Ask HN: Ex software developers/engineers, what do you do now? - zabana
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ingmarheinrich
I used to be a developer, but I never became am excellent one, because I was
interested in so many aspects, including (dev)ops, qa, product management, and
most importantly the business side of things. At some point someone else
(which is a bit embarrassing in hindsight) realized I might have what it takes
to be a CTO, and I was brave enough to do that step.

Now since about four years, I'm a freelance interim CTO and help companies
that struggle inside and around the product development department.

~~~
jlokier
I'm glad you found your calling :)

Now I'm really intrigued by what it takes to get "freelance interim CTO" jobs
- and whether this is with tiny one-person shops (where the CTO is also "the
developer"), middle-size businesses (10-50), or enterprises that lost an
executive to poaching or illness and need someone to plug the gap until their
headhunter's got a new one lined up.

~~~
ingmarheinrich
In my case, most engagements came from head hunters, and only some from my
network. Also, I have a somewhat nice looking vita, which helps.

Right now, it's mid size businesses with 50-75 FTE product development
departments, but when I will be 50+, I want to get also projects at bigger
companies :)

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zonethundery
I realized at some point that 'coding for answers' was more interesting to me
than applications. That discovery spurred a shift into analytics in the
financial sector, followed by a post-crisis stint in government service. In
the latter role sql and python were secret weapons.

I now analyze public policy for hedge funds.

~~~
mrfusion
Any tips on making that switch? What types of jobs would you search for?

~~~
zonethundery
TLDR: look for 'analyst' or 'analytics' jobs where the challenges are less
mathematical and more organizational.

Personal connections (even tenuous) make all the difference. One approach is
to pick a vertical in which you have a secular interest that is unlikely to
flag (e.g. finance for me), and be open to making the most of opportunities
that might have non-obvious embedded call options. Then look for opportunities
to be informally helpful to people working in that vertical (if starting at 0,
look for a meetup or other public event to attend).

This can often look like a lateral or downward move to a job at which your
outperformance is likely. In most analytics or adjacent roles there is still
plenty of low-hanging fruit for automation, which frees up your time to add
value on domain problems.

YMMV, but I found it helpful to not highlight the automation work (in fear of
being pegged the "tech" guy). Instead, using the earned time to do exploratory
analyses on root causes (or sensitivity or whatever) paid real dividends.
Adding that kind of value has its own gravity, and my experience was that it
opened other opportunities.

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zapperdapper
I'm getting pretty close to pulling the pin and retiring. I won't really need
the money but will probably do a bit of consultancy now and then. Since 2003
I've been writing a memoir on living in Thailand - I hope one day to actually
get around to finishing it! :D

A friend of mine recently bailed out of software and is now a qualified
mountain leader.

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Antoninus
Product Management. I do miss being an individual contributor but I'm learning
quite a bit about the 'biz'

~~~
ingmarheinrich
That's actually a great move. Ex-devs as Product Managers / Product Owners are
the best.

~~~
marapuru
I slightly disagree there. Currently have an ex-dev product owner. Who takes
away the thinking of individual developers and is unable to provide enthusiasm
to the team.

Having technical knowledge, yes. Very big plus. Not every developer has the
other aspects of a Product owner or Product manager though.

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tixocloud
VP of Customer Analytics at a financial institution.

I was a decent software engineer to boot but never really got into the super
technical side of things. I enjoyed working with people and speaking to them
about how technology can help solve their problems - hence, the role switch.

To scratch my itch, I do a bit of dev/machine learning work.

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ArrayList
I expected a lot more people to say a blue collar career path like
Construction or Plumbing, a la Office Space. Color me a bit disappointed.

~~~
barrow-rider
Those people are out there, just not posting on HN at 2pm EST cuz they're not
at a desk, they're working 10 hours on a site job.

One of my buddies was a linux admin, but now he blows glass and does custom
stained-glass windows. Still has a website and does other techy stuff but
mostly just playing w/ fire and sand last I heard.

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fiftyacorn
Based on people I know that have bailed - its either management, or craft beer
brewers

