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Nope, not time to quit if you still need to earn a living. You've invested 13+ years into a career and if you aren't financially independent and don't have a b

by matt_s 6y ago

Nope, not time to quit if you still need to earn a living. You've invested 13+ years into a career and if you aren't financially independent and don't have a backup job then you do still need to pay bills, right? For an interesting perspective on another career - there is a YT channel called the handyman. He talks a lot about how he isn't choosing the light fixture to install and has opinions on it but is just getting paid, decently, to install it. Maybe contracting is more for you at this time. Get paid to come in and code stuff, solve problems and go home. Move onto the next job. Maybe you'll discover some idea along the way that could be kindle into your own project.

jamestimmins 6y ago
Contracting is a beast of its own and certainly has downsides, especially if you need to make rent next month. If you have a stable job and want to go the contracting route, I suggest doing it on the side to learn the basics of marketing yourself and determining if you like aspects of the client relationships. "How do I contract successfully" is a solved problem, but a lot of folks (myself included!) don't start learning the skill until they don't have a job. That limits options and increases the stress. Some basic strategizing can pay off in a big way, both financially and in terms of minimizing your personal stress, if you choose that route.
sdevonoes 6y ago
Contracting could be even worse. Usually, contractors are hired to deal with stuff nobody else (normal employees) wants to deal with.
- watermelon59 6y ago
  I've never done it so I could be wrong, but what appeals to me (at least in theory) about contracting is that there's no emotional investment involved. When you're an FTE there's an expectation that you're invested in the stuff you build and that you care about it and think about it and how to make it better. I find that exhausting, because most jobs will have you working on things you don't particularly care about because you're not a user of the product, or there's no societal impact stemming from the work you do. So I job where I could put in 8h a day doing whatever tasks are handed to me, and nothing else, sounds perfect.

by matt_s 6y ago

jamestimmins 6y ago

Contracting is a beast of its own and certainly has downsides, especially if you need to make rent next month. If you have a stable job and want to go the contracting route, I suggest doing it on the side to learn the basics of marketing yourself and determining if you like aspects of the client relationships. "How do I contract successfully" is a solved problem, but a lot of folks (myself included!) don't start learning the skill until they don't have a job. That limits options and increases the stress. Some basic strategizing can pay off in a big way, both financially and in terms of minimizing your personal stress, if you choose that route.

sdevonoes 6y ago

Contracting could be even worse. Usually, contractors are hired to deal with stuff nobody else (normal employees) wants to deal with.

watermelon59 6y ago
I've never done it so I could be wrong, but what appeals to me (at least in theory) about contracting is that there's no emotional investment involved. When you're an FTE there's an expectation that you're invested in the stuff you build and that you care about it and think about it and how to make it better. I find that exhausting, because most jobs will have you working on things you don't particularly care about because you're not a user of the product, or there's no societal impact stemming from the work you do. So I job where I could put in 8h a day doing whatever tasks are handed to me, and nothing else, sounds perfect.