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I've been self-employed for over ten years, and part of me likes being fiercely independent/etc. Part of me feels hopelessly cut off from the modern programmin

I've been self-employed for over ten years, and part of me likes being fiercely independent/etc. Part of me feels hopelessly cut off from the modern programming world, having not coded properly on a team feels a bit sad/like I'm missing out on a really fun part of work/existence. Part of me feels like it's useful self-sabotage in that it means I'm putting myself in a situation where I have to continue being fiercely independent. But yeah, I'm reading the replies here with interest, and I wish you the best :) Thanks for asking an interesting question! I agree with the other posters that you shouldn't really term them side-projects if they were your main focus. Then they're just projects! :) Don't undersell yourself.

buildingmateri 5y ago
Understand the sentiment, I took a cyclical approach over a decade or so, a couple years self-employed, a couple years on a coding team, repeat. Although the last employment period gave an equity windfall, (and not to mention crypto investments) so only doing entrepreneurial stuff moving forward.
prawn 5y ago
I've worked for myself for 20+ years, but always in a shared office or co-working space which addresses any social side of a regular work environment. But, like you, modern/collaborative programming or project work has passed me by and I suspect I'm unemployable now. I think beyond the ability, there's also the interest/willingness in working for someone and it likely doesn't marry well with the fierce independence. I don't think I could do it now. Thankfully, I have no intention of getting employed, so it's a reasonable stalemate; I just carry on working on my various projects.
- tartoran 5y ago
  > modern/collaborative programming or project work has passed me by and I suspect I'm unemployable now. You’re not missing out on anything. If something you’d be unpleasantly surprised how convoluted team work and new pipelines have become. Being independent is a healthy path to keep away from toxicity. But I agree about the unemployabiloty nagging feeling, it’s psychologically unpleasant to feel that but should you ever reenter the corp pool you’d hate it with all your guts.

buildingmateri 5y ago

Understand the sentiment, I took a cyclical approach over a decade or so, a couple years self-employed, a couple years on a coding team, repeat. Although the last employment period gave an equity windfall, (and not to mention crypto investments) so only doing entrepreneurial stuff moving forward.

prawn 5y ago

I've worked for myself for 20+ years, but always in a shared office or co-working space which addresses any social side of a regular work environment. But, like you, modern/collaborative programming or project work has passed me by and I suspect I'm unemployable now. I think beyond the ability, there's also the interest/willingness in working for someone and it likely doesn't marry well with the fierce independence. I don't think I could do it now. Thankfully, I have no intention of getting employed, so it's a reasonable stalemate; I just carry on working on my various projects.

tartoran 5y ago
> modern/collaborative programming or project work has passed me by and I suspect I'm unemployable now. You’re not missing out on anything. If something you’d be unpleasantly surprised how convoluted team work and new pipelines have become. Being independent is a healthy path to keep away from toxicity. But I agree about the unemployabiloty nagging feeling, it’s psychologically unpleasant to feel that but should you ever reenter the corp pool you’d hate it with all your guts.