Career Change from Software Development | Hacker News Reader

Career Change from Software Development

4 pointsMoezart6 comments

I have been a software developer for 5 years and I’m not a great programmer. I’ve only been with one company since graduating and I feel like I’m not advancing. Last month I talked to my manager about a senior developer position and the manager explained to me we’re not looking for one at this time. After a week he called me and offered me market adjustment raise which I not that great.

A couple minutes ago I opened LinkedIn and found out my team mate got promoted to a senior dev. I actually helped couching him when he was hired two years ago and I have been involved in more projects than him. He actually deserves it and he’s a great developer, but I feel really depressed right now I feel like I’m not interested in software development anymore and would like to leave my company.

I speak both English and Arabic and I wonder what my options are? Any suggestions? I’m really lost

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I wouldn't give up on dev but I would consider looking for a job at a dev role at another company. The market is hot right now and you can land a remote job with companies all over the country and potentially score a 20% salary bump. If you're not interested in dong that at all, consider that a switch to any new field, even blue collar work might mean starting from scratch and making less money for a while.

Get a better offer elsewhere. Take that offer or come back to negotiate for a raise. In my opinion, 5 years is a long time in one company and no promotions. Don't waste your time there. Also, you may be a very solid programmer, and not realizing it because the employer never appreciated you enough.

You need to know what you need to improve on and your manager can share that with you.

You need to be honest with him/her/them, tell him you know about the promotion and that you need him to tell you where you can improve on. It's perfectly ok if he doesn't think he will ever promote you - you just need honest feedback.

The other way is to try and interview elsewhere and hope they can tell you what you need to improve on.

Another option is to look for career coaches. I often interview candidates who are preparing to interview at FAANG through a network but it's in the U.S.

Yes, If you are not a great programmer, become a great programmer.

you need to practice (a lot) both inside and outside of your job. Read books about programming (not about specific tech) and make sure that you understand what is written, and than try to apply the patterns in your regular work.

Forget about promotion. A promotion is some external reward that is given for reasons outside of your control.

How big is the company? Is it all prestigious?

If you are at a small startup, your manager is just stringing you along... who knows if your 'friend' even got a raise, maybe they just got an inflated title at a no name company. I would look for an opportunity elsewhere

Just switch companies. Software development can vary a huge amount between roles. Five years is too long in your first job

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