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So I get it, but also people are way overhyping software development in this thread (which is expected on a tech website). The only thing going for it is an ins

So I get it, but also people are way overhyping software development in this thread (which is expected on a tech website). The only thing going for it is an insane salary and lots of us don’t have those. I’ve worked in biotech/healthcare and have never had anything close to a FAANG salary even in a HCOL area. I burned out and am just now taking a month off to just exist. I have had the same thoughts about going blue-collar as the OP, but taking a month to figure out if it’s just general burn out or if I need a career change. I’ve been working since I was very young and have had all sorts of jobs: door-to-door sales, lifeguard, retail, waiting tables, property maintenance, cleaning homes from flood/fire damage, and on and on. I loved a lot of those jobs, though I didn’t do any for more than 2.5 years (or even just a summer). I don’t know if it was the pandemic or what, but never been so miserable at a job in my life and can’t imagine staring at a computer 40+ hours/week right now. I was literally staring into the Taco Bell drive-through window 6 weeks ago thinking I’d rather be working there and learn how to make a quesadilla in 1min than sit at a desk, which was the last straw for me. Plus with software it’s all about the skills. So if I drop out for awhile and decide to get back in a few years later, I should be fine after a couple months of self-study.

TheCoelacanth 5y ago
Software development has a lot more going for it than just high salaries. You have a enormous amount of bargaining power and ability to be picky about working conditions.
- lordnacho 5y ago
  Aren't those all the same thing?
- Apocryphon 5y ago
  People always say this to claim that software engineers don’t need to organize, but consider a very banal but ubiquitous example pre-pandemic: if open offices are so universally despised, why was it used everywhere in tech? And why was remote work so rare in the industry despite worker demand for it?
schwartzworld 5y ago
> The only thing going for it is an insane salary and lots of us don’t have those. This is a really naive statement. Software development is so easy and fun compared to most of the shit work out there. Everytime I see someone whining about burnout, I think about all the busboys and dishwashers I used to work with who probably also get burned out working long hard physical shifts for abusive bosses, in order to make in a week what many devs do in a couple of days.

TheCoelacanth 5y ago

Software development has a lot more going for it than just high salaries. You have a enormous amount of bargaining power and ability to be picky about working conditions.

lordnacho 5y ago
Aren't those all the same thing?
Apocryphon 5y ago
People always say this to claim that software engineers don’t need to organize, but consider a very banal but ubiquitous example pre-pandemic: if open offices are so universally despised, why was it used everywhere in tech? And why was remote work so rare in the industry despite worker demand for it?

schwartzworld 5y ago

> The only thing going for it is an insane salary and lots of us don’t have those. This is a really naive statement. Software development is so easy and fun compared to most of the shit work out there. Everytime I see someone whining about burnout, I think about all the busboys and dishwashers I used to work with who probably also get burned out working long hard physical shifts for abusive bosses, in order to make in a week what many devs do in a couple of days.