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So, what could you advice for people who's about to enter the tech industry? I've been having extreme senioritis for more than two years and one of the reasons,

So, what could you advice for people who's about to enter the tech industry? I've been having extreme senioritis for more than two years and one of the reasons, I think, is fear of entering this industry. Don't get me wrong, I love tech and all, it's just that I don't think my personality fits the standard employers look for. I don't want to constantly learn new skills just to prove my worth. Yes, most jobs nowadays require regular updates on your knowledge but the frequency of that update in tech is just ridiculously high.

downriver 4y ago
There’s not one “tech industry”, there’s just a bunch of companies and people, all unique, all flawed in their own ways. So join a company, and if you don’t like it, quit and try a different one.
lostcolony 4y ago
Most jobs don't actually require, expect, or even provide opportunity for you to learn new skills all the time. And that actually can be part of the burnout problem. You'll have to learn a few when you start. That's okay. What you're feeling as senioritis is basically "I've been doing this same shit for the past 4+ years", and by this point, even in a 'new' class, it feels largely the same, and it's a bump on the road to the outcome you want, and no longer interesting. Remember how you felt as a freshman though? Coming in when you knew nothing/comparatively little, and having to actually learn something, everything ahead was just one big mess of possibilities? Well...that's what getting a job offer for the first time is. For about 4-6 months. After that, most of the time, the rose tinted glasses come off and you realize "oh. I know what I'm doing at this point. I've learned what I need to learn. And there's not really anything left except for me to come in, work toward a known outcome, and then go home". Companies don't adopt new technologies if they can avoid it. They don't care about you learning new things. They just want you producing, so they can capture the value you generate and pay you a part of it. What's left to learn is the business domain and the specific combination of decisions others made in the past that you now have to navigate. Which, if you have a rich enough life outside of work, the job isn't too demanding, and are paid enough to be comfortable, can be fine for some people. The feelings of security a predictable, well paid job provides can fund what they actually care about in life. For others, it feels like they're spinning their wheels on the activity they spend the majority of their time on and they want something else. How you, personally, respond, is going to be something you figure out as you go. And it can change. I was a lot more "I need fulfillment from my job" when I was younger; now I just need a good enough paycheck and enough freedom in hours and such (WFH is a must) to be able to do the stuff I actually care about and find value in. So my advice is don't worry too much about it. Mentally prepare for the process of applying all over the place and potentially not getting an offer for a while, but once you get something you'll almost assuredly be excited and eager to prove yourself, and you can start figuring out what is important to you.
afavour 4y ago
The frequency isn't actually that high in the tech industry at large, just in the trendy areas everyone blogs about (and discusses on Hacker News). There are a ton of people out there making a very happy, comfortable living maintaining Java/C# codebases. They learn about the new features in the latest language release and that's more or less it.
Dudeman112 4y ago
>don't want to constantly learn new skill For programming at least this is seriously overblown everywhere. Might be legit for regular IT stuff You don't really have to do it on your own time, and the new stuff you have to learn is most of the time same shit, different face. Good fundamentals make it all feel the same overall blob of knowledge with different expressions for the same stuff Won't stop the people doing the hiring from asking for experience with the different face for the same shit they are doing, of course.
gkop 4y ago
2022 is a great time to join a start up. Tech compensation has plateaued at a high level. The “recession” is good for innovation. And in recent years early and extended exercise have become the norm, so equity is less of a scam. And start ups are fun. https://zachholman.com/posts/the-basement/ https://zachholman.com/posts/the-basement/
- TheCoelacanth 4y ago
  In what sense has tech compensation plateaued? Maybe compared to a few months ago, but my sense is that there has been significant growth over the past year.
  - gkop 4y ago
    Over the last couple months, we’ve seen hiring freezes from several top payers, which has a knock on effect in reducing negotiation leverage with competing offers. Just my subjective SF-based opinion, it may well be growing still in aggregate or in particular segments!
bckr 4y ago
Just don't put too much of your heart and soul into your job. Don't believe in your employer's mission too much. Don't tie up your identity with your job too much. Don't work too many hours. In other words have boundaries. Have a life. Do stuff on the weekends and evenings. Hell, have a remote job? Do things in the middle of the day. Do just enough at work to get a raise and not screw over your coworkers and no more.

downriver 4y ago

There’s not one “tech industry”, there’s just a bunch of companies and people, all unique, all flawed in their own ways. So join a company, and if you don’t like it, quit and try a different one.

lostcolony 4y ago

Most jobs don't actually require, expect, or even provide opportunity for you to learn new skills all the time. And that actually can be part of the burnout problem. You'll have to learn a few when you start. That's okay. What you're feeling as senioritis is basically "I've been doing this same shit for the past 4+ years", and by this point, even in a 'new' class, it feels largely the same, and it's a bump on the road to the outcome you want, and no longer interesting. Remember how you felt as a freshman though? Coming in when you knew nothing/comparatively little, and having to actually learn something, everything ahead was just one big mess of possibilities? Well...that's what getting a job offer for the first time is. For about 4-6 months. After that, most of the time, the rose tinted glasses come off and you realize "oh. I know what I'm doing at this point. I've learned what I need to learn. And there's not really anything left except for me to come in, work toward a known outcome, and then go home". Companies don't adopt new technologies if they can avoid it. They don't care about you learning new things. They just want you producing, so they can capture the value you generate and pay you a part of it. What's left to learn is the business domain and the specific combination of decisions others made in the past that you now have to navigate. Which, if you have a rich enough life outside of work, the job isn't too demanding, and are paid enough to be comfortable, can be fine for some people. The feelings of security a predictable, well paid job provides can fund what they actually care about in life. For others, it feels like they're spinning their wheels on the activity they spend the majority of their time on and they want something else. How you, personally, respond, is going to be something you figure out as you go. And it can change. I was a lot more "I need fulfillment from my job" when I was younger; now I just need a good enough paycheck and enough freedom in hours and such (WFH is a must) to be able to do the stuff I actually care about and find value in. So my advice is don't worry too much about it. Mentally prepare for the process of applying all over the place and potentially not getting an offer for a while, but once you get something you'll almost assuredly be excited and eager to prove yourself, and you can start figuring out what is important to you.

afavour 4y ago

The frequency isn't actually that high in the tech industry at large, just in the trendy areas everyone blogs about (and discusses on Hacker News). There are a ton of people out there making a very happy, comfortable living maintaining Java/C# codebases. They learn about the new features in the latest language release and that's more or less it.

Dudeman112 4y ago

>don't want to constantly learn new skill For programming at least this is seriously overblown everywhere. Might be legit for regular IT stuff You don't really have to do it on your own time, and the new stuff you have to learn is most of the time same shit, different face. Good fundamentals make it all feel the same overall blob of knowledge with different expressions for the same stuff Won't stop the people doing the hiring from asking for experience with the different face for the same shit they are doing, of course.

gkop 4y ago

2022 is a great time to join a start up. Tech compensation has plateaued at a high level. The “recession” is good for innovation. And in recent years early and extended exercise have become the norm, so equity is less of a scam. And start ups are fun. https://zachholman.com/posts/the-basement/ https://zachholman.com/posts/the-basement/

TheCoelacanth 4y ago
In what sense has tech compensation plateaued? Maybe compared to a few months ago, but my sense is that there has been significant growth over the past year.
- gkop 4y ago
  Over the last couple months, we’ve seen hiring freezes from several top payers, which has a knock on effect in reducing negotiation leverage with competing offers. Just my subjective SF-based opinion, it may well be growing still in aggregate or in particular segments!

bckr 4y ago

Just don't put too much of your heart and soul into your job. Don't believe in your employer's mission too much. Don't tie up your identity with your job too much. Don't work too many hours. In other words have boundaries. Have a life. Do stuff on the weekends and evenings. Hell, have a remote job? Do things in the middle of the day. Do just enough at work to get a raise and not screw over your coworkers and no more.