How do I get unstuck as a developer | Hacker News Reader

How do I get unstuck as a developer

3 pointsrandom_dev5 comments

I've been developing for iOS for 2 years now. I have a varied background, and I started late, so I'm an older dev than most. I'm working at awell funded startup, and I work with some really good people. However, it's an API company, and not an iOS company, so there is not a lot of iOS work that pushes my skills. The iOS library is widely distributed and used, and has a lot of legacy requirements. It was written by an offshore firm, and there is a lot of fear about making any changes. We can't make drastic changes, can't take risks, and can't really rapidly develop, which is probably for the best, but it's just boring. But, also very time consuming. I've been trying to drive my skills forward on my own, but all of the work is starting to take a toll on my personal life, (my wife especially). How do you do it, experienced coders of HN? Do I walk away from a decent job at a startup that is pretty much going to go big? Look, I'm not a rockstar developer, some of my ideas are terrible, but not all, and being the newest dev, the most common word I hear is no. But I test, I learn, I iterate, and get code out the door. How do I move forward? Am I just going through a normal part of my growth as a developer? Are there opportunities that I just don't see because of my inexperience? I apologize for the post being a bit unfocused, but I'm tired.

If you have meaningful equity and the startup you work for is going to get you FU money(a lot of money), you have to decide: chance of FU money(= happiness) OR chance of being employed by a better place(= happiness). Both are a chance, you might find an even worse place to work... (common)

If you don't have much equity there and can get a salary somehow good in another company/startup, I don't see why you are still working for them.

Also, before you leave, try to negotiate with them to get some equity/more equity. Maybe it will work out better to work with this shitty code for a while and make it big. Be rational and not emotional.

My 2 cents.

No FU money for sure, I'm too late for that. I might be able to negotiate for a different postion, or more salary though.

Hey, Honestly, if you feel you're not learning and you're not happy where you are, even though it's a great company to be in, I think you should quit. Maybe you have an idea or two that you could work on. Your savings will dictate how quick you need to turn a profit, or ultimately find another job. But seriously, like startup digest puts it "life is too short to work at a boring company". Cheers, and good luck!

By drive skills forward on your own, do you mean by working on side projects? If not, you should be looking at innovative ways to use your API through personal projects. Why not create a simple app that uses the API and put it on the app store? Create a mashup with your API and another API. But do something, otherwise you'll have regrets later in life.

I've been striking out on my own an implementing the solutions I think will work with our code when I'm on my own, especially if the idea doesn't make it through my boss.

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