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This is in large part what drove me out of programming to become a patent attorney. I started out as a moderately competent enterprise java backend developer w

This is in large part what drove me out of programming to become a patent attorney. I started out as a moderately competent enterprise java backend developer who really knew his way around the major app servers. Then things changed around me quickly, and one day I woke up and realized that I had hardly any idea what was going on any more. Cloud ops, docker, kubernetes, etc. It was exhausting trying to keep up and it made me lose interest in getting better. I always knew I wasn't going to be a programmer forever, but modern devops stuff accelerated the transition out.

davnicwil 4y ago
> Patent attorney Interesting career move! Are you using your software skills in any way (ie does it involve software patents?) or was it just a hard gear shift because of other interests/factors?
slyall 4y ago
Bit ironic that somebody who has problems keeping up with the fast changing world became a patent attorney..
- ungamedplayer 4y ago
  I think that almost any sane, logical human should be having problems keeping up with the fast changing world. There is simply too much shit, too much stupid and not enough time to understand things without sacrificing family, relationships, or health. World is messed up, and it's not worth understanding it anymore, I don't think the payout is worth the cost.
- tomcam 4y ago
  Makes a lot of sense. People who know both programming and law are vanishingly few, and law moves much slower than tech.
jll29 4y ago
Good patent attorneys share with good software architects the ability to distil a design to its essence, and with good scientists the ability to detect the crucial novelty.
iepathos 4y ago
It's just a matter of a specialization. You were a backend app engineer who wasn't specialized in containers and cloud deployments. You shouldn't be expected to know everything in the software engineering landscape. The same way you're a patent attorney now and aren't expected to practice criminal law.
- Viliam1234 4y ago
  > You shouldn't be expected to know everything in the software engineering landscape. I like the idea, but people keep talking about "full-stack developers" and "DevOps" (or "DevSecOps"). Also, many people seem to interpret Agile as "people are completely interchangeable", which means that you need to know all technologies used in the project, because any ticket can be assigned to you.

davnicwil 4y ago

> Patent attorney Interesting career move! Are you using your software skills in any way (ie does it involve software patents?) or was it just a hard gear shift because of other interests/factors?

slyall 4y ago

Bit ironic that somebody who has problems keeping up with the fast changing world became a patent attorney..

ungamedplayer 4y ago
I think that almost any sane, logical human should be having problems keeping up with the fast changing world. There is simply too much shit, too much stupid and not enough time to understand things without sacrificing family, relationships, or health. World is messed up, and it's not worth understanding it anymore, I don't think the payout is worth the cost.
tomcam 4y ago
Makes a lot of sense. People who know both programming and law are vanishingly few, and law moves much slower than tech.

jll29 4y ago

Good patent attorneys share with good software architects the ability to distil a design to its essence, and with good scientists the ability to detect the crucial novelty.

iepathos 4y ago

It's just a matter of a specialization. You were a backend app engineer who wasn't specialized in containers and cloud deployments. You shouldn't be expected to know everything in the software engineering landscape. The same way you're a patent attorney now and aren't expected to practice criminal law.

Viliam1234 4y ago
> You shouldn't be expected to know everything in the software engineering landscape. I like the idea, but people keep talking about "full-stack developers" and "DevOps" (or "DevSecOps"). Also, many people seem to interpret Agile as "people are completely interchangeable", which means that you need to know all technologies used in the project, because any ticket can be assigned to you.