Ask HN: Did I just switch careers?

[lsiunsuex]

Apologies if this comes off as nieve or ignorant, but in leaving a job as a web developer and taking a job as a systems administrator, did I effectively switch careers?

I've always considered myself a full stack developer. I'm just as comfortable in linux running updates, installing software, configuring cron jobs as I am in a text editor writing html / php for a client.

My last job prior to the one I'm leaving, I was both. My coworker and I were IT for a 500 seat call center. We administered everything from the firewall to the windows servers; VM's to configuring managed switches. He was always a mainframe guy so he took care of the iSeries and I took care of the websites.

My current job has been as a web developer. Mostly agency work with tight deadlines, I developed everything from 1 page parallax websites to custom CMS's, Wordpress installs as well as maintaining the local office equipment.

I'm leaving this job to be a systems administrator for 1 website and it's product it sells. My responsibilities will be the upkeep and maintenance of that website as well as helping the programmers out when they need it.

(During both of these jobs; I've freelanced as a web developer also - for over 9 years total now)

So - Is this the definition of a "full stack developer" ? Am I changing careers or just using a different facet of my skill set? Is there a defined line in most companies between systems administrators and programmers? Just curious...

[xpto123]

As far as I can tell, you really did change careers. Your are now a systems administrator and not a software developer anymore.

Did someone convince that its all the same thing or something? Maybe a a manager in some services company or a commercial? If they did its just not true, when you stop coding from the point of view of employers it changes everything.

Employers want persons that are coding on their previous job for developer positions, they always stay away from people that stopped coding.

I know this first hand because I stopped coding in a similar situation for a while, and later I had to answer a whole lot of questions on why I stopped it, we want someone who is an 'active' developer etc.

going from developer to system administrator, business analyst or tester is easy, but going back is very hard even in a market where very few developers are available.

If you don't want to stop development I would advise you to switch back as soon as possible, because have no illusions this could be the end of your developer career. Good luck.

Edit: a full stack developer is a developer that does both backend and GUI development, but not a developer that also does administration I am not aware of any term for that case.

[logn → xpto123]

If I had to choose between:

"I developed everything from 1 page parallax websites to custom CMS's, Wordpress installs as well as maintaining the local office equipment"

and someone who did that in addition to Linux systems admin for a few years, I'd choose the latter every time.

Also to your point on "full stack dev", I don't see how someone who can't write Bash scripts, write/manage monitoring tools, configure servers/software, and set up automated cloud deployments could be considered full stack.

[aragot → logn]

In Australia, if you apply for a 457 visa as a software developer, you must show 3-5-10 years of experience in software development, "or a closely related field". It's much easier to be in the first situation than having to demonstrate the field is closely related, e.g. they don't specify DBA nor team lead on that list.

Of course if you apply with humans, they may understand that a master of Linux and Java dev adds a lot of value to a dev team. But HRs aren't humans.

[S4M → aragot]

Isn't system administration a "closely related field" to software development, at least from the point of view of the people reading the visa application?

[Jedd]

Can I ask (at the risk of sounding churlish) why you're asking?

Is it because you want to know how to explain your new job to friends, how to couch your experience in your CV to future employers, whether you should be backing out immediately and returning to something (else) you feel comfortable with?

Does the idea of changing careers (an increasingly nebulous term) worry or deter you, or is it the specific career of 'Systems Administrator' that worries you?

Devops (another regrettably nebulous term, and one that's on the same shortlist of words to eschew as 'cloud'), as logn observes, makes the distinction less relevant. If you want to hedge your bets and keep an option open to return to full-time dev (though it sounds like it's been a while since you were in such a role), then push the 'devops' appellation, not just on the CV, but also by continuing your 50/50 split of admin and development work. I'd suspect it's easier to drift from devops, rather than sys-admin, into a developer-titled role.

Aside: I'm always bewildered by people who obviously have a deep understanding of the syntax of a handful of programming languages, but can't get their head around the English rule that possessive its has no apostrophe.

[mackraken]

Yup but not a bad move. You're an elusive DevOps now (It's hard to find them!). That's what I would use as a job title. It's a good market for that and you can always go back to being a Web Dev if you want. On our team, we tried to find a sys ops who was interested in doing dev ops to mentor us. None of the Sys ops guys we had made the transition - you're in a great position. (edited : expanded response)

[logn]

There's a line between sysadmin and developer and larger companies will abide by it. But "full stack developer" and "devops" blur that line.

I don't think you're changing careers. You can craft your resume to frame your experience either way you want. And Linux sysadmin work would be relevant to many dev jobs, especially if you're automating and scaling things.

[davidgerard]

"devops"

Dev and ops are completely different mindsets, but each has to understand the other.

You are positioning yourself for career advancement, as you expand the scope of what you know, and the rough map of what you know you don't know.