Ask HN: What to do when your country offers you nothing (as a programmer)? | Hacker News Reader

Ask HN: What to do when your country offers you nothing (as a programmer)?

5 pointsfoobarfoofoo5 comments

Hello,

I'm an italian CS student. Next year I'll take my bachelor and I'm starting to think more and more about what I have to expect as a programmer.

I'm experiencing a deep sense of confusion, since I think I'm quite a good hacker, I truly like writing software, solving problems, reading about tech, but when reading job advertisements I easily get bored: they typically search for a Java/PHP developer, for maintaining a platform that's either has no users or has no chance to survive in the next 5 years.

I don't wanna get involved in that shit: living onto the top of a bubble, inflated by some investors that have no clue about where tech is going today.

Moreover, underpaid: junior developers take something as 50% of the average salary for the country. Even seniors are paid bad -- compared to more common jobs here.

Working remotely is a nightmare to me: I want to work in a team, dealing with people. I already spend most of my time alone, and I'm looking forward to confront someone real, talking about code, design choices, splitting stuff to get done, and the like.

Also, moving to another country it's not ideal. Here, I have a person I'm taking care of. I think I might be willing to do it if the salary is at least decent; but as far as I've understood, it's no easy to move to US or even in the rest of Europe.

I'm discomforted. I'm even thinking of getting my degree, then switching to a less ambitious career.

Thanks for reading, at least.

Well, first of all my friend i feel like i know you from some where. oh yes, you are in the same place as i was three years ago. after taking my bachelors degree.

my friend, things are not gonna end just because you think or believe they will, and even if they do you will get one of the most important thing out of it "EXPERIENCE" i have to failed startups under my name, and am still working on my third, take a plunge i would suggest, plus as you said you have some one to take care of so extra cash in your pocket wont hurt.

the life is yours, the decision is yours, but have if the time is gonna it is not gonna come by, don't lose hope just yet, try to cover an extra mile. some thing good will turn out.

As for me i live in India, in a place where the salaries of an average programmer is 250 euro/month. so there are worst places than where you are right now. take the experience not the money, first two years as a junior programmer are very important.

Thanks for listening :)

Great advice.

Should't juniors be afraid of gaining experience in a mediocre field (to them; say web development) then not being able to switch to another field?

look i do understand your fear of getting the experience mediocre field, but lemme tell you some thing there is no such thing like a mediocre experience, you have to get up and do something even if it is a chore your boss asks you to instead of doing nothing because all you learning will go away in six months to a year, and you wont be able to write even 50 to 100 lines of code because you have lost touch of it, it happened to me, and believe me it is scary.

plus you have to take initiative to learn and grown, your boss or who ever you work under does not have time to sit with you ever day and guide you like a counselor. he has errands to run every day.

and about not being able to switch, so all you need to switch to another field is a reliving letter and an experience letter. and you can switch. i went to work for a bank for a while after my first failed startup. there will be no problem.

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