
Working in tech without being constantly stuck behind a computer? - nicwhittle
So I’m an engineer and I guess lockdown has made me realise how much happier I am when I’m not sat behind a computer. 
Although I do enjoy creating things and I’m constantly told how good of an engineer I am, but I really want to step away from having to ‘hyper focus’ and be strapped to my laptop coding.<p>Anyone work in tech and don’t spend much time behind a computer?
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quickthrower2
I’ve not done this but might be worth considering:

Do calls on your phone (go walking) and todo notes and design on a whiteboard.
Only use the computer when you really have to.

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maps7
You could become a technical architect (there's many types). It's less coding
and more meetings and discussions about technical roadmaps.

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nicwhittle
This sounds interesting. Do you have any links of examples etc?

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maps7
Here's some 'solution' architect examples:

[https://ie.linkedin.com/jobs/view/solutions-architect-
lead-e...](https://ie.linkedin.com/jobs/view/solutions-architect-lead-emea-at-
stripe-1967291448)

[https://ie.linkedin.com/jobs/view/associate-solutions-
archit...](https://ie.linkedin.com/jobs/view/associate-solutions-architect-
emea-at-mongodb-1989501755)

And a 'cloud' architect:

[https://ie.linkedin.com/jobs/view/cloud-architect-at-
deloitt...](https://ie.linkedin.com/jobs/view/cloud-architect-at-deloitte-
ireland-1917840996)

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cyberdrunk
If you hate sitting in front of a computer, you might retrain to be a hardware
engineer (e.g. in robotics, aerospace etc.). They can sometimes spend a lot of
the time building prototypes or testing the physical component in a lab (of
course, there's plenty of hardware jobs where you just spend the whole day in
front of a CAD, but you can filter them out during your job search).
Unfortunately, this will still require a lot of focus. So, if you're tired
with having to be focused all the time, then I'm afraid you need to either get
used to it or stop working office jobs entirely (or maybe try to go part-time
in software?).

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non-entity
Wouldn't that require going back to get an entire BSEE at least?

~~~
cyberdrunk
Probably, although maybe you can get a job in such shop as a software guy
first and learn the ropes there.

Anyway, my bigger point is, if you hate focusing in front of the computer,
then software engineering is not a career for you and you need to retrain for
something else. But, it's very uncertain if you'll like that other thing. So,
maybe it's best to just accept the drawbacks of the current career, as other
careers might not be better.

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hazz99
This feels a bit defeatist. You could definitely go into software sales,
evangelism, or move laterally into the management path without any extra
formal retraining.

~~~
cyberdrunk
True. These jobs also have very real drawbacks, but there are certainly some
people for whom the drawbacks are not that bad (better than coding 40h/week).

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nicbou
At least you're not spending time in meetings!

I used to be a software engineer. Now I run a website. I still work behind a
computer, but I work a lot less overall. This leaves a lot of time for other
activities. All you have to do is somehow launch a website that makes enough
money to support you, which is about as easy as winning the lottery.

You could also teach what you know or sell software.

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giantg2
That's nice that you get told that you do a good job.

I second the idea about becoming an architect. There are also other roles like
sales engineers, help desk, security consultants, etc. It depends on what you
enjoy, how much human interaction you want, and what positions are available
in your area.

~~~
nicwhittle
The architect sounds interesting. Do you have any links for examples etc?

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giantg2
There are various types of architects, such as dat architects, software
architects, solutions architects, etc. These also vary between companies and
seniority.

For example, at my company a data architect helps a project by reviewing the
data they plan to use and suggesting where to store it and how to structure
the data. They might review a team's plan and provide suggestions. The data
architect also might help a team if they are having trouble getting the data
they need.

We also have software architects that review projects and consult for the
project teams to ensure that the proposed system architecture follow best
practices and be efficient. So they might recommend using SNS+SQS instead of
just SQS because they see a future need for other projects to access those
messages and they could all subscribe to the SNS topic then poll their own SQS
that is fed by a filtered subscription to that SNS topic.

Here is a general link for solutions architect.
[https://www.careerexplorer.com/careers/solution-
architect/](https://www.careerexplorer.com/careers/solution-architect/)

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totetsu
You could always dictate code aloud..

[https://serenade.ai/](https://serenade.ai/)

[https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23497756](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23497756)

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lazyeye
Consider the van life and having a mobile office.

[https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Lg37Cbx-
kak](https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Lg37Cbx-kak)

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muzani
What I really dislike about this line of work is being "stuck" behind a desk.
A van sounds even more cramped. I think a lot of us need to commute to
maintain our sanity, hence co-working spaces.

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totetsu
+1 for wanting examples of this.

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wolco
When I did help desk I rarely sit.

When I worked in a factory moving computers I was rarely in front of a
computer.

