The Harsh Reality of Being a Software Engineer

Software engineering is a great field to pursue, but there are some major cons.
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[@ToddGuillet]

I've been a software developer for more that 15 years and my biggest piece of advice is don't be in a rush. Hone your craft and forget comparing yourself to some social media version of the job. You will progress at your own rate. Burn out happens when you try to progress faster then you naturally can. When you start getting too comfortable is when you know it's time to push to the next level.

[@antonfernando8409]

cool advice, same is true when looking for a job, hone your craft, refresh yourself and get back to coding, that burn out thing is true.

[@devn0n]

Thank you so much for this, Todd

[@yt-sh]

thats a good advice

[@Mrnw10]

So refreshing to hear that Todd, i'm currently transationing from a systems engineer to DevOps engineer and its tough! .. Having to learn Python, git, ansible, terraform, packer all from scratch. Seriously feels like there just isnt enough hours in the day!

[@rbawah]

I needed this. Before I reading this comment I felt so burnt out trying to move faster than I really can. I feel so much better than a couple of minutes ago. Thank you.

[@RonAday]

30+ year systems architect here. I give all my "newb" developers the same advice. Learn to say "no". Learn to say "I need help". Learn to say "I can't finish in time." There is nothing wrong with being human but there is a lot wrong with being stubborn and prideful.

[@GyasiLinje]

Thank you for this Ron

[@SoleyRise91]

How’s the market for future architecture?

[@garfield584]

Learn to say “no”!!!!! First rule

[@sedaos3053]

@@SoleyRise91 terrible

[@trapeziumcut]

I agree that asking for help and questions is a good approach but "learn to say no" ? come on be realistic, you think you are gonna walk around saying no when it takes so much effort to even get hired in one of these tech companies. People that do that get replaced by someone that will say yes.

[@toddspangler6669]

I was afraid of becoming a software engineer because I knew it would be stressful at times. It was and still is stressful. Burnout, imposter syndrome, exactly is the way I feel and I've been a developer for 18 years. On the bright side, I've taken a majority of my money over the years and invested it wisely. I'm planning on getting out of the industry all together by the end of 2023. Life is too short to have this much stress all the time.

[@bodymurat]

Oh god I feel you. If I could I would also leave or at least reduce my worktime as much as possible. My goal is also to build wealth I can live with first before I change direction but the constant stress is real and I do feel overworked most of the time, to that point that small tasks feel like weeks of work and I constantly feel more and more disgust looking at any computer, but actually I really love it and it is somehow weird feeling this. I hope to invest wisely for a couple of years and somehow get free of this, but market looks bad for now. It’s a struggle

[@gabrieleri-ife7394]

Just starting out. Still learning. Hoping I become successful enough to do this. Thanks sir

[@peterhuang1431]

hmm. a career people want to get out.. is this something I should get into?

[@phantomk2509]

@@peterhuang1431 I feel u bro

[@corriedebeer799]

Learn to say no. I would not do more than 5 hours of pure programming a day. I take 2 days of between every project, no matter what. I'm reliable. I work hard but my current employer understands there is only so much you can do in a day.

[@BensDevJourney]

I've been an engineer for over 10 years, and my biggest piece of advice for new engineers is that you have to prepare that its going to be a GRIND to go from zero to being a professional level programmer. Its HARD to learn how to code, like REALLY hard, and you are going to often be very frustrated while you're working through bugs and learning how a language works. Don't give up! As long as you keep grinding through the problems, you will make it

[@pumpkinut5314]

It does certainly feel very discouraging when you have been learning a language for such a long time and still can't get the hang of it.

[@lenovo7999]

It’s not hard to learn how to code, anymore than it is to learn anything else. The outcome is what matters and most of what software engineers do is gay and useless if not for advertising and data theft subsidizing the internet. Weird stuff you’re on mate.

[@afzalharun8975]

I just love to see these encouraging and supportive comments. I think whenever I feel down I will just come back to these comments and read them :)

[@joecater894]

what i find incredibly frustrating are companies.. usually small ones.. usually in webdev.. with a shopping list of what are highly difficult to graps technologies which they believe they can demand commercial proficiency in and then by sticking the word "junior" at the beginning of the job spec they can ask a really low salary.

[@joecater894]

@@lenovo7999 ..code makes the world go round :)

[@MikeSims70]

Take it from a guy who's been in IT professionally for over 25 years and a computer addict for about 40 years ... KNOW YOUR LIMITS AND EMBRACE THEM! Along with that is NEVER apologize for being you. The truth is that your skills are needed and there is no foreseeable end to that demand at this time. That being the case means that you'll always find work and you need NOT be someone that a corporation expects you to be. Learn how to shut down the laptop at 5pm because when it all boils out in the wash ... no one ever said on their death bed that they wished they had worked harder - FAMILY IS FAR MORE IMPORTANT THAN WORK‼And I cannot say that enough nor can I stress it enough. If you do not TAKE THE TIME EVERY DAY and spend it with your family, you have no idea how quickly 40 rolls around and you look behind you and you realize that you missed ALL of it because you were trying to be what someone else expected you to be and for what? A few extra bucks? ITS NOT WORTH IT - TRUST ME ITS NOT WORTH IT! If someone at work wants to make demands on your time after 5pm ... you have to simply tell them "I'm sorry, but I have plans with my family" and you have to say that EVERY TIME ... could it mean that you get looked over for a promotion? ABSOLUTELY IT MIGHT ... but what good is money when you're living by yourself? Or what good is money when you miss the most important times in your children's lives? Cause man... I'm telling you ... all the money in the world could NEVER replace those moments that you can NEVER go back and get ... and children grow up so damn fast its insane and if you don't force yourself to step away from the corporate greed for your time ... you'll piss it all away and you'll regret it for the rest of your life and living in that kind of regret is a hell all of its own... Work to live ... don't live to work - and that's not some coined cliche' ... those words should dictate your life - literally!

[@eddierobles2137]

Such valuable advice 👍👍

[@eliwalle268]

I see no wrong here

[@dehman6836]

I was literally saying to myself while taking a shower "am I working to live or living to work?". What are the odds of me reading your comment 15 minutes after? Thanks.

[@MikeSims70]

@@dehman6836 That's a very insightful thought to have ... one which I unfortunately didn't have until it was too late. I lost everything that mattered the most to me ... the irony in that was believing that my sacrifice of my time was being done so that everything that did matter to me, would be well taken care of... What I now know, is that limiting yourself to 8 hours a day - 5 days a week (with rare exceptions maybe once or twice a year) - will not in any way reflect negatively on your life or your ability to provide for your family. When you have talent and skill, the people who issue your checks will be tolerant of the fact that your time is valuable and that they are NOT entitled to all of it!

[@marcw6875]

I'm 47, single, and childless. I wish I at least had a semi-fulfilling career to show for all that time wasted, but alas, I just missed the boat for most of the "family" stuff. I suppose I could at least hope to still get married, but at this point I don't even care if it's still technically possible to get a family started, I'm not sure I have the energy for it at this age. Besides, why curse the probably one child I might still have with being the kid who has the "old parents" at school and who gets set adrift especially early in life because we'd probably be dead before he/she even made it to 30. :p

[@SandorFekete]

I’ve been writing code over 20 years now... still feel like an “impostor” sometimes. This man speaks the truth. Bravo.

[@nivoset]

I've been coding since i was a kid.. In the 80s... I still feel imposter syndrome. But I also love coding.

[@davidravnsborg2565]

I taught myself to code over a decade ago, worked a few jobs, burnt out in a startup, went back to school for something else, then came back to coding because I love it when it's going well. Since then I have refused to allow myself to reach the point of burnout. Not every coding job is a good one; or a good fit for everyone. Imposter syndrome is real. Burnout is real. I had to learn to be patient, and have the courage to switch environments when the fit didn't feel right. If you like coding, there is enough demand that you should be able to find something that fits your desired work-life balance. You don't need to work for Netflix, Google, or Amazon to have a "successful" coding career. If you enjoy your work and get paid more than the average non-coding job, you're already winning.

[@SandorFekete]

@@davidravnsborg2565 well said! :-)

[@kayakMike1000]

Just about 15 years, and I KNOW I am an imposter. But I fake it pretty well.

[@mikebarnacle1469]

Sorry but every time I've ever heard someone say they had imposter syndrome, they were not imagining it. They really just weren't up to snuff.

[@YuSuck]

In my 24 years of experience. As a developer, engineer and now architect. Once you have experience and are able to hold down a job and take on the challenges, you are good enough. Furthermore, don’t allow your employer dictate your hours. Lastly. I cannot stress this enough. Stay a tech expert and don’t let any employer make you an expert in their problems.

[@corriedebeer799]

I have made it very clear to all my employers that I deal with exactly three people at work. One pretty receptionist/ PA. My tech lead and my fellow nerd amigos. Keep all those corporate douches away from me and let pappa develop the react apps that pays everyone's salary.

[@be_simple108]

I didn't understand the last point, could you pls explain?

[@kabulolushinga]

A beautiful piece of advice, thank you!

[@waunbroderick4506]

'Stay a tech expert and don’t let any employer make you an expert in their problems.' Is a very powerful and important message. And once you move up in roles you will encounter this at somepoint, be mindful and stay vigilant.

[@saynomolo2899]

Which degree would you recommend for becoming an architect….computer science or network engineering

[@m3universitybusinessimagin311]

I just want to take a moment and think all the folks on here who have been in the industry for so long… Freely given away great advice… It really helps Junior developers like myself navigate this technology space and really learn what areas I need to be focusing on… You guys are the real heroes

[@azerkahn]

Here in Japan there aren't many companies that do a technical interview. The culture here for any position is that you learn on the job, so most companies are happy to hire you even if you have zero experience. And for that reason they also expect you to be pretty much useless for a year or two. I always liked this because it gives you time to slowly learn the skills you need, while getting fully paid!

[@FalconFlyer75]

Man would that suit me, I’m much better in that kind of environment

[@Bootyeheg]

That’s amazing, do you know any companies in particular that hire based off of that structure in a remote environment?

[@A.G.1.5000]

Damn that sounds good!

[@TheSupaman98]

I always hear negative things about Japans workforce, so to hear something positive (at least in my perspective) like this, is pretty cool. That’s type of work would suit me pretty well. Wish that would be how it worked in the west but unfortunately it doesn’t.

[@EnviousGamingXG]

@@FalconFlyer75 Everyone is dude 🥲

[@Yesitsmedaphne]

Being a software engineer is so mentally exhausting. I don't think people realize just how hard it is to recover from mental exhaustion in a field that rarely gives you a break from working at full mental capacity all day everyday.

[@ma-ez3zh]

I wonder how it compares to being a medical doctor (what I do), which can be quite stressful. I come home and program each night to get my mind off what I had to deal with during the day.

[@dannyflorez-renteria3519]

@@ma-ez3zh You're a doctor AND code after your shift? How tf? You're built different my guy.

[@homomorphic]

@@ma-ez3zh that's interesting... I come home and do a little surgery to get my mind off of software engineering...

[@ma-ez3zh]

@@homomorphic LOL. Now that's impressive!

[@metalalive2006]

you may feel happier because you could have more control on the code / design you've done after work, while the code / design at work mostly are affected by your (tech) manager especially if you're in toxic environment with colleagues who STOP learning technical stuff

[@blackswan7568]

As someone seriously considering becoming a dev (including choosing software engineering as my major in college), I really appreciate these kinds of videos. Burnout and the pressure to constantly learn is something that I've already felt a little hint of with my summer internships. I also really value my personal life and free time, and my dream is to get a remote dev job so that I can travel the world while I work. My dad (a front-end dev) has given me the advice to always be careful with promotions and advancements, as these can lead to the sort of high stress and pressure that you've laid out in this video - with little to no extra pay. Again, every job varies in terms of stress, but we should always be careful to avoid extreme burnout and stress in our jobs, even if it results in a lot of money. The old proverb is true: Money doesn't buy happiness.

[@creativequeen8371]

Great advice from your dad. I hope you get to realise your ambitions.

[@lilwoodiewood3457]

Why didn't u already Start.. you aren't going make it if u need college to even start .. why arent u already a junior dev before u started your major .. it's not hard to learn the basics and dosent take much time .. if your going do it do it .. why do u need to start college first u should already be a dev enless your really that lazy

[@mitzilamyles6366]

blood money.

[@meznehemia]

Dad's advice is spot on. From MSFT

[@caiozedtv9535]

been there, got promoted to tech lead, worst dicision in my carrer

[@austingraham8963]

I'm a senior dev at a large company (not FAANG, but at that sort of size). For us, as you move up you spend less time coding and more time in the abstract. I enjoy doing design work and solving abstract problems, but man when I get to write code in a sprint I am on cloud nine. For you junior devs out there, enjoy your time in the weeds, but keep the balance. I gave up a lot of personal growth in my 20s chasing a better career, and even though I hit my goal I wish I had spent more time with myself and my family.

[@kyoungfantasy4658]

I’m very interested in this field, yet I’m still not so sure if I want to do it. I’m a graphic designer, and I like to design, but I also want more experience in other fields. I know there are different steps in application development, but what if I also like to design, is coding all applications developers do, or do they also somewhat help with designing?

[@aldergate-ca]

Hey bro. I love coding and am pondering software engineering. Im just going to ask flat out. Entering my 60's and (this is important, failing health, no family, must be remote) could I make it as a developer engineer in the contracting or freelance sector? (Looking for advice from someone whom has no motive either way. Thanks in advance.

[@austingraham4]

​@@kyoungfantasy4658entirely depends on the job. Front end does some design depending on the company, sometimes they just get figma mockups and are expected to just "do that" You'll just have to look through jobs and ask around, maybe you start pure code and work your way into design. There's infinite possibilities

[@northkyt]

Thank you for this, it's all true. A few things I've learned in over 25 years of being a software engineer: 1. Being able to write code fast is not the same as being an expert software engineer. Expert software engineers think about how their project will look years from now, learn from their mistakes and design in flexibility, security, and scalability from the beginning using best practices, standards, and design patterns. That takes more initial time and effort, but it pays off over time in so many ways. Your boss probably won't understand that -- they just want "fast", so explain it to them. If they don't care after a few attempts to explain the value of this approach, you are probably not going to further your software engineering skills much on that project with that boss. 2. Don't be afraid to ask your own questions when you are being interviewed. You can learn a ton about whether the team and company are a toxic environment or a supportive, positive environment just by asking a few questions. For example, how do you handle technical disagreements, how do you further the skills of developers on your team, how are decisions made about promised deliverables and timelines (you want them to tell you the team is consulted). If they are put-off by these questions or the answers don't sound good, you probably aren't gonna be happy there. If you don't hear good answers don't be afraid to pass it up, there are some great companies and teams, and a lot of not-so-good ones with ridiculous expectations. 3. Find a body-based interest outside of work: yoga, meditation, strength training, fast bicycling for me, and bend your work life to fit around that. It will keep your mind sharp as you get older and help you be calm when you are under pressure at work. If you don't do this you will probably become unhealthy over time because the nature of most software jobs is to sit all day and overwork you unless you push back. Don't be afraid to push back. I've worked 40 hours or less nearly every work week of my career, and had a few jobs where I worked 32 hours with Fridays off. You can do that too. 4. There will always be someone on your team or at your company who is faster and better at coding than you, you will still make mistakes after 25 years and it's rare that you will do perfect work the first time. Be kind to yourself, pay attention and learn from your mistakes, let go of comparing yourself to others, keep learning (but don't obsess about constant learning). Find your unique strengths and use them to your advantage. For example I discovered I have a knack for designing user interfaces even though I'm self taught in that, so I'm the go-to guy for U/X and I co-design U/X with a classically trained U/I expert. Find your special power.

[@zeallavacube6357]

Thank you good person on the internet ✨

[@mrsiddiqui8252]

How nice it would have been if you were my boss or at least my senior.

[@ilkandi1]

After 26 years in software dev I have just learned this beginning of last year.. you excellently distilled and articulated those 4 essentials

[@R5123]

Thank you North for taking the time to share that with us. I copied your response and will take it to heart. I am nearly 7 years full time, so thanks for sharing your perspective, it is helpful for a younger developer like myself

[@DuyTran-ss4lu]

Thanks a lot

[@enjay86]

I've been a software engineer for like 14-15 years, I lost track, but there is one piece of advice I could give to anyone. Always estimate your tasks at least 2x or better 3x than you think the task will take to finish. Don't be that guy who underestimates everything and then works after hours to meet the deadlines. And you will be overflood with "side tasks", management will take advantage of your work pace. The world will not burn when you won't make something on time. I know, no one wants to lose their job. But companies don't want to lose good programmers either because of one fault, one misjudge. Also, when you are done, you have done that day. Don't check your email, don't respond to any Slack messages or whatever you use. You are done and you have free time now! Otherwise, you will have that feeling that you are at work 24/7 and burnout will come really fast.

[@mikebarnacle1469]

Everything about this is wrong.

[@stucorbishley]

@enjay86 solid advice there, the 2-3x estimation is a good trick - its not because you're lying its because of how difficult it is to be accurate. Expectation management is critical, for yourself and for your peers. I had an peer of mine who pushed against the word 'just', as in "oh just do this". When you can't describe something and feel the need to replace that with 'just' it's usually a signal you're underestimating the task, or worse; you can easily be condescending (by accident) to someone who genuinely doesn't understand and wants to.

[@TheCactuar124]

@@mikebarnacle1469 What's your advice then?

[@mikebarnacle1469]

@@TheCactuar124 Estimates are estimates, not maximums. So estimate, and keep people updated when things change. "A bit harder than I expected" is all you need to say. It's not rocket science, every other industry does this. I think this suggestion to pad by 3x to never go over an estimate is coming from some kind of ego-driven insecurity to be right all the time. You're not wrong if your estimate was off, because there is no right answer to an estimate. Don't overwork yourself because an estimate was off..... simply update it. If you pad so much you always finish early then you are just being avoidant and not giving any useful insight to other stakeholders to allow them to plan a timeline accordingly. My advice is be sincere, know your limits, and communicate often. This doesn't just apply to your role in the company. It applies all the way up to the board, and all the way down to your company's relationship with its customers. Nintendo isn't going to impress anyone by saying BOTW2 will be out in 2028 and then landing it end of 2022 just to so they could never be wrong... how ridiculous would that be? You're doing this when you pad 3x. It might help to know what the estimates are for... that depends on your sector, but usually it's just to know if it's worth the investment. So what you're most likely achieving by padding 3x is just making your project manager think it isn't worth the cost/benefit, so they prioritize something else. Has no impact on you, just hurts the company because you're skewing the data they use in their cost/benefit analysis. Not smart. Not helpful.

[@sarihilden8626]

Times pi is quite common multiplier of estimations per any feature. Every feature is so much more than just the code it requires. You need to collaborate with the team and the customer. There are always unexpected things etc... And yes, estimations are not maximum. But estimations build the budget which customer has and which is written down in contracts. So it affects the requirements of a team on a wider scale. And here when I talk about estimations I dont mean the ones you put on scrum board. I talk about estimating full features, use cases, user stories and epics. On which ever level it is specified before or when the contract is written with the customer.

[@jaystar7777]

Thanks for this real talk, been burnt out and started the same way you did. Been having trouble balancing this new career while still having a life. I really appreciate this

[@DanteD777]

It's good to see that others feel the same. I started wondering if I was the only one that felt this way because I am surrounded by people who seem to live to code. I have been the lead (hands on) engineer at the 3 companies I've worked for. It seems like I am the only one who cares for a work life balance, which makes me feel guilty even though I know it should not. We always deliver but since there is always more to do, we just feed to the infinite void. And, every time I try to switch jobs I am reminded that the interviews are completely different, and it feels like im back in school again. Seems like a never ending battle.

[@instalocktaka9628]

So do you just accept that it will be never ending and become ok with being a student in school even at an older age? Thats the part that makes me hate SWE. That we can spend all this time and still have to be like a student if we decide to switch jobs / fields.

[@DanteD777]

@@instalocktaka9628 Unfortunately, yes. Since there is not much that can be done to change operations at a higher level. However, we can regulate things at an individual level. Although we do not owe a company a specific employment duration, I try to commit to a 1-year minimum. I use that time to fully evaluate all the pros and cons while keeping my resume up to date and acquiring various skills. Then, when switching companies I know exactly what to look for and what to bargain for. Different companies are reasonable in different areas. So It comes down to the lesser of multiple evils. I would get more specific but you never know who reads public posts and I do not want to risk giving companies more insight on how to manipulate things in their favor (a CEO from LinkedIn mentioned they did exactly that to increase profits). This is all just my personal opinion, of course, so just keep looking for ways that work for you. I do not think it's worth throwing your life away for a job unless it's your defining purpose (which it seems to be for some of the people I spoke to).

[@yourpersonaldatadealer2239]

Something that’s really not talked about (or thought about) enough is the morality of software we create. Coming out of uni and being thrown a tonne of cash is so enticing but ‘waking up’ five years later and realising you just helped make some shady surveillance software that actually messes people up, is something that no amount of money will help with your conscience. It sounds whacky but I really think we need to hit the brakes on software, sit back, really think long and hard about what it actual does and where it’s going and then build something based off of real values and morals for the whole world. Not just super wealthy control freaks.

[@Feelsgoodtobeaskater]

Damn bro that’s deep

[@Juzzyjuzzy]

Deep

[@kaizen5023]

Amen, brother! We should be asking not just "CAN we build it" but "SHOULD we build it." I have literally heard engineers say, "It's not my job to worry about that, I just build what they tell me to." Okayyy... wow.

[@nickallbritton3796]

Yes. Open source 2.0

[@nyasiam.2819]

So true

[@jackb6106]

Its comforting as a junior developer seeing all the advice from experienced devs in the comments. I feel parts of the internet portray this mindset of grinding day and night.

[@flyer-wx1pq]

Same man

[@nealwaga]

True

[@TheOldSchoolCrisis]

The internet is full of 20 somethings that can handle Grinding day and night. Until they can't. But they didn't gain an audience and become a talking head for the grind because they don't grind, so they keep running on fumes and hyping the culture until it swallows them whole. As the generation that grew up with the internet continues to mature we will likely see more and more discussion on how toxic the grind can be, and I think we are really starting to se it now. But there will always be that young driven person who works 48 hours a day and hypes up their grind as being the only solution. And when the grind destroys their sanity and they hit that wall of depression, someone else will move in to become the new king of the grind game. Don't fall into the trap, find something you enjoy and figure out how to work smarter not harder.

[@aswadsyednaz3073]

I am not even a developer yet,gonna start my cs degree in a few months and I know the basics about java,python and computer science overall but I was feeling discouraged by university being hard or cs being impossible and I've always been above decent in school and for some reason I had this mental issue of always comparing myself to other people,always feeling like an impostor and now I am glad I watched this video,everyone here in the comments seem to have felt/be feeling the same way in all environments related to the tech industry.

[@_CT_]

@@aswadsyednaz3073 I graduated with info systems & not CS because I let people convince me "C# pt2" was hard so I delayed it & eventually let the fear of tanking my GPA deter me. I wish I challenged my self, seeing how I did great in the lab for pt1 & would debug for the group when working on big projects... I was good if not better than average & let fear & influence of others hold me back. Don't be me lol. Working now to make the switch over to code

[@sarwaralambc]

You seems to know exactly what I needed to hear. Very well laid out and said. Burnout and mental health issues are a real thing, and somehow we all need to be able to cope with the challenges and have a proper life outside work. I now believe seeking for healthy work life balance should be the key component in what to look for in anyone's next job hunt. Anyway, thank you for your rather therapeutic video. Cheers!

[@simonemariottini1011]

Thanks for making this video, I have been struggling with imposter syndrome ever since I joined a FAANG company, I got to meet truly amazing engineers and wonderful folks, but it's inevitable to compare yourself to your colleagues. Truth is there will always be a lot of people, smarter, faster and more experienced than you, whatever you do. If you embrace many different hobbies and passions outside of work, you will always feel a bit behind, but that's okay. You can still bring your skills to the table, learn from them and do a great job, even if you are not in the Top 100 LeetCoders world wide. Be happy!

[@clifforddias4489]

I've been programming for over 20 years. I am 50 now and the I one thing I regret most is that I spent so much of my time coding whether at work or at home and not enough time with my wife. I only realised too late after my wife passed away that it wasn't worth it. I love coding, but @Gyasi you are so right that no other field expects you to be constantly updating your skill set. It's an amazing field to be in, but it can take over your life. Peace fellow programmers.🖖

[@YusafAnimations]

Rip 🙏

[@Sarah-vv8tz]

Can i ask you how much do you make a month?

[@1zo514]

Sorry dude :( God is with you though you will see her again 🙏🏾

[@VANCOUVERHOUSEFINDER]

I am so sorry for your loss brother. I hope you forgive yourself. All you were doing is trying to do good

[@SolarTTauri]

Condolences, and I will take your lesson to heart.

[@botondrostas]

Worst thing I experienced in my 7 years of being a software engineer is when I have colleagues "being bored" over the weekend doing extra coding hours for work. Coding outside of work is of course fine, but do it on a personal project instead. This from my experience puts extra pressure on others who can't or don't want to do the same to deliver more etc. Love the video BTW, subbed.

[@veneering4128]

They're called scabs in union lingo

[@jimba6486]

They work on the weekend because they are bored is a systemic problem within their head that coding cannot unfortunately fix because they are human. That was the most pathetic thing I read all month. Thanks for sharing

[@archmad]

there's life outside of work. f work

[@streetninja510]

Oh yeah, I was working on it over the weekend because I was bored. Definitely heard that one before. Definitely wasn’t malicious, but like, a good work environment should definitely discourage thay

[@wookiwoki6954]

So tell me if I'm wrong. All people who want to train and work better asap have to think about your lazy ass before doing anything? This must be their priority, right? Why somebody has to start personal project for you to be ok? These people work more and (potentially) bring more, then they are paid more. I don't see anything wrong here. If you regard your job as 'simply a job', don't want to start your own project in the future etc., fine. It is your choice. Ohh, they put pressure. The pressure is what YOU think exists, again it is your problem. What is hard is to understand toxic morons who think everyone must think about them first.

[@MuigaiNjenga]

Thanks man. I just finished a coding challenge and it left me feeling low. This video has brought me back again to try again. It feels good to see the human side of this profession. I especially resonated with the "critical thinking all the time" it's really tiring. Once again....thank you 👊🏾

[@douglashill4567]

I was a programmer (as we typically identified ourselves) for 45 years. I never wanted to take the typical path into management because staying close to the machine felt like it kept me honest. My ability to face a problem with curiosity, wry amusement, and willingness to live with ambiguity kept me in the game. Over time, though, the burden of years of minute and particular knowledge grows. You have to dredge up things from years before, reassemble the context in your brain, and then try to evaluate if essential conditions have changed. Believe me, the next big thing is the easy part. Supporting all the last big things is a bear.

[@someone9922]

Can you mentor me ?

[@user-ep2es1mp5r]

​@@someone9922right...

[@aldergate-ca]

Hey bro. I love coding and am pondering software engineering. Im just going to ask flat out. Entering my 60's and (this is important, failing health, no family, must be remote) could I make it as a developer engineer in the contracting or freelance sector? (Looking for advice from someone whom has no motive either way. Thanks in advance.

[@douglashill4567]

@@aldergate-ca I suppose you know the chances of this producing a living within your necessary time frame are slim. If you have already produced satisfactory work to someone else's requirements you have something to build on, otherwise it is hard to pick up all the ancillary skills remotely. Who knows? Sometimes people in a desperate situation accomplish extraordinary things. Often we do not. Your most likely path forward is to find a company with a code base that is awful and none of their developers want to be distracted from new projects, but existing customers need the old stuff to work better. You may be able to quietly study the code offsite and fix bugs that the folks in the trenches are too harassed to identify. This often lets you establish a relationship with someone in the company who is authorized to spend without going through a lengthy process. It's a tough way to make a living, but possible. It will give you bad coding habits, however, being exposed to the worst.

[@user-ep2es1mp5r]

@@aldergate-ca yes n no. If you want yes then focus web side, learn fullstack. But after learning focus on front or backend and get really good at it. I recommend JavaScript for both front and back end, mongodb, sql, react etc. Don't pay for school, I did and wasn't worth it except the mental part of not wanting to quit and lose money, otherwise it's to easy to learn. Basically you want a broad view of junior confidence and a strong focused view as very confident. Then you can get work on guru and fiver etc. even in beginning look up jobs and just do them for yourself to see if you can and have for your portfolio. As you do more stuff in training/learning build a nice website showing your work off. Also at your age you probably could solve some issues that exist that no one's addressed. I know at 43 I had run into issues in previous fields of employment and have fixed or made improvements. Hope that helps

[@Murfster]

Nice video. I'm an aerospace engineer...so not exactly the same issues, but similar. Interviewers are often unrealistic about what skillset is even possible. If you are an expert at computational fluid dynamics....it's unlikely that you are also an expert stress analyst. Then there are some guys who hyper focus on their career and professional skills and *shocker*, they have personality and behavior issues because they have no life outside of work. It was best explained to me by a former boss: "When you die, your gravestone isn't going to say that this employee exceeded expectations"

[@Sohasorouri]

Never did I see a day where boss would say that. Damn.

[@kylea4225]

@@Sohasorouri must've been a great boss

[@gram7354]

great quote, great boss

[@serikazero128]

or maybe, maybe, we have a bad behavior and personality, and working sort of "solves" that

[@tbcstuff3634]

Must be nice to have gotten lucky and no clue why someone like you got a job. Also your statement is nonsensical, computational fluid dynamics are stress analyst have the mathematical base, you know one you know the other.

[@noorkdrip]

Software companies: "We don't have enough developers, why is that?!?!?!" Also software companies: "You have to have 3 years of experience and pass these 4 technical interviews to have a chance at applying for the Junior Software Engineer position"

[@the_5th]

The company I work for will list a bunch of languages on their job postings and actually expect somone to apply..........along with the required years of experience.

[@decorummortis5175]

All of that + 10 years of experience for the entry level position that is meant for fresh outta college folks. Lol

[@dipanjanghosal1662]

"You must have 5 years of experience on a framework that came out 2 years ago"

[@decorummortis5175]

@@dipanjanghosal1662 Right? Like that's even possible. Oh wait, that has the pre-req of you needing to be a time traveller too

[@kelly-nb2ho]

Just try

[@alexstack8375]

I’ve been a software engineer for a year now, the hardest part for me was getting my first position, learning stacks is hard but getting the first position was harder by far. I mustve sent out thousands of applications and it ended up taking about 8 or 9 months to get my first position. I went through at least a dozen interviews and maybe a 100 or so screenings. I would recommend spending your day 50% algorithms, 30% doing personal projects and the rest on applications. Get your projects expansive. Go full crud, include outside libraries like rxjs, material ui, become familiar with popular npm packages depending on your position and interests. And of course get a position in what your interested in! If you have Java, don’t take a Java position. If you hate front end? Don’t apply to a front end position, you’ll get burned out fast. I’m currently a front end dev with a larger company doing what I actually enjoy doing, my biggest headache with work is the amount of meetings goes into it. You have to meet with the UX team, the backend team, daily scrums etc etc. even as a junior half my day is meetings/mandatory training

[@nehalkumar2881]

Wow thank you for this video! I work in big tech and it’s exhausting. After so many many years also the anxiety doesn’t go away, it certainly gets a bit better but you are constantly questioning yourself! I often feel guilty if I think about doing things outside of work and spend a few hours on something else apart from learning more about software or good design or learning more about the language I use and so on! I know it’s ridiculous but idk why we are all almost in the same boat. I think it’s high time we realize it’s a never ending treadmill we are on if we choose to stay in this industry!

[@sk8yard]

I’ve never prepped for tech interviews, and all the work I’ve gotten was for companies who didn’t do a technical interview. For me, if a company requires a coding interview that’s an instant red-flag that they are behind the time, too much overhead, and just straight up don’t know what to look for in developers. I stay clear from those companies and I’ve always ended up in the most awesome, chill, low-stress environments with great management because of it. My advice is stop going for those 4-interview jobs… stop chasing the money so much. My work life balance is amazing because I avoid those and don’t solely seek high pay. Find smaller companies where you can talk with the owners, because those tend to be the least stressful and make this job amazing.

[@formanojr]

Great stance. Admire your integrity

[@SoulOctavius]

Dang this is exactly what I need. Thank you! Right I dont have time to play those silly games with snobby and ridiculous employers.

[@jandroxyz]

Sounds like you are behind the times. That's fine for some, but others who want to be challenged and make more money are going to be leetcoding/prepping for technical interviews. You can have high pay, good wlb, and challenging work, but you have to put in the time to get into those jobs.

[@sk8yard]

@@jandroxyz true, to each their own I guess. I personally don’t want to be challenged in this aspect of life. I’d rather make easy money and put my energy elsewhere in life. Some people their career is everything to them, but I’d much rather live a more full, balanced life and have work take up as little time and stress as possible. People think being challenged, and putting in max effort is the only way to the top, but I believe there are many, easier ways to the top without sacrificing so much, just got to be clever about it.

[@surlysmiles]

I’ve worked with too many crap developers to hire one without seeing their code

[@aceflamez00]

As a senior in my final year of CS, I’d say I’m pretty burnt out at this point. I been programming since I was 11 years old and using computers at a high level since 08 and I’m just tired of the bureaucracy in the industry and in university . This “burnout” culture is unhealthy and inhumane as it stands. My passion has been extinguished (for now)

[@crystalg2671]

I'm about to be a junior soon and I already feel burnout. I'm thinking about changing my major :c lol

[@alexbaltimore]

Senior as well and I put a ridiculous amount of time into my projects and it’s paying off in the grade category but not much elsewhere. Was required a internship to graduate and I got the feel of how cut throat the industry is and what the expectations were and it’s scary. I got stuck with a really low paying internship because places require such hard and impossible expectations for young new devs. I completely curved my expectations after that process and decided to just graduate and find a comfortable job not a crazy off the top big company that over works devs.

[@veffiesdda965]

That's why CS isn't for everyone. Sure, there are a lot of jobs that require devs and they get paid a good amount of money but if you're burning yourself out to the point where you're torturing yourself mentally, physically, and emotionally, it just ain't worth it.

[@bobby9108]

I just changed to data science

[@donaldsawyer2618]

What are your thoughts on Software Engineer in Test? Im thinking of learning in order to get extra money?

[@paulbrown5839]

Here's an angle i haven't seen mentioned. Programming well actually requires a negative mindset. Because you have to constantly be thinking 'what can go wrong' and cater for that. It's always working out the worst case scenario and focusing on it. Often i find myself in risk management mode, rather than being creative..because breaking the system is worse than producing something pretty.

[@chrismulcahy8326]

Completely agree 👍 depending on the product an engineer can be more like a medic trying to keep the product functional while fixing issues. A lot of legacy or monolithic products will force bad practice it's easy enough to think you'll work for one of the faangs and be working on pristine code but the reality is your first couple of jobs are going to be for smaller tech firms that might have 20 year old code base. I worked on a product based in cocoon 2 with backend classes with over 15 thousand lines of code. Most of the time you patch the bug with crap code so it doesn't fall over it feels bad it's stressful and depressing but most companies won't deal with technical debt they're run by upper management looking for 2% growth to please the shareholders 😅 Ii think most devs write code in their free time to experience what the job should be like quality first everything else second but that is not the reality.

[@aldergate-ca]

Hey bro. I love coding and am pondering software engineering. Im just going to ask flat out. Entering my 60's and (this is important, failing health, no family, must be remote) could I make it as a developer engineer in the contracting or freelance sector? (Looking for advice from someone whom has no motive either way. Thanks in advance.

[@HannesSwanepoel]

Thanks for the rant. I can relate to what you're saying. After about 15 years in the industry, I realised I wasn't strong enough to keep up the lifestyle and the imposter syndrome due to the perceived expectations. I cracked and quit my last two jobs. Not sure what I'm going to do next. I've been spending all my time to improve as a developer and really have little other marketable skills right now -- expect, maybe, the analysis of business requirements. Perhaps I should move into business analysis -- maybe there I'll be able to help make life easier for other developers by insisting on more reasonable expectations from business.

[@bradykruse1693]

I’m a computer science grad who is going to law school next month for cyber law. In the 9 months between my graduation and the start of law school, I’ve worked as a software engineer. And I have 100% realized that this is not for me. The burnout and constant push is for real. We never truly get a break, everything moves from one deadline to another. I never get that final feeling of completion. There is constantly more to do and less time to do it. Also, programming is super toxic. Not everyone, but a lot of software engineers have this mindset of “I need to work 12 hours a day, then go home and work on personal projects. I need to be coding constantly.” Programming isn’t even my true passion-I already knew that. But I still fall victim to the “no days off.” Even when I’m PTO or sick, I find myself tuning into sync meetings, doing work, getting chats from my teammates, etc. I cannot understand the people who do all of those things AND write 800 lines of code every weekend. A lot of people in CS get turned away from the field by how toxic it is. There is a lot of ego around software engineers-especially the silver spoon guys who had a great high school, a programming tutor, access to technology, learned programming young, etc. The most pissed I ever got at a coworker is when he said “if you don’t know C by high school you can’t be a software engineer.” I came into uni with no programming knowledge and had to spend a LOT of time learning and catching up. I was lucky enough to have some mentors and was able to do that. It pisses me off that this mindset of “you have to start super young” is taking hold, because a lot of very creative, intelligent people just don’t have those resources. The whole technical interview structure is garbage. The barrier for entry continues to climb higher and higher for no real reason. I think the industry is due for a massive shift. This simply isn’t sustainable. My advice to you all: I got totally burnt out on 9 months. It can happen fast. Don’t do what I did. Log off at 5 PM, don’t check Teams on your days off, work from home as much as possible, fuck the 40 hours / week structure, ignore your toxic teammates.

[@Nile-oz2go]

did you work 40 hours as a software engineer?

[@bradykruse1693]

@@Nile-oz2go Very rarely. The project I was on was undermanned and rushed. I typically worked 45-50, but many of my senior teammates worked 60+

[@lalegende2746]

@@bradykruse1693 60+ hours?!?!? That’s basically working for taxes at that point

[@kwaneleradebe4895]

Very true

[@jeffreyd.4878]

How did you get the job? And where did you look to apply? What programming languages did you know at the time of the interview? Current CS undergrad with one semester left before graduation.

[@yourfriendintech]

Critical thinking all day is super tough on the mind and body, you really have to remember and prioritize to taking care of yourself to not burn out

[@morosis82]

Yep. Have a friend who was a plumber, is now my boss (I'm a product tech lead, he's the business unit tech lead), he said plumbing was way easier, even when he's literally in the shit.

[@marklounsbury3023]

I’ve been developing software for 13 years now. 100% agree with you on all the topics covered, including less hours in a work week for critical thinkers. It’s exhausting, but very rewarding. Thanks for sharing.

[@instalocktaka9628]

can you say how you feel rewarded? Is the bank balance going up enought o keep you motivated to spend hours in front of a computer or do you feel rewarded by your colleagues appreciating your work or is it something else?

[@aldergate-ca]

Hey bro. I love coding and am pondering software engineering. Im just going to ask flat out. Entering my 60's and (this is important, failing health, no family, must be remote) could I make it as a developer engineer in the contracting or freelance sector? (Looking for advice from someone whom has no motive either way. Thanks in advance.

[@kenito2050]

Thanks for this posting and for your advice. I have been a QA engineer for 20 years (doing both manual and automation) and I very much enjoy what I do. I feel that to be successful in any field, you must have a passion for what you do. When I graduated from college in the mid 90's, jobs were very hard to come by. The Cold War had recently ended and so a lot of aerospace jobs in Southern California were being eliminated. However, I was able to take computer classes at a trade / tech school and at my local community college. I was very fortunate that I was able to find my passion in working with computers (even though I had already completed my degree in a different field). Later, when online learning platforms like Linda and Udemy were launched, I was able to take courses in database, programming and other software-related fields. Yes, I agree that software jobs can pay well but I feel it is more important to find your passion. If you love what you do, the money will come. Thanks Again.

[@grunt7783]

I have been a Software Engineer for almost 15 years. The biggest piece of advice I can give to new devs is not to make a goal of working for a FANG or large company. The thing is I have worked for a large Tech company and know devs who are still working for some and you are just an employee there, just another cog in the wheel. Stick is the small to medium companies. You learn so much and do really cool stuff but you are also part of a smaller group that you don’t get lost in the crowd. Almost daily I can message the higher ups of the company and pick their brains about their company vision. I can shoot the shit with them as people not as these idols the media and tech industry makes them out to be. Picking this route you do miss out on 10-15k a year (USD) but you never run into burnout or the feeling of being lost in the crowd. You feel more like a family and the accomplishments never go unnoticed and under appreciated. Just my opinion. Great video and very nicely done!

[@davidrlifts]

missing 10-15k leaves you at _____ . ???

[@ahmdm2036]

This is like the best advice I've heard about this topic. My goal is to be superior in skills, hard work, and passion. Hard work that i do by my own will, not forced to do things that i don't like. Thank you very much

[@naxxtor]

Depends on the company - small companies can be way worse in terms of burnout if the founders expect their employees to work as "hard" as they do, and they're work addicts. Likewise you can still make an impact in a big company if the culture is right. Admittedly, you have to put more effort on building a positive work culture in bigger companies - but sometimes that can beat making none in a small one.

[@hansfritz6026]

I would really love to Do this but I need the extra cash that only the big company is paying , got a family to feed and paying the mortage. But if I would be single I definetly would switch to a medium company. I started in a very small company and had the most fun while working there, but in the big company its just like you said you are just a drop in the ocean and the work is so boring and repetetive

[@xboxer808]

@@hansfritz6026 would you say you learn more in the smaller companies than yo u do in the bigger companies and why? I assumed that you could learn more from more experienced engineers in the big companies, maybe it’s more complicated than that

[@stevenklavins7856]

I started out self-taught, it took 250 applications, 5 failed final stage interviews, and almost 2 years of continuous learning to get my first role. I could not find one thing in this video I disagree with, I experienced burnout and felt overwhelmed on numerous occasions. I still to this day sometimes feel like an imposter, even in spite of the many hours I spend upskilling. But in all honesty, it's a likelihood even the best of developers feel like this from time to time. The tech industry moves fast, very fast, and it's important to know becoming a developer is a continuous growing journey. What I would say, is if you're in it for the money alone, be conscious not to lead yourself to an unhappy place. I've known a number of people who entered the field with dollar signs in their eyes... collectively they all jumped ship within their first year. This all being said, if this is truly you're aspiration in life don't be disheartened by the difficulties of getting your foot in the door, you will get there with persistence, and if you're fortunate enough to work in the right place you will be supported. I can say with confidence if you're someone who welcomes continuous challenges, and creative problem-solving, in the right environment you will thrive. Imposters syndrome and burnout aside, never have I felt this fulfilled in my career, becoming a developer could be the best decision I ever made. I wish you all the best of luck.

[@briana.9395]

Can I ask if your work is remote or not? Maybe it doesn't help stress levels if you have to commute? Especially if your commute is 40-60 min each way.

[@stevenklavins7856]

​@@briana.9395 Hi Brian, I work remotely and it's super nice not having to commute, it is an additional hurdle I am glad to have out the way in my day to day life. This being said working remotely does come with a number of challenges which is a large subject in itself.

[@jaredflynn8136]

Hi Steven, I have nothing to really say but I just hope you’re doing good. if you’re thinking about doing anything that could bring you some joy but you’re not sure if you should do it, I think you should. Besides that I just wish you the best and a happy new year. Best wishes to you man

[@archmad]

if you are not the top 1%, you feel that way. just be honest to yourself and accept who you are.

[@ComeauSoftwareSolutions]

Excellent video and yes, it is a very difficult profession in these ways. This is why I get irritated when someone says something like "Oh, well, that's not really work because you do it for fun anyway." My answer is "Trust me, companies and customers find a way to make it into work." There's an argument that goes on as to whether programmers should code off the job and I think you've hit on why it doesn't get resolved. As someone who's been programming off and on in different ways since the 80s, I was never part of the race to get a FAANG job or its equivalent. I just wanted a programming job *somewhere*. During my first programming class in college, I was already coming up with ideas that I wanted to do through code and staying after school to use the computer lab simply because I loved coding. My perspective is that if someone truly has a passion for coding, they'll spend that time doing it because they want to and that's what creates excellence. The knowledge and experience come naturally as a result of that passion. Having said that, the culture that you described where developers punish themselves to this degree to get some some prized job with one of a few major companies is wrong. Promising developers are burning themselves out before they even start a job and I now see why people on the other side of the "code outside of work" argument get so angry when I talk about the necessity. Just the idea of 3 to 5 rounds of interviews is ridiculous and the excuse of not being a "culture fit" is a sign of a bad company culture in itself. I would say that the solution is for programmers to stop idolizing FAANG-type jobs and decide what their personal goals really are with software development. If you love the work and the tech, then find a way to keep loving it, even if it means settling for less money at a company that will treat you like a human. If you're just there for the money, you're probably going to be miserable no matter how much you're making and should do something else.

[@89TStefan]

My experiences are quite similar, but I wanted to add some interesting things. First of all, when applying for a Junior position (meaning no experience at all), people expected someone having had years of experience somehow. It is quite unrealistic considering you probably just had your university graduation before or so. When I started off as a junior, people expected me to code. Now, after a few years, coding becomes less and less, but meetings, talking, and coordination as well as planning became the most important. I can be happy when I write a few hundred lines of code per day. Instead, I have to coordinate, to think about way different problems which have nothing to do with coding at all but with the processes of the software as well as the consequences for overall performance. And this is also something no one tells you. When being an architect, you don't build a house on your own, and the same goes for software engineering. You don't "build" much code on your own, but you have to understand the usage and consequences of code far more.

[@aldergate-ca]

Hey bro. I love coding and am pondering software engineering. Im just going to ask flat out. Entering my 60's and (this is important, failing health, no family, must be remote) could I make it as a developer engineer in the contracting or freelance sector? (Looking for advice from someone whom has no motive either way. Thanks in advance.

[@adamabera]

I think the reason why being in the tech industry causes anxiety or imposter syndrome is that the industry is so dynamic. The ever changing nature of it all makes people feel like they can't keep with everything, which you realistically can't do, but nonetheless it makes people feel overwhelmed and stressed thinking that they have to be up to date on everything new. Even though I don't have enough experience, my advice to people is keep using the knowledge you have and if there is a way to do what you already do more efficiently, learn it. Other than that, try to look at the new developments for fun, and if something from what you see interests you, learn it at your own pace. This is just my opinion though, other people may completely disagree but hey, I hope this helps.

[@GyasiLinje]

This is is really helpful and I agree 100% becoming an expert at one language/framework can take you very far

[@adamabera]

Yeah, nice video by the way.

[@festus-obi]

you're certainly right. The innovations are so fast paced that it gets over bearing keeping up most times.

[@sahilkamra4586]

Hello Adam. Currently learning React and made some projects I still don't feel that I know alot and still feel stuck. I don't have a job right now as I just just graduated and have started looking for one. So what would you say that where to draw a line for how much you should really know to become a junior dev? I am mostly interested in web dev.

[@adamabera]

@@sahilkamra4586 It depends on the job. I don't want to say something and steer you in the wrong direction so look up what the actual experts have to say.

[@BrentStewart]

I've been writing code for nearly 38 years (27 professionally) and everything you're saying is spot on. I just can't do the Eat, Sleep, Code thing - never have. As much as I love coding I have other things I like doing as well. I'm 52 and also a father which also takes a lot of time from my day. As a result I've fallen WAY behind in the modern tech stack and finding new work with a good skill fit is incredibly difficult. I have ZERO regrets for the time I spend with my family and getting whatever "me" time I can. But my career depresses me - it shouldn't be this way, something needs to change in the industry. I know some people have suggested management. No, management is simply not for me. I just don't want the hassle of managing people - hiring, firing, discipline, politics, etc. I prefer the trenches.

[@cryptodude_btc]

@Crystal Spider BINGO!!!

[@JamesBond-re2nt]

@Crystal Spider 💯

[@ALCRAN2010]

@@wintermint7 Jimmy Hoffa

[@wintermint7]

@@ALCRAN2010 Teamsters for a Democratic Union

[@SuperGojeto]

@Brent Stewart I have the same thinking as you! Only thing is I just have around 5 years of experience and I think I can see my future which doesn't seem good. I love coding but don't want to spend my extra time keeping myself up to date. I was blessed with one kid recently and spend time with him a lot! I face burnout often because of crappy management, crappy boss, crappy design etc. I don't want to do management because I love to code and solve problems rather than calculate how many hours, people, budget of the project. I don't know what should I do to keep my coding passion alive and live my life instead of most of these youtubers people fantasing working in FANG companies. Don't need no Ferraris, Bungalow to enjoy my life. What would be your advice for a fellow junior?

[@MasterTSayge]

Great Advice, the big problem with IT field is that it's a rat race. A lot of ITs are pirates. I know my limits and I work at a reasonable pace; however, my competitors will outwork me on purpose just so they can outshine me and my peers who are also working at their own pace. And once the company review happens , WE ARE LET GO! We become unemployed again while the ITs who are working at light speed just so they can stand out ending up taking our jobs. This is the biggest issue with IT jobs! It's frustrating.

[@TheSoulCrisis]

Oof man this bites.......everyone should just work at an even pace to be honest! I hate outsourcing and extreme hustle culture too. So damn toxic.

[@corriedebeer799]

Are you from India?

[@johnnyb6747]

I really appreciated this video. I'm beginning a journey to learn how to code and this popped up on my side bar. I don't think it was discouraging at all, personally. It's good to understand the full breadth of experience that I might be signing up for in pursuing this career, and these are things nobody else mentions within all the glam and hype of starting a career in tech. This gave me a lot to think about and some excellent warnings on what to look out for in myself, so that I can work towards establishing a sustainable lifestyle in this industry

[@cherylaketch3867]

Hey, how did it go?

[@JazzJaguar]

I've been writing code for 25 years. Self-taught, no CS degree. Just on-the-job learning. And I want to stress that it was ON-THE-JOB learning. The perception is that you have to do all this extra learning and reading outside of work. Some people do that and that's fine. But, it wasn't for me. I've been able to carve out a decent career without all that extra work outside the office. I also found that when you hear those people talking about all this new tech, they mostly only read a blog post and maybe typed a few commands they copy/pasted from that blog post. They aren't building production systems in their spare time. The valuable engineers I've ever worked with got things done at work and weren't distracted by all the new stuff they thought they needed to know.

[@p6id]

If you don’t mind me asking what’s your salary at now?

[@huzbum]

New technology/frameworks are "great" and can be fun to think about for new projects, but somebody has to be able to accomplish something with an existing system, and you can't waste all of your time migrating from framework to framework and switching out tooling. Understanding the concepts behind frameworks and best practices, then being able to implement those things in whatever stack you're working with is more important than trying a bunch of new things.

[@dudeurfugly5653]

Thank you so much for this. I'm a self-taught programmer as well, my degree is actually management accounting but I decided to work in software engineering straight out of college. I feel insecure towards IT/CS majors but your comment made me believe in myself again and make me feel confident in my abilities. Baby steps, small progress is still progress.

[@tomer.nosrati]

Nailed it.

[@KrisTheCodeManDude]

Then why do employers pretend that you can't?

[@cseale61]

I've been developing software and data systems for 35 years, and you are spot on. I could have gone down the management path, but I love the work I do. There is one major aspect to having done this for so long - I can now tell people whether something is feasible or something is ridiculous, and they know I'm telling them the truth. I can also get away with telling higher-up where to go when they think I should be coding on my own time. I went the contractor route with my career. It's not for everyone, and you really have to stay organized in a lot of areas outside of what you do as a programmer, but done right, it affords you a lot of freedom. One of the reasons I only do contracts now is because I don't want to get tied to one company and possibly have to put up with people or a corporate culture that I may not like, for long periods of time. I agree with your assessments though, and I wish you much success.

[@code-dredd]

How'd you get started in working as a contractor? Any tips? Thanks.

[@andregal123]

Can you be my sensei? I want to be a fullstack developer but i feel that im just a noobie and my skills are low

[@code-dredd]

@@andregal123 No one here is likely to do that, but a good tip I'd give you to get started is to write simple programs. One example of a simple one is to make one that prompts the user for their weight on Earth and then show what their weight would be in different locations of the solar system (moon, mercury, etc.)

[@vincei4252]

I left contracting in 2005 and have gone from one clusterfuck of a company to another as an employee in the intervening time. Currently in a gigantic corp and have been here for god going on 12 years now! This from a guy who's longest permanent job before this was 2 years tops. The comment about corporate culture totally resonates with me. The lies, the never ending bleating about diversity (I'm black by the way) that never really does anything but bring in the types of people who complain about an oppression they've never experienced, the garbage managers and the expectation that you'll work outside business hours... I don't do that anymore as a salaried employee because it gets you nowhere these days because we now live in a post meritocratic society where oppression points are all that matter; I guess it's my cross to bear that I don't play that game. I miss being a contractor, I miss being able to decide I'm not going to work for 6 months and go do my own thing and come back after a much needed detox. Over the last couple years the impulse to throw in the towel and go back to contracting or call it quits completely have grown and grown. The only thing that has stopped me so far is I finally transferred to a group in the past year with a manager who actually can write software and is pragmatic about the realities of delivering a good product. All my previous managers treated writing software as something beneath them which was a red flag in and of itself, they were also experts at creating a massive amounts of technical debt daily.

[@briannaalejo9226]

@@vincei4252 cs major here, and that victim mentality in the workplace sounds super childish and unprofessional (I’m female Asian/ Hispanic btw). Why did you leave contracting? And did you miss out in benefits when contracting than working under a company?

[@powerfist1340]

My thing from the outside looking in, as someone whose only now looking down the barrel of a CompSci course and thinking of learning programming as an expansion to my skillset: I actually really want a job that expects me to use my brain more than my muscle, Having been in the Navy and mostly worked manual labor i'm just tired of mindless work that expects me to take item from here and put it there. (I'm also a little bit antisocial). So espite not understanding some of the terminology and not really having heard the gossip about salaries and benefits and everything, this was actually a pretty heartening video to watch. Thanks for the content.

[@LokoJohn]

Thanks for the heads up, really appreciate the insights shared!

[@FanaseeFilms]

I have been feeling a lot of burnout as a developer recently. I have been prepping for technical interviews and I have began to ask myself if this is even really what I want out of life. It feels like you have to sacrifice your mental health to continuously improve as a dev. Being glued to the screen and neglecting your life outside of that really adds up over time...

[@johnmadsen37]

Try cleaning toilets or fast food or anything else. It’s work. Get as much as you can for your t8me.

[@eman0828]

Generally the IT field experience burn out across many roles since developers aren't the only ones. Network and Systems Administrators have it just as bad esp when a server goes down that are on-call and have to wake up out of their sleep to fix it over the weekend.

[@ImpreciseWords1]

That’s why I’ve been watching finance vids and vids like these I want to build a lot of money so that if it ever gets boring I can quit and goon to something else (not a software dev but I want to be one)

[@MarivoneAraujo]

Balancing it all is the key! I have twins and I still find time to do little things I love sometimes…

[@rdean150]

Fellow developer here. Also struggling with burnout. The stress and frustration at the never-ending series of impossible, seemingly arbitrary deadlines. The lack of sleep. It takes a heavy toll on mental and physical health. I worry that it has turned me into an asshole. I wish I had a solution to offer but I'm searching for one myself. Just wanted to let you know you're not alone, mate. Best of luck.

[@CalvinJones_95]

Man, I have been in IT for over 20 years, what you mentioned is the absolute truth about job and the industry. I couldn't have summed it up any better than what you stated. Great video post!!

[@xpressmuzik1379]

You guys have any remote jobs available?

[@krevin543]

I’m an Event manager with a major hotel brand. This video is important to me because one of my major issues with hospitality in general since COVID has been terrible staffing, overwork (13 hours a day) bad pay for the time and the burnout that comes with those. I am thinking to start learning the job and perhaps make a lateral move into Software Development. Honestly the money is the biggest part. I just started a family.

[@y2kdiva]

Thank you. Last year I completed my masters in Ed. Tech /Ed Design. I haven’t made the switch from being a HS Eng teacher into educational technology, but you’ve help put a lot of things into perspective for me.

[@OEMPlus]

i'm over ten years into this and here's my advice: the quicker you can learn when to unplug, walk away, and let the problem settle so the answer can come to you the better off you're going to be. You need to learn a lot to make that possible but you gotta understand your brain tries to solve problems even after you stop... let it run the subroutines while you chill out with the wife or the boys.

[@macky1660]

im not working in IT (yet) or software engineer (I am studying cyber security right now), but I write bash scripts for fun and i would work on something for hours, lay down in bed to sleep, and then instantly have the most efficient solution come to me when i'm not even doing it.

[@mrbmro3991]

I agree 100 percent. I've been coding since 2003. When you hit a brick wall, a lot of the time it's because your brain is locked into trying to solve the issue using only a few approaches. When I sleep, usually this is on my mind and during sleep or when I wake up, I approach the issue from a new set of attack angles. Usually this is when you find solutions. You allow space for your stubborn brain to approach the issue from a different perspective. Coding rocks!

[@BruuhGaming]

100%, sometimes you just have a Burnout and you miss the obvious issues. At the next day with relaxed mindset you will find the issue really fast

[@Farlibaax]

This so true, I solve some problems on the playground and immediately make notes on my phone 😆

[@csy897]

YES. Don’t have kids but I literally go out and take an hour’s walk every day. Probably should clean my home instead. But I find that physically removing myself from the problem really helps me gain a new perspective on the issue.

[@arnotek]

I just recently retired after 47 years as a software engineer and this video is right on. It was not uncommon to work 110 hours a week when being paid for 40. (You are not considered to be a "team player" unless you work unpaid extra hours.) Schedule pressure is intense and never ending. You must also keep up with technology advancements on your own time which is very difficult. It also is not uncommon to finish a multi-year project and get leap frogged by technology. Like the video states, it is important to maintain relationships with those that are outside of the industry and to maintain outside interests. So what do I do now that I am retired? Yeah, I am still developing software and even a half century after writing my first program, I still enjoy it. The difference is that now I get to write things that I am interested in as opposed what someone else wants me to develop.

[@enriktigasna]

47 years. Wow. Huge respect to you.

[@seignee]

@@enriktigasna agreed. that is such a long time

[@PhillipMwaniki]

Daaaamn, I'm 6 years in and for sure it doesn't get better as you go high

[@eddievet1]

Did you have a life?

[@ZeonLP]

70 unpaid hours? Holy shit.

[@londonerwalks]

Totally agree with you. I have come across many programmers in my time who code outside of office hours for fun. And there is that big problem of your skillset not being relevant anymore if you don't keep up with the new technologies, so you feel pressure to spend every waking hour learning new stuff. However, life is short and nothing can replace lost time with your wife and kids. My advice is be yourself and do something healthy outside of work. Life was meant for enjoying, not vegetating 24/7 in front of a screen.

[@lenalyman9526]

Thank you, I appreciate this candid video. It has helped me on my path to figuring out what I want to do with my future.

[@DariusDinero]

This is all facts! Sometimes I can barely record after being on my computer all day doing homework. Love the content as always bro congrats on 100K 🍾 Keep grinding

[@longbra]

“The stress of critical thinking all the time”. Couldn’t have stated it better myself. That stress and mindset carries over into your normal life. I’ve solved many issues in bed not able to get work out my head and overthink things outside of work more than most!

[@GordonsBeard]

I came to comment the exact same thing. The stress of critical thinking is impossible to understate when you're doing it day and day out for years on end

[@codesquare9131]

That has happened to me.. found solution to a problem while on the shower

[@j.davila4523]

@@codesquare9131 showerthoughts hehe

[@maheshraj3472]

@@codesquare9131 what is the solution of stress of critical thinking

[@mate1159]

but i like critical thinking. like that's where I'm happy. riddles and puzzles are my cheeze and crackers. even then is it still the same?

[@jdub-replicant]

great discussion on the downsides as you discussed. this could really be applied to any field but its good that you specifically spoke about it from the software engineer's perspective. i think it would help aspiring developers and other technologists to set better expectations for themselves by knowing what they want work/life balance to look like and always be evaluating if they are where they want to be at. comparing to other technologists is potentially misleading as everyone has different ideas of what success looks like. Equally important is for aspiring technologists to understand what is enough money for themselves and what does basic success look and feel like to them. Most of us just need to get working and we end up with unrealistic expectations and learn the hard way through burnout or worse by resigning ourselves to "this just isn't for me". Companies hiring don't know and don't necessarily care what your success model looks like even when they say they do. thanks for sharing this perspective.

[@ItsJeffbeloved]

As someone newly shifting into software development, I’ll say this, imposter syndrome will be probably the utmost biggest hurdle to overcome however once you overcome it, mentally you will be one refined individual in life.

[@austinle]

as a software developer, when you finish school, you really don’t ever stop learning. you spend a good amount of time outside of work learning the newest and greatest tech.

[@johnnyq4260]

The thing though, is that the "learning" is mostly about fad-ish, "perishable" stuff, unlike math and science.

[@karolinho3]

That's the part I like the most about being a developer though...

[@davidcorona644]

Pro-tip: Don't aspire to work in FAANG. Try other smaller companies where you will definitely be an asset and treated as such. Coding is a skill set that takes several hours and years to acquire and refine. Think about this, at most big companies, fortune 500 companies, you're basically killing yourself to land a role that pays the same as a smaller company. Also, in those big companies, some project manager or scrum master is going to have more job security and higher pay than you even though they offer less value to the company. "Leadership" roles are almost always perceived as more valuable to those types of organizations. Despite your high skill set and value they have found a way to put you in state of uncertainty and even fear. You're basically being pimped. You'll be like, "Of course I can take on a bigger load." You're the golden goose but they've got you constantly trying to prove your worth. They've got all of you vying to be the bottom bitch because they've created a system of scarcity through several rounds of interviewing tests and not hiring enough developers. So, by landing a role you feel a little bit special and you want to keep feeling that, "I'm special that's why I'm here and others aren't. I''m one of the ones that measured up." That's how they get you. "Of course I can do this big daddy, I'm one the best. That why you hired me big daddy, cuz I got what it takes. I got the skills daddy, ya dig!"

[@barrow_3490]

There's a nugget of good advice in this ramble. Pro-advice usually cuts out the resentment and extreme pessimism. Calm down, son.

[@JohnPaluska]

@@barrow_3490 What if it isn't pessimism though? I know someone who worked for a major company as a film editor. He was so good that clients that formerly worked with the company started calling him to do projects for them. Not the company, him specifically. So he went freelance and he is loving it. The company used him as a show dog. Whenever there were tours, they said "this is Jake. Look at how awesome Jake is." Then they made him work 70-80 hours, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. No such thing as paid time off. The projects always came first. Then he went freelance and all those clients the company used to have, they now just hire him directly instead. He calls the shots, sets his own hours, and isn't treated like a show dog anymore. The best part is, he didn't even plan this. Just one day he said "What the hell am I doing working for these people? I have clients who constantly call wanting to hire me directly and I keep turning them down. Why the hell am I doing this?" Best decision he ever made. And, no. He didn't "take the clients with him." They already were looking to hire him instead of the company. He also didn't use his time at the company to set up his freelance career. He simply quit one day and began working for the clients who kept begging him to work as their film editor.

[@zepar6076]

Big daddy sounded very wrong and I could hear the words

[@JohnPaluska]

@@barrow_3490 so, to you, I guess that slaves who didn't try to use the underground railroad were free because they chose to be a slave. With that logic everyone working as a sex trafficker is also free, right? Because it's SOOOOO EASY to just choose something different, right? Like, my friend didn't need to think about eating, paying rent, or anything. He was free to live all along. It isn't as if his company was blackmailing him with cash payments or anything like that...

[@PancakeTiger358]

This is so true!

[@ujubanton2047]

Wow. I’m going through this right now. Pretty much having to do an intense 6 week Java course and expected to do an interview mock this week. Like I’m so exhausted trying to cram all this info in as I’m still relatively new to programming. I feel like I resonate with every single thing you’re saying without even technically being a programmer yet. I’ve not had a life for the past couple weeks

[@nguyentuanloc1657]

how about you recently ? i'm learning java course on udemy and without degree and also feel the same. i'm vietnamese people, and hope to get a good job with my java. Of course i am graduated and have degree of restaurant management & culinary art after 4 years learning... but that field terrible in my mind.

[@salemabdulkerim]

Yep. I heard bootcamps are very intense. Also it is just crazy how much money they charge you. I feel like self pace courses are better an more doable if you are able to manage your time well. Also, the work life balance is important. I keep in mind that life is more than just work.

[@nguyentuanloc1657]

@@salemabdulkerim if you leave in another developing country like indonesia , vietnam ..v..v , as a vietnamese people , i would rather have a good job and earn much money . Balance in life is good , but not for the young people . Hope to see your reply

[@salemabdulkerim]

@@nguyentuanloc1657 yeah I agree. I also want a good job as well. I am a little confused when you say balance in life is not good for the young people. I thought all people regardless of age should have a work/life balance.

[@salemabdulkerim]

@@nguyentuanloc1657 also are you trying to say you would rather have a good job than earn a lot of money?

[@user-fm7hf5pt2n]

Thank you so much for this video, you answered a lot of questions that I had. I appreciate your transparency so much. I definitely need work life balance in my new career and I don’t want to work even when I’m not clocked in.

[@thedigitalceo]

I think this is a common problem for everyone and across all industries. Just figuring out how to live a fulfilled and balanced life enjoying all your interests and juggling multiple goals while maintaining a strong career.

[@kaizen5023]

It is definitely more pronounced in tech. Things are changing incredibly fast. Devs are expected to be up on the latest frameworks and deployment methods and etc. etc.

[@Thadnill]

@@kaizen5023 Agree, the human body will for example never change, so once a doctor have learned everything about the human body, he is all set information wise. While as a developer, you will never be set, because the tech always changes.... It's an endless loop of studying and re learning new languages

[@Danuxsy]

@@Thadnill Endless? Most programmers will be out of jobs before 2050, the rise of AI assisted tools is already a reality.

[@Thadnill]

@@Danuxsy See yourself how you said *most" and not all, which implies that there will always be a need for computer scientists and low level developers, and yes they will always have to re learn new technology and languages as technology advances exponentially.

[@Danuxsy]

@@Thadnill "there will always be a need to computer scientists and low level developers" this is such a stupid thing to say lol

[@geoideas07]

I’m a junior web developer for almost 2 years now. I still have to code after work just to get better at the new technologies we are implementing at work. It’s so hard to keep up with coding after work when you have to cook your own meals, want to hang out with friends and family and do cleaning chores. I’m at that point where I just would want to be a mid level developer, do coding for a few more years and look for another career path. Thanks for shinning a light on this topic.

[@festus-obi]

I think Working from home made this easier for me. I use my 8 hours meant for work for both work and the spaces in between to work on my personal projects. In fact there are several times i have to go to my personal projects to grab something that might save the day at work. My advise is, try as much as you can to fuse some parts of your side projects to the actual job. e.g if you are trying to learn automation on the side, try to practise it with some of the tools at work (of course you might need some type of approval for this)

[@CallMeMilenko]

Sounds like I'm seeing into the future. I'm self teaching myself to program. I find the only time I current have to teach is after my family goes to sleep. I work 8 hours a day as a Technology Technician/Coordinator, often have tech jobs after work to complete, dad duties, cooking, cleaning, etc. I don't have friends, but barely have time sleep. That's my biggest concern at the moment.

[@festus-obi]

@@CallMeMilenko i feel you mate. Keep pushing. it will all be worth it in the END

[@volkfly]

Thank you for the candid take. I'm a CS major and this made me think deeper about the whole thing. I appreciate the advice.

[@ACbunny95]

This video was exactly what I needed! I thought I was alone but you are 100% correct! The imposter syndrome and also coding outside of work! Thank you!!

[@irokamoses6792]

It’s really stressful,I think Software engineering is the hardest..

[@dartthewarrior]

I’m so happy someone finally said this!!! Breaking into the data analyst space was a complete nightmare for me. With my prior company, I applied to an associate and junior data analyst position multiple times for a product I was supporting for 6 years as the SME for the main module and most of the supporting modules. Preparing for those interviews was nothing short of a nightmare and my wife barely saw me for each of the 2 month long prep session I did to prepare!! I knew a few members of that team and asked them to help me prep each time and after every interview, I was crushed (both in the interview itself and from the result) as the things I prepped for were not asked in the interview and the technical question had nothing to do with the job. After two years of trying, I left the company and I am now a Sr. DA with another company where I got in on the first interview session. During the interview process, my director flat out told me that after work, he does not want me to do any tech anything (unless it is truly personal - like going back to school, etc.) and to spend time with my wife and rediscover or create a new hobby. After working for one of the largest SaaS and tech companies in the world, hearing a director from another incredibly large company say that was the main reason I joined. Happy to say I am happier than I have ever been now with the new company in the job I have been trying to get for nearly 3 years!! The tech world can be fun and the money can be great, but the mental and emotional cost is normally higher than most people realize or realize too late. Cheers for truth-ing, brother!

[@loturzelrestaurant]

Whoever finds out that a giant and starved Fanbase like HunterxHunter can make you a lot of Money if you program a Game for them, will be Rich.

[@senseme7627]

How is wlb stress levels comparing data analyst to software engineer?

[@perpetuallyirrelevantgamer7124]

Being a musician has the same pressures: people always expect you to be playing and practicing in your downtime like you have nothing else to do or a life to live.

[@debabratapani]

It will be the case with many jobs now. All workers/employees will be expected to be work/practice/improve throughout the week.

[@MandolinGuy530]

I think part of what often gets overlooked is that you won't thrive in tech generally or software engineering more specifically if you're not the sort of person who thrives on always learning new things. Sometimes I get bored really easily if I'm not mentally focusing on something, which makes it difficult for me to ever completely shut down, but when you finally have a handle on a new concept, or learn to see something in a different way because you've learnt something new, there's no feeling quite like that satisfaction and I think that's part of the addiction for people like me and I assume you as well :) This doesn't just apply to my work but my life more generally as well.

[@q450062734]

totally agree! I am always reading nonfiction and tech teztbook not just because its interesting, but because they are actually applicable to my software job and my life in general. No feeling quite like the satisfaction you can apply the new thing you learn to your life and career indeed!

[@WonderCreationStudios]

Great video! I can confirm being a Computer Science grad from one of the most difficult CS programs in the country, burnout is very real, and can leave your mind in a very fragile state. Companies and or other organizations will _"utilize"_ your talents until they can't get it out of you the same way they used to and just terminate and have you replaced. Although that's also the harsh reality of the tech industry in general, even if you're a designer, programmer, or some business suit working at a tech company. Very, very unstable industry, but people need to remember there's a reason programmers typically make great salaries. Just because they may make great money for a little while doesn't mean they'll be happy.

[@retroguardian4802]

I think it comes from the reality that most people are in jobs without perks. Long hours and cant pay the bills. No time left for family and so forth. People that come from working minimum wage for years simply can't relate. Every disadvantage here exists in dead end jobs. The difference is you can't pay bills and your hungry wich is a whole other level of tired when you physically don't have the calories. This was me before I got into dev. If your reading and broke as a joe then trust me. You got this. It really is a game changer. The positives out weigh the negatives to the point there not even worth mentioning. That's why people don't talk about them. If you grew up cooking food in the oven with cardboard the disadvantages just don't exist.

[@garveziukas]

I disagree, as someone who had a dead end job in sales before becoming a developer all I can say is that my life was so much easier back then. There was stress only once in a while, had enough of free time to chat and get to bond with colleagues. Yes the pay was low and there were no perks but it was enough to pay the bills and since it was not a mentally intense job I had a lot of energy after work to do the things I like. I was broke but I was relatively happy. As long as your dead end job doesn't abuse you and is enough to cover the bills it's incomparable to software engineering because you might be 10x happier doing that "basic" job.

[@kieranstorrie9361]

@@garveziukas I think the takeaway from both of these comments is 'Different Strokes for Different Folks'

[@blackgira7056]

Agree most people working a 9-5 don’t even use that free time they have because they are too depleted after work. I’ve seen both sides manage a healthy work and personal life.

[@andyedwards2589]

@@garveziukas Wait.. you disagree that working minimum wage jobs doesn't pay enough to meet the bills or eat well? Or that this person actually had that experience? Because I did and I can say 100% that even in burning the candle at both ends and not having time to cook your own meals from cramming code interview prep, it's still a choice, and that fact is never lost on someone who used to have to go to bed not only tired but in Fear every night, wondering if they were going to get canned this week and be living on the street at the end of the month.

[@dylanstandridge3201]

It’s definitely one of the toughest industries when it comes to interviews. Imagine a doctor walking into an interview and being asked a question he learned in his 7th year of college and then being asked to perform a minor surgery to fix it 😂 Edit: recently read a book on the life of a doctor and I now have a firm grasp on how difficult the phases before are and how much rejection you will face. The path to becoming a SWE is nowhere near as challenging but interviewing for the job still kind of remains the same. It can be crazy if it’s a top tier job.

[@KevinJDildonik]

Or being a brain surgeon, but the interviewers only like to ask questions about bones, no matter what your specialty is. So you have to stop operating on brains every few days to read a book on bones just in case you ever need to switch jobs.

[@dylanstandridge3201]

@@KevinJDildonik yeah yeah we get it. You know the brain. That’s not hard. Tell me about osteoporosis.

[@danitho]

I never knew how to phrase it but that is so true. I'm not an engineer. I'm a graphic and web designer. But I get these type of things in interviews all the time

[@DJ-lo8qj]

Becoming a doctor is significantly more challenging than becoming a software engineer lol … SWE have incredible work/life balance compared to doctor

[@MrDavud-lf9ju]

I was a med school applicant, didn't get in unfortunately, but I can assure you that the board exams and clinical assesments to get an MD as well as the meticulous residency training is more difficult and higher pressure than a coding interview.

[@leehaynes7761]

WOW!!! 4 years now, I have been looking for a job in the field and every thing you have said I personally feel is very true, I have had at least 1 interview every 6 - 8 weeks and the most common reason for not getting the job is "lack of experience" and like you say you go through the paper sifting, phone interview, face to face recruiter and then the final coding test, that is the answer. Personally think that fact that being 50+, a disabled guy in a wheelchair, no hair and no teeth, a little on the large size is not what an interviewer expects, and I don't fit the "stereo-type" programmer, and rather than be honest they give me the lack of experience but all I can do is keep studying, building my projects, and keep looking. So I really appreciate the time taken to do the video. I know that covid has had a massive affect on the industry. A recruiter once said that a company could have 1 candidate every day for an entire year and still not run out of candidates and I suppose there right.

[@minxyx1007]

Hope you find a job soon ;)

[@leehaynes7761]

@@minxyx1007 Thank you for your kind words. Lee

[@samuelnunez7501]

i loved your video! thank you for all of the helpful information!

[@tombraselton2671]

I burned out after about 28 years of work in technology. The amount of work and constant studying is extremely challenging. It was hard to just take a shower because I would think of a solution and return to the computer. The burnout caused me just to quit. I used to race all types of motorcycles so I went to a bike shop and sold them for a year. I then worked in a gym as a trainer for a year. After that? I spent several years busting my butt to get BACK to computers and programming! A month ago, I finally made it back. I went financially broke and minimized everything. I like it and it is a relief but I have no money at all. With my first two paychecks, I can probably live 4-6 months now! The hard lesson that I learned that the “grass is greener” exists. The fact is that motorcycle sales sucks and makes no money. What I thought as working with people would be great and that would outweigh the loss in money was all wrong. The people sucked and the job was stupid hard for my old self. On to the gym. Same type thing. The people were unreliable and just annoying. The pay was not livable even for the top performers. The entire industry treats the employees horribly and expect tons of free work which is illegal. I learned a valuable lesson. Perhaps just trying to balance my life versus the extreme of jumping ship completely. The fact is that companies understand all of the issues and will work with you. I should have sought a solution where I remained in the industry where my passion was and just allowed for more outside stimulation. It is extremely difficult thing to get the work/life thing balanced correctly. I can advise that you consider figuring that before a huge change. In the end, I get paid a ton for a moderately demanding occupation. Beats getting paid nothing for 15 hours a day!

[@codehub5872]

For an intermediate developer going to advanced level ..i will say at first people really think its kinda easy to do programming but the bitter reality is that its not at all...mastering any craft takes alot of work, practice and endurance. programming need you to be mentally focused with just a goal in mind ..which is to get it done no matter what i faced...

[@effexon]

not to mention absorbing all that technical and social information of system and needs + using memory to paint it as a whole at same time + keep track of all tiny details playing part in that whole...

[@ajadleman]

I am a retired software engineer with more than 40 years experience. From my perspective, I think you are spot on. My biggest pet peeve is when bureaucracy gets in the way of technology. When a path forward is chosen because of politics and not for what is right. This happens way too much!

[@corriedebeer799]

The corporate environment were I'm seems to be fundamentally different. I have been quite open to my employers as to what kind of work environment i need and they have been open to giving the goose that lays the golden eggs what he needs.

[@julianpico6782]

Sir you are an og of the internet then, please share more

[@bioheart09]

yeah, could you tell us more?

[@ggoog1845]

dont believe you, so many software engineers for decades in comments and you've been a software engineer since the internet was invented 40 or so years ago? yeh whatever bud

[@bioheart09]

@@ggoog1845 Yeah... That's entirely fucking possible? Are you serious? As if IBM was doing MAJOR hiring back then, especially when the internet first kicked off...

[@spacepimpkevin1184]

That's definetly my biggest concern that i will want to deal with when i start my Software Engineering path: Time for myself and my loved ones. I'm fortunate that i didn't have kids with any undesireable people at 26, but i FOR SURE when i have kids or a wife: All the important stuff and holidays are for them. Screw what my peers think and screw if my company gets upset that i'm not pushing myself every minute of every day. Eat,sleep,code is fine when you're starting and diving in but once i'm experienced and well versed in my foundational knowledge i'm only going to spend extra time learning the new stuff that comes out and working when i feel comfortable doing so. I will work hard for the time that they are owed for sure and i will spend personal time learning things or working on things but i refuse to do that for the other important people in my life and the time that they deserve too! I agree with a majority of what i'm reading and seeing here: Don't stress over progress, money, or pacing. Remember what's important and WHY you took on such a difficult role. You wanted good pay so you could have more power in your own life and the time you share with others.

[@chigozie123]

Speaking of interacting with people, I recently tried pair programming with a new guy at our company, and he and I both agreed that was the most productive 2 hours we've ever spent solving a problem. Human interaction when solving problems, is highly underrated in the software industry. The industry seems to be more focused on rewarding the cowboy programmer who sets off on his own, to conquer the world only with the arsenal in his holster. They forget that the tools that enabled such conquest were developed by GROUPS of like-minded individuals.

[@jdjedi2225]

Underrated comment

[@vranix]

I am not a developer, just a DBA and I see now how important were face-to-face interactions with my colleagues. Sharing knowledge was much faster, even small talks were productive. I used to think remote work was a heaven but it appeared to be pain in the ass. Of course, there are pros and cons, as always, but communicating through MS Teams, phone, emails all day long and not seeing a living person eventually makes you an alienated savage.

[@P_Belle]

@@vranix ditto to this and above comments! This is an example of "humane use of tech" 👍

[@P_Belle]

@@vranix "just" DBA? come on , you provide infrastructure ! with fault tolerance... and security.

[@FengG0]

I’m the complete opposite, I find joy in solving problems by myself, even if it takes longer. Nothing better than personal achievements and pair programming takes away from that experience.

[@Yathoom2]

Thank you for your video. I can certainly relate, being a computer engineer too. I feel working in tech does come with the fact that the industry is moving so fast, where people really can't keep up with everything that is going on. I read some of the comments below, and I'm glad to see that more experienced people are feeling this syndrome as well. I am over 40 and I am thinking of shifting my interest to software right now. This is why I reached your video, and I must say I was motivated to go into software engineering because of the benefits you've mentioned on the video. I think you;ve hit really great points, and gave me a good idea of what to expect on my journey. Thank you for that, and for the people in the comment section!

[@federalolivejp6998]

I enjoyed the video as well, gave me a lot to think about. Took a bootcamp two years ago to try and break away from a going nowhere fast career in mental health that just wasn't paying, anyway upon cometion of said program I tried and tried and couldn't land any jobs as my skills weren't up to par. Had to give that up due to running out of savings and my wife can't support the family on her own. Two years have passed and I have lost what I learned and have regretted it. I've been trying so hard to advance in my field without a full license, and I am currently in a dead end do nothing type job, I am really thinking long and hard about trying to break into programming again. I miss the challenge that was presented and again, dealing with the feelings that I have spent the last several years building a career that never really took off has been depressing. Yesterday I dusted off my mac and began relearning HTML/CSS to get my brain juices flowing again. Took me awhile to remember the git workflow. Going to get back into Javascript, MERN/MEAN stack, and I'd like to learn Java and C/C++.

[@gekquad116]

After having a rough round of interviews and ultimately getting rejected for a backend engineering position at company I was stoked on, this is what I really needed. Thanks so much for this.

[@Unlucky403]

Did you end up getting a job?

[@ryelo916]

As someone that is getting ready to jump in head first into this field I applaud your brutal honesty. I have been through a coding boot camp and I feel like after completing this course I can tell you that the bootcamp was the reality check I needed to help me understand that this is the field I really want to be in. After working years of retail, I finally figured out to follow my passion in tech and pursue it no matter the difficulty. Although the difficulty was high, it never amounted to the stress I felt as a retail manager. I encourage anyone looking to better themselves in this field or another to go for it and understand that you are not stuck in your current role and there is always another opportunity out there...change is hard, you can do it.

[@MrREVERB777]

@D-jefe I have the same question

[@JustMeonMe]

@@MrREVERB777 I have the same question as well.

[@1zo514]

@D-jefe dude just start buy a course and get learning the sooner the better . If you are anxious or afraid, it’s a good sign just start right away, get to coding if you want to do it . God bless you

[@1zo514]

@@emmettkeyser1110 why would u say that?

[@newfoundland1956]

I am 61 and starting in the next month to learn this from knowing nothing

[@shturmovik3033]

Great video! Thanks for the insight.

[@reinaizzaina6067]

This made me think a lot, thank you loads... I'm about to finish high school and i thought a lot about going for software engineering, but now I don't even know...I was always a bit more on introverted side and never really had life and this just seems like it's gonna take even more such as my own hobbies beside programming.

[@reinaizzaina6067]

And as you said eat sleep code.. doesn't seem that fun for long run, but still at least they pay me for that lol idek maybe I shall go for it or i shall not..I need to think more deeply, thanks God i still have couple of months to choose.

[@sherrypopper9614]

For what it's worth, I have no experience in the industry, but I am somebody who went into CS uni and pivoted more towards "biological" sciences. From what I've noticed; majority of jobs are like that. You'll be paid certain salary and you'll be expected to go "over the norm". Once you set a new norm record, that becomes your new norm and the salary increase doesn't follow the norm increase linearly (if it increases at all). First and foremost, know your worth. When you know your worth, you will start learning to say "no". Your future boss will see your worth, but it's not in their interest that you know that they know your worth because, plainly, that would give you bargaining power. If you base your self-worth on how much somebody values your work, you're setting yourself up for misery and burnout because you'll be chasing the ever-moving goalposts. Secondly, if you go into CS uni (or any uni, really), you will always have people who live and breathe code. They might be genuine (good for them) or they might be chasing some sort of validation; it doesn't matter. It's perfectly fine not to strive to be the world's best at coding, or anything else for that matter. If you don't see yourself as such, don't force yourself to keep up with them and don't compare yourself to them. This for the most part applies to any future job you might have. If absolute dedication to your craft brings you happiness, absolutely dedicate yourself. If it doesn't - whatever level of dedication brings you happiness, dedicate that much and look for jobs accordingly. It's fine to take a less prestigious job if it brings you happiness, whatever happiness is for you. And don't take your job home with you, unless you're paid overtime.

[@existential5601]

Cool vid! Glad to find people out there I can relate with. However, we all would agree that the never ending deadlines and loads of work help us manage our time better in the long run, which I feel has been one of the most important skills as a developer, or any professional for that matter. Clocking out is imperative, we can't be at our toes 24x7, that's not efficient enough.

[@freebird7369]

20+ years as a developer. I missed a lot of living in that time. I spent most of my 20s and 30s working at work and home. Constantly learning to be the best in my field (computer graphics) and I was. But at the same time I missed so much. I barely saw my kids from the age of 5 to 15. Most of my memories from that time are of working/studying. I currently make about 1/3 of what I made then and am much happier now. Work life balance can not be understated. Love() && Peace() Amanda

[@Kurachii17]

You're a real one Amanda. You took a job that pays less to spend more time with your family, it's truly admirable.

[@freebird7369]

@@Kurachii17 TY :)

[@elijahvalencia3293]

@J And you're sitting online talking shit. Congrats bud

[@simonmunchen5914]

So what's your current job Amanda?

[@freebird7369]

@@simonmunchen5914 I travel the country in my RV and do all kinds of jobs and sell tie dye t-shirts I make online. Camp host, carpenter, horse coral, etc. I just find work where I want to go. It's cheap without a mortgage, property tax, rent etc..

[@ianconnell9195]

Thank you for this video. I'm studying to go into cyber security right now while also staying open to other areas In tech and trying to decide where to go specifically. this helped me think about some of the baggage that comes with being a developer, narrow down my interests, and consider what life might be like working on the front of industry competition and mentally prepare for the pressure that also comes from peers.

[@barometerbanner212]

I am not an engineer but several of my friends are. Based on what I've inferred about their careers, and having worked for over 20 years in numerous environments, I love the way your content feels relevant to even people not even in IT. Your calm candor and the multiplicity of angles you offer makes for really rich contend my dude! Young professionals in any field can benefit from your raw honesty and vulnerability. Incidentally, you extinguished any FOMO I ever had about missing the opportunity to study computer science in college. My Philosophy degree feels like cozy cup of coffee.

[@codekat153]

It's so refreshing to hear from other software engineers that also have interests outside of coding. I went into programming because I actually enjoy coding, but I know that I would burn out really quickly if I didn't allow myself to have other hobbies once my workday is done. I feel so lucky that I'm finally at a point in my career where I can straight up tell recruiters I'm not interested in any jobs where I have to study for days for long coding challenges that have nothing to do with the actual job description.

[@AntonioCorneal]

Man i so appreciate when people like you admit to the over-glorification and ignoring the not-so-fun sides of being a software eng. In my current job, it isn't a software eng position, but it's at least half that, and I'm no expert, but yeah being able to Google and debug is so important. I know that there's a lot of value in the nitty gritty of data structures and algorithms, but some interviews are way over the top in terms of what they expect someone to know off the top of their head. I feel like that really only comes properly with experience, and it's hard to cram in otherwise. Thanks for opening up!

[@theraven.4]

That is what I always thought. The point of technical careers is that you are always learning and won't ever know everything. To the point where I cringe when people talk about mastery and experts. Ability and willingness to learn and adapt is more important at the end of the day. Otherwise you will try to use Assembly or C to create an website. I also feel that non foundation training programs and certifications are also ridiculous too.

[@MultiPriya28]

I so feel the same, this is one of the most genuine videos I found on You tube. I beat myself a lot for not doing enough but the truth is I am already doing more than required!. I am grateful for all the opportunities I have currently but I am paying for those opportunities by sacrificing all of my hobbies outside coding. The sad reality of the IT industry!

[@nathanielhoy96]

I graduated from Computer Science in 2020. From the start of my degree to the end I found myself losing my passion for tech. I just didn't feel that my degree was all that valuable in setting me up for the workplace and my time was being wasted. I felt the magic I previously associated when working with computers dissipate. I was originally meant to move to Canada from the UK after my degree to see what else was out there and explore but due to the pandemic this was no longer feasible and I had no grad job here. Instead, I managed to get a funded PhD scholarship that, along with teaching, paid the same as what a grad job would. So now I'm more of a Data Scientist/Researcher. Doing the PhD, although time consuming and challenging, I do think allowed me time to figure out what I want to do. I definitely think I'm more suited to being in the DS space and working with machine learning algorithms has definitely helped re-ignite some of the magic I associated when working with computers in the past. I also think having worked with my tutees and teaching in general has made me consider more project management based roles. In short, I think it's easy to forget that there's a wider range of jobs out there in the tech industry, from being an educator/researcher to a project manager. It doesn't have to just be about Software Engineering.

[@afatsawobed4241]

I am a junior computer technology student in Ghana,and trying to change my mind from software engineering to embedded engineering. Because of how stressful programming is in the tech industry. What do you say about that??

[@unseenentity326]

My biggest downside is my inability to quickly switch gears. For years each developer would build apps from ground up and they owned it. I knew my apps inside out and whenever a change was needed, I knew right where to go in the code and make the change. I could find the source of reported bugs quickly and fix them in minutes. Then we got new management and we had to implement agile development procedures where nobody owned anything and everyone works on everything. So now when I'm in the zone working on one app and I'm told I need to switch to a higher priority project to fix an issue, it takes me a while to get my bearings in this other app in order to do what needs to be done. Then switching back to the app I was previously working on isn't easy either. My brain is still in the other zone. Maybe now I'm just too old for this crap.

[@AnalogDude_]

a Teacher told me, that you design software on paper using a pencil and gum, considering all options and circumstances, flow diagram (GRAFCET), the software would be written once and entirely free from bugs in one go. the best programmers would use paper before approaching a computer.

[@marchewitt]

@unseenEntity I'd say that's just the Task Switching cost and it's something management should understand about Agile or get educated on quick. Why a good sprint plan will keep you in one focus for the sprint, and pick up work occurs (which should have it's own epic to show cost of poor plan and task switching) but ultimately that pickup work even if you as a solo engineer lose a few % efficiency that pickup work should be valuable enough that it's ok (and if not poor management understanding of team or poor KPIs probably exist as they're new to agile). But if company understands that and values you for it, then it's just a mental barrier where you have to remember your being "as efficient as the events allow" and technically output more value then if you kept in your comfort zone, which can be hard at some jobs especially if the culture is stuck in startup grind hustle staff-into-dust mindset. The few things that I find helpful on task switching is spending the 10 minutes before swapping to note down on paper what I was doing and why, with the 3 bullet points of what's next (or even just a //todo comment block that gets committed to the feature branch). And some developers honestly are just more valuable to company to stay focused on one thing, so showing your more efficient that way then task switching (which does come down to measired metrics and trust) bring it up to a good tech PM and they can get you off bug exterminator duty overtime.

[@windows74001]

I'm in my early 20s and I already feel this

[@FraserMenzies]

In my previous job we called this "context switching" and it has all the same cons as context switching in a processor. You're brain needs time to clear it's cache, save the program counter and other registers before you can load in a new program and start a separate task.

[@sarihilden8626]

Agile methology is used in a wrong way a lot. Purpose of Agile methology is to ENABLE the team to do their job and to PROTECT the team for certain time (sprint) from outside threats like scope changes. If Agile makes you slower as a team, it is wrong methology for the team. period. I dont really understand why every where Agile is forced because it is not a swiss knife for everything.

[@AwayWeGo747]

This video is awesome! I'm becoming a SE right now and I'm coming from absolute zero experience. So like many people who aspire to learn the industry the mindset can be quick typing on a keyboard opening the portal for Neo and Morpheus. But just being a new dev coming up on 1.5 yrs this information is great to hear. I would also say that anyone learning who joins a bootcamp do not be discouraged. I started to get down on myself but I realized that many people who were in my same cohort had coded before and I had never coded ever. You get better!

[@jimd226]

I have been coding since '91 and let me tell you, you are so spot on...👍

[@Mac95427]

I relate to what you said at the end about the stresses of using critical thinking all the time, it's a huge part of burnout for me in the past. But I have come to the conclusion that if I wasn't critically thinking about my job as much I'd find other stressors to take it it's place which won't generate as much income or probably even reduce my effectiveness at work. Definitely a tricky balance and I'm sure I don't have it all figured out, but using my over actively critical mind to at least more income than I would in most other fields is very rewarding at the least.

[@lordmars_]

I'm grateful for your perspective. As a Marketing grad. currently transitioning into software development this was refreshing to see, it's not always going to be a great ride cause at the end of the day it's still work but it's fascinating work, the ability to create something and see it progress even if it's just a simple button, blows me away sometimes. I appreciate your point of view and will carry this video close with my on my journey whenever I feel discouraged. Blessings.