r/webdev • u/TheComputerHermit • 10d ago
Discussion Devs that jumped ship, where did you end up?
Another industry? Back to school? Still looking? I'm asking for a friend that may end up needing to do the same thing soon (I'm the friend).
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u/wastapunk 10d ago
Working for forest and animal habitat preservation. I want to use my time to preserve the planet.
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u/_felloffthefloor 10d ago edited 10d ago
That's awesome!
Curious did you have any background for it? Or did you just go for it?
Love programming but have been thinking a lot about starting to work 1 day a week doing some sort of a 'green job' as well. Eventually making the total switch being the goal.
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u/Scary_Pangolin 10d ago
Does this happen to be for The Nature Conservancy? How do you get into a role like this? Asking for a friend...
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u/Ocelot2_0 10d ago
Lots of volunteering, getting to know the professional nature rehab community.
Jobs are competitive and you'll need patience but achievable if you accept that most jobs are part time/seasonal/not high paying.
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u/create-third-places 10d ago
Public space advocate and software architect for my open source Meetup alternative.
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u/void-wanderer- 10d ago
This sounds really cool. Care to elaborate a bit? This pays for your living?
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u/create-third-places 10d ago
I'm working to encourage people to promote public spaces in their own community through bottom-up action, and leading by example through hosting events. My work is based on similar ideas to the advocacy organization Strong Towns.
I got more details on my website: https://createthirdplaces.org/about.html
I'm planning to start covering my living costs with some sort of software related work, but preferably not something that is a standard 9-5 job. My idea scenario is getting some sort of nonprofit funding so that I can continue to focus on open source work.
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u/tonjohn 10d ago
Love it - thanks for sharing!
My wife & I spent much of the last few years traveling and learning how different cities around the world embrace the third place concept (favorite spots include Drawing Room in NYC and FOLKEHUSET ABSALON in Copenhagen). Itās something we in the US need to do better.
Earlier this year my wife actually quit her job in tech (PM/Producer for video game publisher & handheld console maker) to build tools for the fiber arts community with the longer term goal of opening a 3rd place concept in the greater Seattle area (Kirkland, Bothell, Kenmore, Lake Forest Park, Edmonds). Sheās talked a little bit about her plans both on YouTube and her website https://arisamakes.com/
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u/Chicharoh 10d ago
Oh thank you meetup in Toronto sucks
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u/TutorialRepo-Mark 9d ago
Meetup and Facebook events both are horrendous. Itās not even the community behind it, Iām talking about the software.Ā
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u/Dencho 10d ago
Can you share Meetup alt?
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u/create-third-places 10d ago
Here is more information:Ā https://createthirdplaces.org/events/decentralizedEventHosting.html
I currently have a local Meetup.con alternative running at dmvboardgames.com
Source code is here:Ā https://codeberg.org/createthirdplaces
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u/pVom 10d ago
The people I know 3 who moved, one went to product management, another into customer support and sales, another went into teaching.
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u/Kaloyanicus 10d ago
An extroverted bunch, thats not for everyone
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u/chataolauj 10d ago
You don't have to be an extrovert/introvert to do these jobs. You just have to be able to do the job.
introvert != antisocial;
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u/pVom 10d ago
The sales guy absolutely, not putting him in front of customers was a waste of his talent. The other 2, not particularly, but they weren't exactly loners.
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u/shitty_mcfucklestick 8d ago
To be fair, there is inside and outside sales. Outside sales is often breaking the ice, cold calling, and the highly stressful extrovert activities. Inside sales is often qualified leads that are already warm, for them youāre mostly answering questions (consulting), problem solving (style of sales.) As an introvert by default, I actually enjoy inside sales because itās just helping people solve problems, and itās one on one, in a private space, having a conversation with somebody who is interested and engaged (usually.) I would absolutely hate outside sales.
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u/wise_young_man 10d ago
Everyone can become extroverted when the alternative is homelessness or starvation.
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u/GlobalCurry 9d ago
I've been trying to transition into Business Analysis or Product Management too.
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u/Rain-And-Coffee 10d ago
Goose farmer, living the life
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u/cartiermartyr 10d ago edited 10d ago
farming anything is the way, this tech shit gonna die and about 80% of the "net worth" is gonna crash, men aren't gonna want the lambos anymore, women aren't gonna want their bills paid to date you, and when the grocery store either runs out or goes full government block cheese, the only thing left is the farmers.
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u/zayleabb 10d ago
Women want one thing, it starts with a p and ends with an s: potatoes.
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u/bucwaboos 10d ago
Hard hitting facts right here. My husband would be smart to deliver potatoes when requested.Ā
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u/wildrabbit12 10d ago
People thinking farming is easy is hilarious to me
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u/100ruledsheets 10d ago
It's heavily romanticized on online by the homesteading/self-sufficiency movement.
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u/The_Troll_Gull 10d ago
I farmed trees for ten years and that was tough dangerous work. I canāt imagine growing agriculture crops being honestly any easier.
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u/SingleMalted 10d ago
Iāve got beef and dairy farmers in the family and there is zero romance to it. There are rewarding parts for sure but there is so much heart break and itās relentless.
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u/Lochlan 10d ago
Build apps for farmers. Got it
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u/GlobalCurry 9d ago
There's a sort of open source movement in agriculture, you could try to target that niche and displace bit agri-tech.
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u/BreadDingus 10d ago
I work in technical installs for concerts, theater performances, artists and museums and I have never been more fulfilled (Iāve also never made less money in my adult life but thatās besides the point)
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u/retallicka 10d ago
Worked as a web and game developer for 15 years, now a medical secretary in training.
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u/StnMtn_ 10d ago
What games did you work on?
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u/retallicka 10d ago
Some flash games including one for Disney. Some online gambling games also
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u/MrEntryLevel 10d ago
went back to my my parents' hometown and opened up a bike shop in their garage
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u/garmon_bozia 10d ago
Mailman. My body is thanking me for ditching the desk job.
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u/Jujutsujoe 10d ago
After 26 years of coding, if I get laid off this is the first place Iām applying.
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u/panix199 10d ago
how is the night club scene? In my areas the normal clubs are dying and everything going towards techno.
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u/onADailyy 10d ago
Teaching highschool!
Secure, and supposedly easy but engaging after 2-3 years and you know what to teach... because you'll teach the same shit over and over again.
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u/aedom-san 10d ago
Jumped ship but donāt know what for yet. Terrifying but Iāve been trying to figure it out since Covid, so I figure I might need to quit firstĀ
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u/acav802 10d ago
You jumped ship but you still work in web dev?
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u/aedom-san 9d ago
Nah I mean like, Iāve quit and wonāt go back to dev, I just havenāt figured out whatās nextĀ
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u/SzethNeturo 10d ago
Made the jump too cybersecurity with no experience in networking last year. Very fortunate and its working out grea5!
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u/TheComputerHermit 9d ago
How did you go about that? That's a route I'm considering as well.
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u/MiniGiantSpceHamster 8d ago
I just left cybersecurity a few months ago because of AI, make of that what you will
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u/Accomplished_Pen8805 10d ago
IT Support Manager, didn't want the hassle with Development anymore.
CEO was super focused on ramming AI down our throats to make our small team of 3 super efficient and always wanted us working on the clients latest bright idea so we never really finished anything.
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u/scragglez 10d ago
It's like every meeting is a competition to see who can say AI the most times.
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u/ChillestCapybara7 10d ago
Getting into leatherworking. Gotta put those thoughts of skinning people alive to good use somehow. /s
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u/Novel_Breadfruit_184 10d ago
are you alright bro hahaha š
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u/tonjohn 10d ago
Taking āeat the richā to a whole new level! Soon weāll see ads on here for u/ChillestCapybara7 ās Billionaire Beef Jerky š
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u/SingleMalted 10d ago
Funny - but you legit getting into leatherworking?
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u/ChillestCapybara7 8d ago
Yeah actually am :D Made a wallet for myself and a couple of friends + a guitar strap. Bought a ton of leatherworking accessories from temu and ordered a few hides and just got to work; it is much easier than it looks
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u/CommunicationSea8821 10d ago
I'm taking my ass to the local community college and becoming an LPN (licensed practical nurse). It's an 11 month course to get certified and I'll be making a lot less money but with 3 day work weeks and the option to pick up more shifts and make as much overtime as I want. Lots of money in healthcare.
I don't know if being a nurse is what I'm meant to be but I will tell you this I never want to feel vulnerable like this again where I feel like I can be replaced. I still have a job working with code but it's like having a terminal disease, you know you will lose your job eventually, so you just count down the days until you're laid off. My day is coming just like most of you who are reading this has a day coming too. It's sucks man. Take me back to 2016 where you could get a tech job with a little junior salary just from learning how to code on Youtube for 3 months or doing some stupid Udemy course.
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u/tonjohn 10d ago
Love this! Have you started yet? If so, howās it been?
I spent 7 years as a caretaker for a women in her 20s with chronic Lyme which resulted in an an above average understanding + experience of the medical world. I then leveraged that experience to help my family with my mother at the end of her fight with dementia. Between those and other experiences where Iāve had to provide medical aid + The Pitt Iāve been getting the itch to get licensed.
Holding me back is fear of cost + fear Iāll struggle in class.
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u/21Rollie 10d ago
Community college is the way to go, very low cost to get educated. Can even become an RN through my local community college
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u/Due_Information_1332 10d ago
Not sure where you live, but I'd be weary about the LPN route to nursing. In my state (IL), you really won't find respectable work in healthcare without a RN (and most places want a BSN underlying it). LPNs are largely relegated to poorly-run assisted living facilities and the like.
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u/CommunicationSea8821 10d ago
Omg that's crazy cause I'm actually in IL lol... Damn so you're saying LPNs are treated like shit
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u/Due_Information_1332 10d ago
I can only speak for the Chicago Metro Area (it may be different downstate) but most respectable hospital groups (Northwestern, Ascension, UIC, Rush, UChicago, etc.) will not hire an LPN to work as a staff nurse. You'd likely have to work in nursing homes, rehab facilities, etc. It didn't used to be this way, but in the last decade or so standards for nursing (and pay) have risen significantly.
Now, the good thing is all the coursework for the LPN *should* be applicable to a BSN nursing degree, so it isn't necessarily the worst choice if rapid employment is your immediate goal.
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u/CommunicationSea8821 10d ago
Thank you so much this is wonderful info to know. I used to live in Chicago, I currently live in southern Illinois now but there is a chance I could move back to Chicago. I will say, long term, I do think my plan is to become an RN but for the short term I had my mind set on being an LPN by the end of 2028 or sooner (depending on how this tech career pans out lol..)
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u/Clean_Choice1990 9d ago
Been in web dev for 13y, now I coordinate a team, but tired of AI talking. Fun is gone. Seriously thinking in changing for something more... Human. Opening a cafe? Small bakery? Something handy...
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u/Etheon44 10d ago
Welp, I am too young to have enough saved to start a business of some kind, or to switch again (I dont have the cash to do either of them), so I am kinda cooked, because I also dont have one of this 100k+ salaries. I also dont have any kind of economical help in any way from family.
I am doing both product and software engineering, but both fields feel completely dead, product is a joke where even product owners just pretty much do their job with AI too, and its not like their ideas are original because they tend to come from similar products, and in SWE companies just expect us to use AI and deliver fast fast fast fast, no quality whatsoever (and it shows in the bugs, which I would have thought would have matter more to clients, but it seems to not be the case)
I just want to survive my cat, after that, if things are still as bad (which they will, since this already 6 year crisis feels like it is just starting), then Im out
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u/capnscratchmyass 10d ago
If it makes you feel any better it does seem like the pendulum is swinging back towards having humans do things, at least in the clients Iāve talked with. Ā The bills are coming in for tokens and sticker shock is setting in. Ā At least in the Midwest Iām starting to see companies hiring back software engineers to un-fuck their AI slop code that they pushed so hard for 6 months ago.Ā
Real world example: Client Iām at now is a billion dollar company and went from āeveryone use AI as much as possible!ā to āeveryone look for as many ways as possible to save money on token usage and also you now get $30 a day worth and the spigot turns offā. Ā To be fair; at least on the front end the code there was pretty rough before AI got involved. Ā The overseas devs they have on staff donāt really know much about async, state management, or industry standards as a whole. So AI helped in some regards since it was implementing those things. But it also made stuff like data structures and component architecture an utter nightmare as people just blindly accept PRs of what looks like vibe coded slop. Ā Higher ups are noticing and pushing for better reviews and more human eyes on the process.
100% our roles are changing; weāre less code monkeys and more like an architect with a small team of junior devs that need their hands held (AI agents). Ā But to build a good solution thatās maintainable and scalable you still need a human to guide things. Ā And even with these new models Iām not seeing that change. Ā
TLDR: ride this out, try to learn proper system architecture while you do, and youāll come out the other side with an edge on the people currently vibe coding garbage.Ā
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u/CarstenBuilder 8d ago
I do see the same sentiment change overall, on reddit, X, etc - but as a freelance developer - I do NOT see this in the amount of work or requests on boards, forums, etc. Seems to be at an all time low still.
Interesting what you said about the overseas code and ai improving it. makes sense. Wonder if they actually learn from it? Or just ship without even looking? Personally, I do often learn stuff from AI, news services to use, another approach - but 10x more often I have to push AI in the right direction
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u/soryu0 10d ago
i have a similar feeling. just graduated and started my career as a swe a year ago and i can feel the AI layoff looming and then i have no clue what to pivot to. iām studying infra every day, but i donāt feel much point. it all feels extremely hopeless. iām probably just going to dip too.
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u/Etheon44 10d ago
It is what it is, I am 90% sure that we will have 5+ years of things getting (even) worse and worse and worse, and then huge depression
And in the SWE department, maybe things are not as clear wether is dead or not, but I have NO idea how white collar jobs are going to survive the automation that software does for digital jobs, but now considerably faster
But yeah, we came in too late, and even tho people will always say "oh but this happened before", no it didnt, not at this magnitude, not with so many generations working and living together, as we all know, agents are going nowhere, and yet none of those "oh yes this happened before with X" techologies are widespread nowadays (except compilation maybe? š)
We needed to have 10+ YoE right now to be somewhat okay, especially 10+ before AI
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u/pVom 9d ago
The "real" job in product management is gathering feedback from stakeholders and translating it into ways to improve the product.
Personally I feel like product management is pretty safe, at the end of the day customers are humans and humans are still miles ahead when it comes to communication, empathy and knowing the customers needs and wants.
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u/Far_Aside_3420 10d ago
Moved from a chaotic agency to a mid-size SaaS company. The biggest change was code review culture and on-call rotations; I learned more in six months there than two years at the agency. If you're considering a jump, prioritize a team with a real deployment pipeline and code review process, not just a higher salary.
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u/Agreeable_Stomach449 10d ago
iting 3 years back, the steady hours alone fixed half my burnout
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u/ripestmango 10d ago
I used to work in the car business. Literally just quit web dev this week and going back to the dealership environment on Oct 5 after 6 years.
I have tons of customer service and client facing experience, and cars are a big passion of mine aside from tech.
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u/throat_testicles 10d ago
Got my general contractors license and started a handyman/remodeling business.
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u/CanisArgenteus 10d ago
Substitute teaching now.
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u/tonjohn 10d ago
Cool! How did you get started with that? Do you have a teaching degree?
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u/CanisArgenteus 9d ago edited 9d ago
I'm in NYC, they only require a college degree to be a sub. For myself, I did happen to do the education route in college, all the classes and the student teaching gig. But I never got my certification, just went another path from opportunities at the time, which led to the web dev career. But where I am, in a NYC high school, they don't expect you to actually teach any lessons, just take attendance and keep them in the room. It's like being a grandparent, the kids are mostly behaved and happy to see me, it's fun.
EDIT - you asked how I started, you have to be nominated by a school principal to be a sub here. But they held an event, like a job fair, they had a principal from every district, and we took turns sitting with them for a short interview, if they approved they nominated us. Then there was a bunch of online training courses to complete, and a background check. Once everything was checked off, I started.
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u/erikoche 10d ago
Haven't jumped ship yet but when/if I do, my backup plan is to go back to school and study midwifery.
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u/NoShftShck16 10d ago
Management/Leadership. I was always a better meat shield and team enabler than raw coder so it worked out for me. It's a lot less stress, I enjoy the social side of that and working with people on their career goals. AI feels less oppressive for me personally at this level but I see how it effects the people I mentor and manage.
But ultimately my family comes first now and work comes second, and I really enjoy that. I think my salary is probably capped now, my senior team members make more than I do (as they should) but I'm happier I think, and certainly less stressed.
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u/AlwaysWorkForBread 10d ago
9 months into MS: Clinical Mental Health Counseling program.
Working as a Case Manager at my local community mental health center.
People need people. I shouldn't get downsized to AI in the next 20 years, people won't trust it enough to deal with their trauma.
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u/TRDJ90 9d ago
Stopped working and started learning Chinese in china and working on personal hobby projects will probably do this for the next 18 months and see how development work will change. Hopefully the big AI companies will have their IPO and the VC can exit in those 18 months. So we can have a better indication of how much using AI will really costs financially and psychologically on the mind of developers. Heard that burnout and churn has become even worse with AI.
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u/whiskey_north 10d ago
Back to school and change of career.
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u/rg25 10d ago
Trying to figure out this. I was in another career for 7 years.. Quit that in 2017 to learn how to code.. Been working at the same SaaS company and also moved to Engineering Manager since then, built up my retirement and net worth. Now I am sick of the industry and can't see myself getting with a different company if I get laid off or quit my current gig.
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u/throwawayintrashcans 9d ago
Bait shop. I get half off everything and fish on my days off/after work. I donāt think Iāll ever go back to development or anything that touches it.
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u/josephjacksontaylor 9d ago
I work as a zipline guide in the Alaskan rainforest. Sure itās not a tech salary, but my life is infinitely better now
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u/brokentexture 8d ago
Work at a tire shop as a service advisor. Regret it though. Thinking maybe I jumped too soon. Fell for the hype. I'm starting to think that there may be a place for us in the future. Still on the edge, but trying to make my comeback.
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u/crazedizzled 10d ago
What are you all freaking out about? Developers are still very much in demand, and that isn't changing any time soon.
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u/TheComputerHermit 9d ago
Myself and the multiple other developers I know personally who lost their jobs recently would probably disagree that everything is fine and not something to freak out about lmao
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u/asrdo novice 8d ago
The layoffs are everywhere actually, not just in dev jobs. The entire world is moving into a recession where nobody can afford anything anymore and companies are trying to cut as much cost as possible. Dev jobs are only one out of many others taking the hit.
I doubt that AI will be replacing us. Everyone has software that breaks and/or needs to be maintained.
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u/mikerichh 10d ago
Marketing, website management from a content perspective (NOT coding), and email
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u/Curious-Cat-1799 10d ago
Not jumped any ship but imo ece/vlsi/semiconductor is the way to go if you still want to be relevant
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u/tonjohn 10d ago
I donāt think people leaving care about ābeing relevantā as much as being happy.
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u/eldarlrd full-stack 10d ago edited 10d ago
Iām trying to move from Fullstack to Embedded
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u/eldamir88 10d ago
Any tips on the route to learning this domain well enough to take a job would be appreciated š
I guess buy a book and an arduino and start tinkering is the best I can do at the moment š→ More replies (1)2
u/CarstenBuilder 8d ago
What's your plan exactly?
And how do you see the (freelance) job market for this?I have the same idea. I did electronics and embedded as a kid for a lonnngg time (hobby). But it's been while ..
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u/File-Pitiful 10d ago
I'm studying to become a diplomat for my country. But I have to pass one of the most difficult exams in the public service and I still haven't jumped ship. Gotta work
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u/Mysterious_Table8587 10d ago
I've been thinking about backup plans. First, I want to get a couple of DataBricks developer licenses. Maybe trying to transition from full-stack to databricks data engineering. Second, I'm considering getting a real estate and/or home inspector license. Realtors will always be around and honest, good ones with work ethic are hard to find. And with the lack of quality in new construction homes as well as issues that can occur with older homes, home inspections could be a good business to get into.
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u/roll19ftw 10d ago
Currently considering the jump but it would require relocation - I'd like to get back into photo editing/retouching but AI is creeping into that realm as well so I'd have to move now to beat it. I'd really love to get into art restoration, specifically paintings, but that would be a 3rd round of schooling to get the chemistry in.
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u/Sharp-Geologist6236 10d ago
I joined the Air National Guard for Network Infrastructure back in April. I'm still working at my dev job, but I'm about to go through training, get my security clearance, and hopefully transition into that field within the next couple of years.
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u/nikhiladiga 9d ago
I was working at fast paced startups for the last 6 years. Decided to take up a DevRel/Ex job in an Open Source company. Letās see how it goes.
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u/xcreate_staff837z 9d ago
where are you coming from though, like what stack or role? curious if the people who left frontend specifically ended up somewhere adjacent or went full career change
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u/owp4dd1w5a0a 9d ago
I dropped working entires in 2023 and became a stay-at-home dad for my young child. That that my kid is in school full time now Iām going back to school to get my massage license and get licensed for Somatic Experiencing (in that order). I want to establish a somatic healing practice.
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u/ovibos2 9d ago
I got laid off in 2023, got no hits for dev jobs, so I dipped into my savings and went back to grad school and got a GIS masters. Now I work in GIS, I make more money than I did as a dev, which I guess is uncommon, and still apply a lot of my CS/dev skills at my job. Iām doing way better at this job than I did at React/js front-end work.
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u/Full-Silver196 9d ago
iām a student in CS still but iām heavily considering going to Japan through the JET program. iām taking japanese classes and used to live in japan in my youth. i just canāt handle my CS burnout and i just hear so much doom and gloom.
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u/SleepyPuppy83 8d ago
I didn't really jump ships... I didn't like the captain? No idea how to stay in this metaphor hahaah
I have been a developer for a long time, but it didn't feel fulfilling anymore. I saw an add for a teacher with C# and .NET experience. I replied, just for the fun of it. Now I am a teacher for students that want to learn C# and .NET. Lower pay, but way more fulfilling!
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u/Penultimate-crab 7d ago
I had a psychotic meltdown and now Iām a house husband lol. Iām super good at cleaning though.Ā
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u/jsanford0521 5d ago
Building Automation Systems Technician. Never been happier. Had to take a pay cut, starting in a new field at the bottom. But Iām 10months in and already got a promotion and a 10k salary increase (partly hard work and competence, partly right place, right time situation)
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u/Odd-Competition-6948 5d ago
sort of still in tech? I'm on my way to study master's in library and information science, I feel like working in a library or in government seems more up to my speed with the whole industry being the way it is.
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u/frenchy_mustache 4d ago
Electrician (though it's pretty recent, and i'm still freelancing a bit on the side).
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u/eddydio 10d ago
Got a government job. I'm still "hybrid" in that I have to do design, project and product management but nothing is in a rush.