not enough to
get a research job someplace. So I am currently working in QA automation - its
a job, that's about it. I have done (and continue to do) some on-again, off-
again website work for relatives. I guess my "ideal dream" would be to expand
to enough independent projects to quit my day job and therefore have
flexibility to do my own pet research (like monkeys typing Shakespeare, or
similar arcane but cool stuff like that, lol). I think inevitably were I to
seriously go down that road, I'd have to sacrifice "life style" - I make in
the mid-60's per year and so I'd have to "downsize" a bit - a smaller
apartment or whatever - and that is acceptable to me - I am lucky as I don't
have or want kids so I can "downsize" if I really wanted to. But I think
downsizing is really inevitable in this kind of transition so if someone has a
significant other, try and get them to be the main "bread winner" for a while,
while one gets one's projects going maybe. :-) I wouldn't but I don't really
have to, since it is just me so it is a matter of "taking the plunge" and I
don't know if I am there yet (am only 30 so still have time). Your point
number 2 is more complex. I think the key is focusing on what you like.
Personally I really like the precision and control that C provides but have
null - read (void*)0 - desire to learn, say, Ruby. So it sounds obvious but
focus on the stuff technically you like, not necessarily what is the current
popular thing of the day. Good luck, since I definitely "feel your pain" as it
were! :-)

