3 ms·

I've been in the industry 20+ years and have had my share of ups and downs. Some advice for what it's worth. Focus on what you enjoy doing and avoid what stress

I've been in the industry 20+ years and have had my share of ups and downs. Some advice for what it's worth. Focus on what you enjoy doing and avoid what stresses you out. The industry is wide enough that you can likely find a job doing what you like in an environment you like. For me that meant being a little less ambitious in terms of income but working in a laid back environment with people I really enjoy and doing back end development. I will never do UI again and I only work on languages I find enjoyable - mainly Java & Python. I've been a coder, manager, director, CTO and one thing I have learned the hard way is "You are responsible for your own happiness". Yes this industry is full of fakes and scoundrels and clueless biz people but don't let them steal the joy you have in creating software

unforeseen9991 4y ago
20+ years as well and this is spot on. I've also been up and down the ladder including coding, management, director, etc. I eventually decided I liked the technical path much more, and that freedom was a very important value for me, so I took the jump to be independent 10+ years ago. I originally started with multiple contracts doing various support and project work, these days i'm almost exclusively project work that i'm interested in. This puts me back in full control of my time, and I can (and do) take periods of time off. You may have to slog it out at the beginning of your career, depending on your luck, but you'll develop "career capital" and can leverage it to do what you enjoy the most.
- qorrect 4y ago
  How do I get started doing being an independent ? Recently I have tried using Upwork, but am constantly being underbid in a race to the bottom.
  - solarmist 4y ago
    You have to do the opposite and increase your prices. Everything you do needs to be about value, not price. The market is bimodal and the first mode is a race to the bottom, so you need to find the companies that care about results more than price.
tmountain 4y ago
Same level of experience here (lots of gigs up and down the ladder). This is excellent advice.

unforeseen9991 4y ago

20+ years as well and this is spot on. I've also been up and down the ladder including coding, management, director, etc. I eventually decided I liked the technical path much more, and that freedom was a very important value for me, so I took the jump to be independent 10+ years ago. I originally started with multiple contracts doing various support and project work, these days i'm almost exclusively project work that i'm interested in. This puts me back in full control of my time, and I can (and do) take periods of time off. You may have to slog it out at the beginning of your career, depending on your luck, but you'll develop "career capital" and can leverage it to do what you enjoy the most.

qorrect 4y ago
How do I get started doing being an independent ? Recently I have tried using Upwork, but am constantly being underbid in a race to the bottom.
- solarmist 4y ago
  You have to do the opposite and increase your prices. Everything you do needs to be about value, not price. The market is bimodal and the first mode is a race to the bottom, so you need to find the companies that care about results more than price.

tmountain 4y ago

Same level of experience here (lots of gigs up and down the ladder). This is excellent advice.