4 ms·

Would you share info about how you transitioned out of coding? I'm looking to do the same.

by 20171026 9y ago

jacquesm 9y ago
It was mostly co-incidence and some luck. After a few thousand sweaters the next one is probably similar to one that you already made so I got bored and ended up burning out. That left me without desire to work on anything computer related, I bought a farm in Canada, moved there and ended up working on a windmill. The websites I was running still contributed some income so I wasn't particularly worried about running dry. Making the windmill required some tools, one of which was a computer controlled plasma cutter that I could not afford ready made and so I ended up cobbling it together. There was a little bit of software involved in that but nothing that occupied me for more than a few days. The windmill design process involved rather more software but still it was peripheral to the rest of the work. Then, in 2007 after returning back to NL I invested in a bunch of start-ups and at one of those a co-investor asked me if I wanted to do technical due diligence for a colleague, which turned out to be Endeit Capital, a well respected Dutch VC. One thing leading to another we are now working together for a decade+ and they've sent me lots of other customers as well so I'm nearly full time busy with this. In the intermediate I also ran ww.com/camarades.com until enough money came in through the DD's that I no longer needed that income, I sold of all the assets in 2015.
- dkersten 9y ago
  > so I got bored and ended up burning out. That left me without desire to work on anything computer related, I've been finding myself like this lately :( Sadly, I can't afford to buy a farm but working on a windmill sounds awesome! I've lately spent a lot of my time learning sleight of hand and magic illusions, but I don't expect I'll ever make any real money out of it, I'm just not a natural showman. I'll stick to software since its the only real marketable skill I have, but it is rather frustrating. I do love Clojure, though, but there's not much Clojure work where I am. Thanks for sharing your story, its inspiring.
  - jacquesm 9y ago
    Some things that might help you: I've noticed that the real money is usually to be made on the intersection of disciplines rather than by going deep into a single discipline. So maybe it would be an option for you to branch out into a different field that intersects regularly with software, possibilities such as hardware or legal are most obvious. That will give you something new to sink your teeth in while at the same time allowing you to re-use your old skills and knowledge to good effect.
    - dkersten 9y ago
      Thanks for that, I really appreciate it!
      - jacquesm 9y ago
        You're welcome, I really hope it works out for you. If I can help with introductions or in any other way feel free to mail me.
- 20171026 9y ago
  Any suggestions for someone who's a competent developer, and an excellent communicator with a knack for explaining things to a non-technical audience?
  - jacquesm 9y ago
    Technical writers worth their salt are few and far between. Another option your comment suggests would be something in popular science or media.
    - justaguyhere 9y ago
      Technical writers worth their salt are few and far between. Could you please expand on this one? Do you mean people who write help guides for OS/APIs, or do people who write industry reports or is it something different? Also, do you have any examples of such people/jobs? This is something that is very interesting to me but I have no idea where to start.
      - jacquesm 9y ago
        Just to give a few examples: We produce about one report per week, < 20 pages for venture capital groups about to invest into some company. That's a pretty tricky combination of elements, you are writing for a non-technical audience about technical findings. The companies we work for tend to have people on the business side that have certain ideas about requirements which then need to be translated into technical specifications, typically so that some outsourcing company can make soup of it. In both cases mistakes can be quite costly. There is this thread right now about 'what HN has given you', and if there is one thing HN has given me it is that it has made me a better writer (that, and blogging), which turned out to be a super useful skill.
        justaguyhere 9y ago
        Thank You. How does one get into these kind of writing jobs, for someone with a programming background?
- agumonkey 9y ago
  Damn, this is so close to my state of mind right now. Either a farm or a cafeteria morning service and the rest of the day leaning in grass or painting.

Would you share info about how you transitioned out of coding? I'm looking to do the same.

It was mostly co-incidence and some luck. After a few thousand sweaters the next one is probably similar to one that you already made so I got bored and ended up burning out. That left me without desire to work on anything computer related, I bought a farm in Canada, moved there and ended up working on a windmill. The websites I was running still contributed some income so I wasn't particularly worried about running dry. Making the windmill required some tools, one of which was a computer controlled plasma cutter that I could not afford ready made and so I ended up cobbling it together. There was a little bit of software involved in that but nothing that occupied me for more than a few days. The windmill design process involved rather more software but still it was peripheral to the rest of the work. Then, in 2007 after returning back to NL I invested in a bunch of start-ups and at one of those a co-investor asked me if I wanted to do technical due diligence for a colleague, which turned out to be Endeit Capital, a well respected Dutch VC. One thing leading to another we are now working together for a decade+ and they've sent me lots of other customers as well so I'm nearly full time busy with this. In the intermediate I also ran ww.com/camarades.com until enough money came in through the DD's that I no longer needed that income, I sold of all the assets in 2015.

dkersten 9y ago
> so I got bored and ended up burning out. That left me without desire to work on anything computer related, I've been finding myself like this lately :( Sadly, I can't afford to buy a farm but working on a windmill sounds awesome! I've lately spent a lot of my time learning sleight of hand and magic illusions, but I don't expect I'll ever make any real money out of it, I'm just not a natural showman. I'll stick to software since its the only real marketable skill I have, but it is rather frustrating. I do love Clojure, though, but there's not much Clojure work where I am. Thanks for sharing your story, its inspiring.
- jacquesm 9y ago
  Some things that might help you: I've noticed that the real money is usually to be made on the intersection of disciplines rather than by going deep into a single discipline. So maybe it would be an option for you to branch out into a different field that intersects regularly with software, possibilities such as hardware or legal are most obvious. That will give you something new to sink your teeth in while at the same time allowing you to re-use your old skills and knowledge to good effect.
  - dkersten 9y ago
    Thanks for that, I really appreciate it!
    - jacquesm 9y ago
      You're welcome, I really hope it works out for you. If I can help with introductions or in any other way feel free to mail me.
20171026 9y ago
Any suggestions for someone who's a competent developer, and an excellent communicator with a knack for explaining things to a non-technical audience?
- jacquesm 9y ago
  Technical writers worth their salt are few and far between. Another option your comment suggests would be something in popular science or media.
  - justaguyhere 9y ago
    Technical writers worth their salt are few and far between. Could you please expand on this one? Do you mean people who write help guides for OS/APIs, or do people who write industry reports or is it something different? Also, do you have any examples of such people/jobs? This is something that is very interesting to me but I have no idea where to start.
    - jacquesm 9y ago
      Just to give a few examples: We produce about one report per week, < 20 pages for venture capital groups about to invest into some company. That's a pretty tricky combination of elements, you are writing for a non-technical audience about technical findings. The companies we work for tend to have people on the business side that have certain ideas about requirements which then need to be translated into technical specifications, typically so that some outsourcing company can make soup of it. In both cases mistakes can be quite costly. There is this thread right now about 'what HN has given you', and if there is one thing HN has given me it is that it has made me a better writer (that, and blogging), which turned out to be a super useful skill.
      - justaguyhere 9y ago
        Thank You. How does one get into these kind of writing jobs, for someone with a programming background?
agumonkey 9y ago
Damn, this is so close to my state of mind right now. Either a farm or a cafeteria morning service and the rest of the day leaning in grass or painting.