I finally reached that point in life where a job doesn't cut it, even it it feels like it pays well. I'm starting to think about the future and how can i increase the value of my services.
Coming from a theoretical schooling system based on informatics, programming came quite easily to me as well as maths. Attended a university, but i didn't finish it, i just went on to get a job with the bare minimum. In hindsight i don't regret it at all, it would have been a time waster and an useless brain fryer, not to mention the ropes of the educational would have led me into a mold, and i higly value independence.
I worked for about 3 years at a stratup with shit pay, but i was such a chump it didn't really occur to me to just go look for something else, i'd just do the bare minimum to get by, until eventually i got fed up with the rat life, stepped my game up hoping that would get me somewhere with that company. LOL
Shortly after getting perspective about that i went on to finally become a remote developer for 17 euros/hour. That was about x4 times the money i was making before so i felt a proper 6 month celebration was in order. It didn't take long to realize that project was basically way worse than my first job in terms of experience (i was a human CMS for simple marketing campaings for television and internet), which made my regard towards my job to plummet. Also made the big mistake of trying to be the fun guy, since i was riding that newfound fortune wave. Never again. I eventually got laid off, but it seems i was also likable enough and not a complete fail, so the contractors said they wanted to keep me but i was only down for that sweet remote life. Haven't heard from them with such offers so i started looking.
As i started looking i was thinking to myself that i don't want an brainless easy job again even if it pays well, and the ideal scenario is a job that makes use of my full skillset. Namely, my plan is to become a designer, and be done with coding in the future.
I read through what i could get my hands on around here about finance and given my situation i'd say i have about 10, maybe 15 more years at best in the field (nobody wants old people especially in tech, i wouldn't want to keep being in tech either, if possible).
I currently live in Romania, Cluj. I'm also the artsy pantsy kind of fellow, so my knowledge of the material might have huge holes in it so please bear with me.
That being said, i hope i haven't rambled too much. I'll update the post with any missing info along the way as i receive feedback, cheers!
TLDR: 27 yo Front-End developer in Romania looking to maximize my earnings. Current plan is to get into React, then Probably full stack. But i'd rather go the design way if that's an option.
BusterVadge 5y ago
I'm an old guy, still in tech. I'm 45 but transitioned to sales on my own. I was a back end engineer and still could be if I wanted to, but I got sick of staring at a screen endlessly.
If you're really motivated, stay sharp, and stay current on emerging technologies you can work as an engineer for as long as you like. The old ones that nobody wants are the ones who get lazy and stop seeking knowledge.
TheCoolKid_no1 5y ago
That's pretty much the thing. Unless you really like coding it's gonna burn you out, and i can already tell i'm not a fan, i'm just good at it. The thing i actually care about is music
BrodinsOats 5y ago
Interesting, how does sales compare? Pay/stress/hours etc.?
I’m 10 years in and engineering has lost a lot of its luster.
BusterVadge 5y ago
Pay is based on performance... I end up making about 30% more than I did as an engineer. If I were bad at it I'd make quite a bit less.
Stress is almost non-existent except for dealing with the occasional asshole but once you've seen one you've seen them all. Just have to have thick skin and roll with it.
I travel a lot within the state I work in which I love, but some nights I don't get home until late. I'm OK with it though because I love what I do now. I've always been a very social person and I didn't belong at a desk behind a screen. I was OK with that, just not happy like I am now.
Startlivingfornow 5y ago
I’m not reading all that shit. What’s the TLDR
TheCoolKid_no1 5y ago
Added it.
Startlivingfornow 5y ago
Here’s the Redpill on jobs.
Sales + your own business + passive income
That’s how you can maximise earning potential.
At 27 you still have time to switch into sales and grind. The reason it’s so lucrative is that it’s a time for money trade. Harder you work more you earn.
As an engineer, no matter how hard you work your salary stays the same. It’s the kind of job a tired old man needs.
However, if making money isn’t your priority and you don’t need a lot of it to feel happy, then do whatever you want. Imo job choice is irrelevant if you aren’t getting commission
Sad_Sleeper 5y ago
You are wrong about the old people in the industry. My boss has 20 years of experience as a Dev and QA lead, she is 45.
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You can go for full-stack developer, then you can go for Architect if you want.
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Get certifications and always try to develop yourself. 80% of the people in the industry are working 9-5 and doing nothing outside of work to improve their skills. That's why they are mediocre.
TheCoolKid_no1 5y ago
I know about that and I'm already on it. How should i go about earning maximum pay in relation to my skills? It feels like not everyone will pay the same amount for the same set of skills and i don't want to hang around the bottom or even middle.
Braincancer1992 5y ago
What the fuck was the point of this post i can tell you are beta as fuck. You're nothing special i can pay some kid in india $1 an hour to write me some code.
noPTSDformePlease 5y ago
yeah and then when the code from india doesn't work you have to pay me 75$/hour to fix it.
NotAJoKe1002 5y ago
????????
dumstick 5y ago
I swear half my clients are exactly like this.