7 ms·

Hey! 35yo dev here. If you could go back and give your 35yo self some advice, what would it be? (Feel free to make it specific to yourself; I’m just curious.)

Hey! 35yo dev here. If you could go back and give your 35yo self some advice, what would it be? (Feel free to make it specific to yourself; I’m just curious.) You’re a bit of my hero since I aim to be a dev till at least 60. I barely survive Leetcode interviews now — in fact I can’t think of a single one I’ve passed. Having to interview at 60 plus sounds awful, mostly for the reasons you describe.

jacquesm 3y ago
My advice would be (if you're in it to make a living) to get out and move into finance.
- hashtag-til 3y ago
  I've been thinking if I should mode from my soulless job in ML to a soulless job in finance.
  - philipov 3y ago
    The "good" news is, pretty soon, they'll be the same thing!
  - sillysaurusx 3y ago
    Just wanted to chime in and say that your “soulless job in ML” comment is relatable, and your experience isn’t unique. I had one too. I saved up a lot of money from it, but by the end it nearly cost me my remaining passion. A soulless job in finance is better if you like(d) ML at all, because then you can keep your interests separate from your job.
    - jacquesm 3y ago
      > because then you can keep your interests separate from your job Interesting! I never made that connection but now that you mention it it is obvious. Thanks.
    - kybernetikos 3y ago
      > A soulless job in finance is better if you like(d) ML at all, because then you can keep your interests separate from your job. I did read somewhere that for someone trying to write a book in their spare time, a job in editing is the worst possible thing to have for a similar reason.
- radicalbyte 3y ago
  How though? At least here (NL) the rewards aren't great until you get very senior, which is hard to do with a background in Software Engineering?
  - jacquesm 3y ago
    Hm, I'm in NL as well and made the switch 15 years ago, compared to what I made writing software I regret not doing it much earlier. Note that 'finance' is a pretty wide area, I would suggest to see if you can work your way into some VC fund at the associate level with that background.
    - radicalbyte 3y ago
      Thanks. That's certainly worth looking into; I switched to freelancing a decade ago and am now at the ceiling as an Engineering Lead and despite still being very effective as a hands-on engineer (coding for 30 years does that) am far more effective in a more strategic role. I have friends who work in the M&A world (doing due diligence, C-level advise etc) both here in NL (you'll probably know them) and in the US/CA (in identity/credentials), guess I should have a chat with them :-) But first I'm going to spend a few months doing something good - seeing if we can actually fix interoperability in healthcare in the EU. Lots of interesting things happening in that space ;-)
- jxidjhdhdhdhfhf 3y ago
  I don't get it. Do you think developers will experience some AI related job losses and finance people will not?
  - hashtag-til 3y ago
    Well, for years now people have ben talking about a new AI bubble, that might burst at some point. I've been in this area for a couple decades now and have seen technologies come and go, so I see my AI-related job now as just another generation of tools and making pretty sure that I keep my knowledge still valid in other non-AI related area in the tech space, so that I'm not a data-science/AI-framework-plumbing kind of person. I keep an interest in standard C++ desktop development, which to me seem a safe harbour even time there is a collapse in some trendy technology.
- bovermyer 3y ago
  I don't think I hate anyone enough to advise them to get into finance as a profession.
ChrisMarshallNY 3y ago
I've always been a big fan of open-mindedness, humility, self-discipline, completionism, personal integrity, and constant learning. If you keep those going, you'll do well in almost everything. I'm loath to give more specific advice, because the whole industry is experiencing a bit of a "sea change," right now, and I'm not sure that past performance is a good indicator of future results.
musiciangames 3y ago
My advice would be to find a niche where your business knowledge is your value, not your coding. Bonus if the niche is finance, because $$. Become a consultant not an employee. In this world, leet code is a liability. Always code assuming the next person to maintain it is a junior, or a psychopath who knows where you live.

jacquesm 3y ago

My advice would be (if you're in it to make a living) to get out and move into finance.

hashtag-til 3y ago
I've been thinking if I should mode from my soulless job in ML to a soulless job in finance.
- philipov 3y ago
  The "good" news is, pretty soon, they'll be the same thing!
- sillysaurusx 3y ago
  Just wanted to chime in and say that your “soulless job in ML” comment is relatable, and your experience isn’t unique. I had one too. I saved up a lot of money from it, but by the end it nearly cost me my remaining passion. A soulless job in finance is better if you like(d) ML at all, because then you can keep your interests separate from your job.
  - jacquesm 3y ago
    > because then you can keep your interests separate from your job Interesting! I never made that connection but now that you mention it it is obvious. Thanks.
  - kybernetikos 3y ago
    > A soulless job in finance is better if you like(d) ML at all, because then you can keep your interests separate from your job. I did read somewhere that for someone trying to write a book in their spare time, a job in editing is the worst possible thing to have for a similar reason.
radicalbyte 3y ago
How though? At least here (NL) the rewards aren't great until you get very senior, which is hard to do with a background in Software Engineering?
- jacquesm 3y ago
  Hm, I'm in NL as well and made the switch 15 years ago, compared to what I made writing software I regret not doing it much earlier. Note that 'finance' is a pretty wide area, I would suggest to see if you can work your way into some VC fund at the associate level with that background.
  - radicalbyte 3y ago
    Thanks. That's certainly worth looking into; I switched to freelancing a decade ago and am now at the ceiling as an Engineering Lead and despite still being very effective as a hands-on engineer (coding for 30 years does that) am far more effective in a more strategic role. I have friends who work in the M&A world (doing due diligence, C-level advise etc) both here in NL (you'll probably know them) and in the US/CA (in identity/credentials), guess I should have a chat with them :-) But first I'm going to spend a few months doing something good - seeing if we can actually fix interoperability in healthcare in the EU. Lots of interesting things happening in that space ;-)
jxidjhdhdhdhfhf 3y ago
I don't get it. Do you think developers will experience some AI related job losses and finance people will not?
- hashtag-til 3y ago
  Well, for years now people have ben talking about a new AI bubble, that might burst at some point. I've been in this area for a couple decades now and have seen technologies come and go, so I see my AI-related job now as just another generation of tools and making pretty sure that I keep my knowledge still valid in other non-AI related area in the tech space, so that I'm not a data-science/AI-framework-plumbing kind of person. I keep an interest in standard C++ desktop development, which to me seem a safe harbour even time there is a collapse in some trendy technology.
bovermyer 3y ago
I don't think I hate anyone enough to advise them to get into finance as a profession.

ChrisMarshallNY 3y ago

I've always been a big fan of open-mindedness, humility, self-discipline, completionism, personal integrity, and constant learning. If you keep those going, you'll do well in almost everything. I'm loath to give more specific advice, because the whole industry is experiencing a bit of a "sea change," right now, and I'm not sure that past performance is a good indicator of future results.

musiciangames 3y ago

My advice would be to find a niche where your business knowledge is your value, not your coding. Bonus if the niche is finance, because $$. Become a consultant not an employee. In this world, leet code is a liability. Always code assuming the next person to maintain it is a junior, or a psychopath who knows where you live.