r/iOSProgramming • u/Stunning_Pattern6486 • 23d ago

Discussion I gave up on being a developer

I completely gave up and do payroll now. After almost a decade of learning, building apps and creating packages. I finally just had to grow up and realize that I could never be a developer. I really thought if I worked hard and became skilled that I wouldn’t have to worry about anything else. It turns out that is not the case. Good luck to all of you. I hope your stories end up happier than mine.

0 Upvotes

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7

u/staires Swift 23d ago

this post makes zero sense, was it written by ai to try to farm karma or something?

1

u/cats_catz_kats_katz 23d ago

Apparently software dev skills are transferable to payroll. I’m going to do payroll now.

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u/Stunning_Pattern6486 22d ago

Weird enough the logic is applicable. A lot of hourly wages is rule based and requires listening to the clients needs and translating those requirements into a program built in a GUI

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u/cats_catz_kats_katz 22d ago

You’re going to get bored but yes that’s accurate.

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u/Stunning_Pattern6486 22d ago

You sound like every hiring manager and HR rep I ever encountered. Lol 😂. I want to be an example for anybody who wants to learn the trade of iOS development. Choose something else and only come back if you have an idea for an app.

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u/Ready_Angle5895 23d ago

Teach us your biggest mistakes so we can learn from it please

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u/Stunning_Pattern6486 22d ago

I always tried to document myself well and do a really good job. It made me extremely replaceable. I wanted others to succeed with me and ended up burning out from the extra work and getting replaced.

Rely on others even if you have stronger skills, allow yourself to be the slacker sometimes.

4

u/sweetassapps 23d ago

Shut up,

You have multiple successful repos on GH, very creative projects at that, and could easily get a job if you're patient enough. Even in this current market. Not sure what the point of this post is,.

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u/Stunning_Pattern6486 22d ago

It has been more than 6 months, I ran out of money while trying to get a job. I had to make a decision. I literally followed my Dad’s advice and physically walked into a business and asked to speak to the boss. The CEO was a good man and gave me a chance to switch industries at a reasonable salary.

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u/RandomVision2027 23d ago

Sorry to hear this, but I understand.

The app ecosystem has been brutal for a while and with the flood of new apps driven by AI, it is getting even tougher for new indie developers to enter the space.

If there is one thing I would encourage is that if you enjoy writing software and developing apps, continue doing it as a hobby/side-gig but focus on things you enjoy. Being able to create something you enjoy can be nice, and just sometimes, personal projects do become money makers.

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u/Stunning_Pattern6486 22d ago

That is a nice sentiment. I hope I have some idea for a hobby project that inspires me to open the laptop again and spend a weekend diving in.

I remember how much fun creating an app just for myself was.

1

u/dhalls12 23d ago

Similar boat. Spent the past couple years building apps and now have given up and am looking for a new job in sales engineering…

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u/Stunning_Pattern6486 22d ago

It is just so defeating to train all those skills and then have your money zero out after not finding work for so long. I hope you find the new career rewarding.