
Ask HN: How to plan getting out of tech? - a_big_car
I could go on about where I work and why I&#x27;m unhappy there, but ultimately, I just think there is something deeply wrong and unhealthy with the industry and the people in it, and I want to stop doing this to myself.<p>I&#x27;m American, 35, single, no kids, living on the west coast of the US. I have no debt and around 100k in the bank. I don&#x27;t own any property. Is there anyone out there, who was in a similar position and figured out a way to stop working in tech? I feel open to a lot of different possibilities, including of course moving abroad.<p>I guess I&#x27;m just wondering if there are others who have been in a similar position and what they did, or, what resources I can use to figure out my next steps. I wish I could be more specific about what I&#x27;m asking, I don&#x27;t want to be spoonfed information, but I just need some guidance on where to look to start planning what to do.<p>Thanks for any advice or input.
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segmondy
If you are unhappy working in tech, what makes you think you will be happy
working in another sector? You need to find the underlying reason why you are
happy and address it. It could be the people, the culture, working on a
product you don't believe, working with tech you don't like. Maybe you like
C++ but work with PHP, or vice versa. Maybe you like DB but find yourself
doing sysadmin. "Everything is tech" these days, I don't believe it's tech
that's making you unhappy, there is something deeper and if you don't figure
it out, you most likely will find yourself more disappointed down the line.
Best of luck.

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iAm25626
Focus on the following:

1\. Physical health:

run, lift, sleep, eat right. Without it; we can't do anything

2\. Financial health:

It's "easy money" in tech; hoard as much as you can. Invest wisely.
Unfortunately we lived in a C.R.E.A.M. world. "100k in bank" Those are rookie
number...

3\. Mental/spiritual health:

Like many have said: What are you passion about beside tech? what draw you to
tech in the first place? a sense of purpose Read, join meet up, MOOC, focus on
the first principal and fundamental(this alleviate chasing tech fad)

IMHO those are the 3 foundations that allow us the freedom to "grab life by
the horn".

38 years old dinosaur

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Artlav
Me, i just happen across an education gig in Chile a couple years ago, and
have been doing education gigs (hardware prototyping and general science) a
few times a year in South America and Europe since then.

Doesn't pay much, but having all the time to yourself for work instead of
being distracted by "work"/job is worth it.

I'm a programmer by education and first hobby, and over 10 years in the
industry i found that i just can't work on a project i don't appreciate. For
me programming is an art, and on a job that art is constrained, so i would
inevitably burn out in a year or two.

Why do you want to stop working in tech?

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a_big_car
Thanks for the reply. As to why- there are a bunch of reasons. It's so
obviously slanted towards the young, and I'm getting older. I work at a place
that anyone on HN would recognize, it's supposed to be one of the "good"
places. And it is, generally, but I occupy a shitty position there and am
tired of fighting for a basic decent work environment. I receive positive
feedback all the time and try hard to be easy to work with, but I'm tired of
all the last-minute shit, tight deadlines, lack of rigor, and mounting tech
debt. I'm tired of dropping everything because a 25-year-old billionaire asked
me to tweak some tiny thing. It's just insane. (And like I said, this is
supposed to be one of the good places!)

I am mostly just wanting to hear about what others have done, or what options
there are, or what resources there are for same. I'm not looking for a slower-
paced version of my same career, I just want to try something else.

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urahara
If I were you, I'd just start my own company. This will make you independent
from people, tasks and positions that you describe as unwanted. You will still
be able to apply all you previous experience and skills, but decide how
technical your business is.

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marssaxman
When I am unhappy, I often feel stuck, and have a hard time imagining how to
solve the problems that are making me unhappy. They start to seem insoluble.
Instead of thinking about how to move away from a bad situation, it has been
more productive to think about what it is I actually want. Once I have a clear
picture in mind of where I would rather be, all my everyday problem-solving
skills kick in and I start advancing toward that goal.

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JSeymourATL
> what resources I can use to figure out my next steps.

Check out Designing Your Life, a book by Stanford professors. Here's a podcast
interview with the authors, to give you a flavor of what it's about >
[http://thedianerehmshow.org/shows/2016-10-03/using-design-
th...](http://thedianerehmshow.org/shows/2016-10-03/using-design-theory-to-
build-a-better-life)

Also, NY Times review > [https://www.nytimes.com/2016/09/18/fashion/design-
thinking-s...](https://www.nytimes.com/2016/09/18/fashion/design-thinking-
stanford-silicon-valley.html?_r=0)

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seige
I would suggest start doing things that you think make you happy. Even for 5
mins.

Keep a note of your time and happiness level. Over time you'll figure out
things that make you happy at the current stage of your life.

That is honestly step-1 but the single biggest step in finding what you are
looking for.

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taway_1212
I'd love to do something else (maybe even for say 5 years, just go get my
appetite for tech back), but almost everything outside tech is overcrowded and
pays way less, which means working way more years before reaching retirement.

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huac
What do you want to do? What are your dreams?

