career path question

ronsoness · 2016-06-08T11:16:40+00:00

sounds kind of like how i feel with my last 2 jobs. self employed web developer and my brain is just rotting doing mindless things, but things that were dificult 2 years ago. you could self study on the side, but that is a pain in the ass esp. w/o a work mentor to guide you. learning at work is really different from learning something as a hobby.

this situation is pretty much exactly what people mean when they say 'money isn't everything.' your boss could double your pay, but you would still be rotting your brain and that money really would be money to help you cope with the shitty work life.

i think many people would be happy to have your situation, cruise at work, get a shit ton paid leave (40 days? WTF man), and just be a reliable cog at work. unfortunately, you have more needs and a need to learn and grow. in a way, it sux to be you.

suggestions: 1- you can ask for more responsibilities. software dev? maybe take on a project manager role? maybe meet with clients? work in support? not sure how it works there, but inquire about flexibility.

2- join some hackathon on the side. it will stimulate your brain.

3- change jobs. not learning anything? work at a startup. you'll get paid less, work way more, but you'll have young, arrogant, software devs next to you pushing you to work harder and probably with some interesting skillsets. and if it's a small operation, who knows, you might be working on other responsibilities (front end, back end, marketing, client meetings, funding, accounting, etc) instead of a segregated role.

just my 2 cents.

VasiliyZaitzev · 2016-06-08T16:48:42+00:00

It's called "Work" not "Play". Sometimes shit is boring as hell. I had a gig like that once. I got all my shit done at light speed, and then worked on my own projects, and then turned work in a bit before it was due. If you are bored, then it's kind of your fault.

dumbTRPguy · 2016-06-08T17:39:48+00:00

You don't mention what you're job is, but being bored in CS/IT is your fault. Pick up robotics. Learn about cybersecurity. Build a webgame. Start contributing to an open-source project. Rinse/repeat until you have enough to up and leave your job in six months' to a year's time.

youguess123 · 2016-06-08T17:45:49+00:00

What about your life besides your career ? Is it interesting, do you have hobbies that make you want to get out of bed? It is hard not to be learning as a developer and i would say its rather challenging.

disgruntledearthling · 2016-06-09T11:52:52+00:00

I've been in software dev for 30 years. If you're bored then ask to do something else - different group or technology. If they view you as a cog and refuse then just leave. I've had quite a few jobs/contract over the years and its not that hard to job-hop when you are young.

Or stay and grind through it if the travel thing is what you

Title	career path question
Author	[deleted]
Upvotes	8
Comments	18
Date	June 8, 2016 10:49 AM UTC (10 years ago)
Subreddit	Posted in /r/askTRP
Original Link	https://old.reddit.com/r/asktrp/comments/4n4exe/career_path_question/
Archive Link	https://theredarchive.com/r/askTRP/career-path-question.185294 https://theredarchive.com/post/185294

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