Ask HN: Interesting Jobs Outside of Tech | Hacker News Reader

Ask HN: Interesting Jobs Outside of Tech

4 pointsEumenes6 comments

With recent layoffs and more potentially looming, if it happens to me, I plan on taking a sabbatical and trying something new. I don't really care about pay or high salary. What are some interesting jobs outside of corporate tech that one could explore? Missing more sociability (WFH for 8 years), working with hands/using my body, getting outdoors, etc.

I understand its highly geographic in nature, but some ideas that I've had: GIS tech (get to combine programming and getting outside ... maybe, I bet alot of GIS gigs are 100% office based now), fishermen (lots of commercial fishing jobs around here), Woodworking/carpenter (local unions and trade schools around where I am), working on a ski resort (not an expert skier, but there are other interesting jobs, like snowmaking).

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This isn’t strictly on-topic, but….

Since you’re already contemplating a life after/outside tech, why not exploit the market turmoil and take the initiative by negotiating a severance?

I came across the concept on a personal-finance blog I now read religiously. The idea of beating my company to the punch never even occurred to me before. That you could end up funding a sabbatical/nest egg made me flashback on more than one job in the past where I really could’ve used it.

https://www.financialsamurai.com/how-to-make-money-quitting-...

Judging from the damage due to covid in n America, training to be a paramedic or nurse would be a useful job. No clue if it would be interesting but we need more of them. Assume you have a tech degree nurse or super nurse (whatever the nurse doctor mix is called) should not be that many years’ training.

Do you mean nurse practitioners? There are also physician’s assistants here in the US. Both are patient-facing roles that cover a lot of what physicians do, but without having to earn the MD.

Fisherman is supposed to be the worst and most dangerous job according to studies I saw her and there over the past few years.

I would pick up a trade. Maybe electrician or painter.

I looked into being an electrician at one point, and it turns out that it's not really something you can just "pick up". You need to pay to go to a trade school because most employers won't take you without some proof that you'll be a good investment for them. Then you need to work (at low pay) for a few thousand hours as an apprentice before you are even eligible to get your license. Most electrical companies do not hire part time because they have more work than employees.

There are occupations that are pretty well out of reach except to those who are just starting out or can afford an outright career change midstream, and unfortunately electrician is one of those.

Renewable energy, and agriculture come to mind. This includes established industries, as well as the emerging ones (eg. Ag-tech) come to mind.

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