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Ask HN: Alternative careers for a developer

38 pointsilikekittens65 comments

I like making things but am considering giving up on being a developer. What other careers are there that use a similar skill set that you would recommend?

I'm considering architecture, industrial design, interaction design, etc

Reasons for giving up on software development:

1) I'm not very good at it.

2) I would prefer to make something physical and substantial I can show people. Screens don't impress any more.

3) I have RSI which means I can go for weeks without being able to use a computer.

Any suggestions?

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From what I've seen, architects go to school, really arduous school, for years, after which they continue to work constantly, much more than 40 hours per week. I believe they get paid less than developers, have less job security -- and, yes, sit at a computer all day.

But what do I know? All I can suggest is: Don't apply to design or architecture school until you've talked with at least three working architects or designers. Make sure you talk to at least one cynic.

Architecture has always stood out to me as a potentially good career for the technical/creative type. I have a few friends who are architects and while they usually enjoy the work, they do NOT get paid well considering the amount of schooling they had to go through. Developers do way better.

See this CNN article for reference:

http://money.cnn.com/2005/08/15/pf/training_pay/

That's probably not a bad rule when thinking about any career - actually speak to people doing it before deciding.

I was an architect student now turned developer. The thought processes are very similar between the two disciplines however I personally find developing more rewarding.

In architecture you are considered a 'young' architect if you are in your fifties. That means you spend your best years designing underground drainage systems (that nobody will see) or garage extensions for pittance and long hours and minimal job security.

this is the exact issue I saw as an intern at an architecture firm right before I dropped out of it as a major

My mom actually did the backwards flip, when we were in Russia she was an architect, was part of the team that designed the building we lived in.

When we came to the states, she got a job as a VB Programmer. Got pretty good at it too.

So it's probably possible to get into architecture if you have the analytical mind for programming

From what I've seen, architects go to school, really arduous school, for years, after which they continue to work constantly, much more than 40 hours per week. I believe they get paid less than developers, have less job security -- and, yes, sit at a computer all day.

As I spend a lot of time working with architects, I can confirm that.

Architects spend all day in front of the computer, they click much more repetitively (a 12-hour CAD session will do wonders for your RSI), and they get paid less and find it harder to find a new job.

Then again, they do get to design cool buildings. Well, some of them do, anyway (a relatively small proportion, however).

You will do many unpaid or very lowly paid internships in studios with a "name" before you do get a job "designing cool buildings".

Having spent the last 15 years as a developer, I'm now working toward a career as an opera singer (I'm a tenor).

Admittedly I find it difficult to identify many similarities between opera and software development. People often make a connection between music and mathematics, but for me the non-mathematic aspects of opera are what I find most attractive. The sheer thrill of dramatic expression through controlled screaming is intoxicating. And instead of my work living unseen in the dark recesses of a multi-tier architecture, I'm put, quite literally, center stage and in the spotlight, with immediate feedback (applause or boos) and recognition.

Software development and filmmaking have may common points (the process)...and that's why I'm considering switching to filmmaking....

you might want to consider software development for the film industry.

Are there any contemporary opera houses where you actually get boos if you perform badly?

Yes. Hisses even:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AxyBxbGF-Qg

That's Roberto Alagna getting booed in Aida at La Scala in Milan in 2006. La Scala has a reputation for this sort of thing.

Boos were also heard (directed at, well, the director) at the premiere of Luc Bondy's new production of Tosca at New York's Metropolitan Opera just a few weeks ago. http://artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/09/22/the-boos-for-to...

Wow

I couldn't agree more—I've stopped trying to find a connection between writing poetry and coding; rejecting the notion of a need for continuity/connection in all of my interests has made me a happier person.

I am always surprised at the way in which architecture as a profession is romanticized. I blame Mike Brady...

I went through the process of getting my Masters in Architecture. It is a long and very arduous process and something you shouldn't do without being passionate or dedicated to the discipline.

The crazy thing about it is that you will end up spending most (if not more than you already do) of your time in front of the computer. Sure there is some hand drawing and model making, but the industry is digital now, and working on digital drawings, digital models, renderings, post processing takes so much time – even though the transition to digital was supposed to speed up the process...

And the other thing is the compensation. As people have pointed out, architects don't make that much money (although that doesn't seem to be one of your criterium).

With my degree I've become a design problem solver generalist. I work on architecture problems, business problems, programming problems, whatever is of interest to me – and hopefully that I can get paid for. In the past couple of years, the greatest insight I've had into the difference between architecture and software/web development is the time it takes to realize things. Architecture is a very long process. You might be able to make a drawing quickly, but getting it built will take a long time. A programming development project might have a long development timeline, but there are so many milestones that give instant gratification (i.e. enabling a new feature).

I know several people that are currently using their advanced architecture degrees to:

1. Sell baked goods 2. Sell clothing

The job market, at least locally, ain't great.

I blame Howard Roark.

With my degree I've become a design problem solver generalist.

Wow! That sounds like a spectacular job... any advice on how to get into that field?

I went through a brief period where I was convinced I wanted to be a carpenter, specifically making furniture. I've also worked as a builders mate and roofer in the past both of which I enjoyed and all of which settle my desire to create something. It seemed better to be building something that actually existed in the real world, not just on the internet.

These days though I'm just trying to make enough money in the next few years that I'll never have to sit at a desk again, and given my current skill set and the general nature of the internet I think being a developer is the best way to do it ;)

I think this is the best advice -- work in something where you can create. To me, that's the core of my interest in software dev -- creating, working, making something. Carpentry sounds like it could be very rewarding.

I hear this very often - I am working at a job which I dont want to do till I achieve a financial goal. For folks who know what they are passionate about, I wonder if it is worth it in the long term to postpone following their dream. Especially in a country like US or Uk, where standards of living are pretty reasonable for most professions.

I for the most of my life did not even know what I really like - by the time I figured out I was already 33. And it becomes very tough.

I know very few people who are convinced about what they want to do in life. Such conviction almost seems like a privilege which comes with a duty to follow your dream. Best of luck with your plans.

Possibly a little deep for this thread (just considering its not my thread), but my dream isn't a career change, its slightly higher - freedom from money. If money no longer plays a factor in my life, then I don't have to choose one thing to do, I can do whatever I want when I want.

For me that's travel, adventure and photography (landscape, wildlife, culture). There's two ways I can achieve my goal, make enough so that I don't have to work again (I make it about £1.2m~), or failing that live cheaply enough that money no longer plays a major factor in my life, i.e. I don't spend most of my adult life paying off a mortgage. The plan for that would be to buy a nice old, cheap yacht and live as frugally as I can whilst exploring the world.

So either way hopefully within the next couple of years I'll be living my dream.. id rather be "financially responsible" and do it, but I'm prepared to make sacrifices if that's not possible within my given time frame. :)

I totally agree. Being frugal and financially responsible is the right way to live life anyways for so many reasons.

Just think you might find this useful (I have a feeling already that you are a value investor but still feel compelled to add this) I would add intelligent investing also to your plan and I feel you will reach your goals sooner. I have benefited a lot from Benjamin Graham's formalization of value investing - he wrote the classic "Intelligent Investor".

I'm in this boat. Need to quit taking a paycheck and go it alone, but it's hard.

You could try selling software. If you're a developer now, you should be able to understand it and explain it to people. There are other skills involved in sales (it's best to be extroverted and to enjoy talking to people).

But you'd be spending your time traveling and talking to people.

My Dad is an architect in a small town (40k pop) and services much of rural south eastern ohio. He almost never sits at a computer during the day, and most of his drafting is done by draftsmen on datacad.

I'd be happy to privately give you his e-mail to answer questions.

Here's what I know that might help: Because he's in a small town, working on relatively small projects (typically under 1M), he often acts as an overseer to the actual building process as well. He keeps boots and overalls in his truck, and spends most of his time away from his desk. It's my understanding that most architects in major metros, or at big firms are fairly disjointed from the construction process.

The point is, you could be a developer without spending your time at a computer (you could sell, manage, consult, or teach). You can be an architect without drafting on autocad all day (choose your market/niche).

You could learn to be an industrial designer or process engineer, and then go work in a production facility, or you could work in excel and CAD all day.

My mother is also an architect. She does historic renovations, mostly, and still drafts by hand. She spends much of her time at jobs sites, talking to clients/organizations, and researching period styles in actual books (!).

Of course, it takes a long time to develop a reputation for historic architecture, and it is very local unless you develop a national name through the journals.

I would suggest you start by reading the essay Shop Class as Soulcraft

http://www.thenewatlantis.com/publications/shop-class-as-sou...

... and then read the entire (not very long) book, if you like the article. it might give you a starting point for thinking about fulfilling careers that don't involve sitting at a computer all day

I think you should continue writing software.

1) You say you aren't very good at it... In my experience that means you're probably pretty good at it :)

2) Physical and substantial... well, it's easy to get disillusioned with some enterprise app or something. Maybe you just need a change of scenery? Get into web development or something else new to you.

3) I can sympathize with physical pain. Spend some serious mind-share learning new tools that will help you get around this. Try xmonad, vim, or other tools that keep your hands on the home-row. Take lots and lots of little breaks (grab a coffee, stretch, etc).

My 2 cents.

Somebody somewhere is doing your dream job as a bridge to doing their dream job.

you can't do what you want by doing something else.

"Work might not necessarily make you happy but it may give you the means to do the stuff that makes you happy"

Designing/Laying out fire sprinkler systems:

http://www.sprinklercareer.freewebsitehosting.com/

Found from another site, good details:

Even now jobs are plentiful.

All it takes is two years at a community college at one of three community colleges in the country.

Entry level average wage is low to mid $30's.

Average wage with three years job experience is mid $50's to mid $60's with more available in larger metro areas. To give one example the average annual wage for an entry level technician in Omaha, Nebraska is $36,784.32, with $61,195.93 to someone with five years experience and $73,401.73 to senior level (ten years) technicians.

The majority of companies are union companies and while technicians are considered management most companies offer benefits such as medical, dental and retirement plans.

This is not a pipe fitter or installer job. Installers are suffering unemployment, 40% in some areas of the country, but unemployment does not extend to the technicians.

The work is not physical with 75% to 95% of your time spent in an office environment in front of a computer screen. The work is always challenging and fun, it is not a boring job.

This job is different from about any other in the universe because once fully certified (5 years) you don't get the boss and HR bullshit you hear about in other places of employment because you are not easily replaced.

That's an interesting suggestion, I would have never thought about that myself.

I'm in sort of the same boat. Developing things and creating software is a means to an end for me. Do I enjoy working for myself? Sure. More so than working for the man. But in the end, it's also so that I can be free from the ties of money.

One thing that I (and some of my other fellow CS graduates) have contemplated is going into teaching. It can be rewarding to teach Math or CS at the local high school, assuming your kids aren't too rowdy.

If you have an interest in photography, that could be a good break. I know several wedding photographers who charge what I would consider a very generous amount - they do a good job, and get tons of business. Personally, I've been interested in photography for a long time, but I'm afraid that I'd start hating it or getting bored of it if it becomes my job. Unfortunately, they spend lots of time in front of the computer editing photos.

Have you thought about anything in the financial field? Data modeling, trends, stuff like that?

I was a developer (programmer, architect, team lead, CTO, etc.) for about 20 years before I decided to give it up and pursue photography as a career. I was a studio photographer specializing in food. I did it for two years before coming back to development.

Photography is a tough career choice. If you're doing commercial work expect to be told exactly what to do (food is brutal this way - highly controlled). Unless you're at the absolute top (think David LaChappell) people come to you with ideas, expecting you to execute, and are rarely interested in your ideas. You also need great post production skills, so lots of computer work, unless you want to outsource this which is costly.

I've never done wedding photography but know a few and it's a tough business, highly competitive, very stressful (think freaked out brides and mothers) and very seasonal.

Try systems administration. Setting up servers, monitoring networks, you even get to do a little bit of programming by writing scripts to manage common tasks.

I think sys admins generally make more than developers do (unless you are an upper tier programmer).

I am an electrical engineer and in the same boat as you. While being an engineer can be rewarding, the sedentary aspects kill the reward. It is physically draining.

To remedy the situation, I decided to get a Ph.D. and become a professor. I am in my first year of grad school right now. While I know that professors have to do a lot of paper writing and grant writing, most of their work isn't necessarily computer related.

I am also thinking about going into semiconducting materials and devices resarch, which entails a lot of lab work building novel electronic devices. My previous dream was to be an IC designer, but I don't want to spend my life running SPICE simulations.

How did you get into a PHD program?

Last fall, I rushed to take the GREs and fill out all the applications. The process of applying to grad school is extremely arduous, but you hopefully only have to do it once.

I hope you understand that "getting a Ph.D." and "becoming a professor" are two different things. You need a Ph.D. to become a professor, but it no way guarantees you a position. Professor positions are extremely competitive.

Consider becoming a tradesman or artisan of some kind. General construction labor doesn't pay all that well, and is pretty boring, but if you have the skills, specialty craftsmanship can be very lucrative and fun.

You can make physical things you can be proud of, and you don't have to use a computer. Also, at some level, it is "design" work, because even if you don't draw up the plans, you have to make decisions about how things fit best and what works where, &c.

What about professional photography? While the industry as a whole is currently in flux, there are several technical aspects which often come naturally to hackers/math types.

If you truly learn the craft and work hard at marketing, you can create something of high value to others–be it art, helping other companies (through commercial work), telling stories (journalism or editorial), or personal (portraits/weddings).

Some years back, I had the epiphany that I wanted to "do something in the built environment" career-wise. I went through some college catalogs, made a list of all the majors related to the built environment and read what was required to complete a degree in them. I eliminated Architecture off the bat because you basically start from scratch with a degree in Architecture. None of my existing credits would have meant squat. I eliminated civil engineering because I had dropped out of calculus when I was 18 and they required lots of calculus. I don't remember all the other degrees I considered. Ultimately, I concluded I wanted a bachelor's in environmental resource management and a master's in urban planning. Life got in the way, so I haven't finished my bachelor's (though I did manage to work in a nifty certificate in GIS) but perhaps the thought process I went through will help you.

Good luck with this.

Sales engineering or sales both pay really well and have a less technical component.

I've REALLY enjoyed woodworking and home remodeling. Impressive output that wows people, creative problem solving, etc.

Medical stuff isn't going anywhere, though you better like working with old folks. Nursing is fairly approachable.

There are probably some areas of law that aren't repulsive.

  Sales Engineer
  Construction site manager
  Military officer
  Field biologist
  Criminal investigator [1]
  Doctor, Nurse, PA
  Teacher

[1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special_agent

I am an art school grad, have been an industrial designer, UX/UI designer, and have a lot of friends who are architects. Unless you are REALLY gifted aesthetically. I wouldn't go through the time/expense of design school. You could probably transition to UI design pretty easily. ID is an interesting field, but largely shrinking. Look at the open req's at what were top ID firms (Frog/Ideo/Continuum) Very few are doing much business designing things compared to UI's or some mech-e work. As for the RSI, the average designer spends a lot of time in the Adobe suite or a CAD package so it probably won't help. That said if you are really passionate go for it.

Feel free to contact me if you want more info.

I studied to be a film editor, but ended up as a developer. There's a surprising similarity in the thought processes and trade-offs involved in editing and coding. In both cases, you're in charge of building up a coherent microcosm using a constrained set of intellectual raw material that was created by someone else, whose goals you may or may not agree with.

Unfortunately film editing nowadays involves mostly sitting at a computer (unless you're an oldschool star editor who can demand a Steenbeck flatbed editor and real tangible film).

If you're in the US, you can become a foreign service officer as they need a lot of information technology people in different areas. If you're interested in living in different parts of the world, this would be a good career path.

http://careers.state.gov/officer/index.html http://careers.state.gov/specialist/employment.html#IMS

nowadays pretty much any white collar job you do, will involve sitting at a computer all day.

Including the architecture and design jobs he listed.

I guess if he really hates computers he could be a manager and spend his days in meetings.

It's not a matter of hating computers but of being unable to use them much. I have RSI and can go for periods of weeks/months of being unable to type.

What helped me completely cure my wrist pain was reading "The Mindbody Prescription" by Dr John E Sarno. I was in a similar position and was considering a career change. I took over a year off of work to try and recover (eventually coming back to work part time). Once I read this book and applied it, I was able to immediately recover. It's been about 7 years now since.

The ideas it presents are definitely not mainstream. But it is fairly logical and scientific. There are plenty of other sources that talk about the connection between the mind and the body, but I've never seen anything present it in such a way that makes sense to me and gives ideas of how to directly apply it.

I'm not that great at explaining it in a nutshell. The wikipedia page seems to have some decent info: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tension_myositis_syndrome

But the best summary I've read is this word doc: http://www.rsi.deas.harvard.edu/handout.doc (hit the Google cache for HTML version)

I have RSI and I have found swimming to be helpful. Zero-impact and it really relaxes muscles after a bout of coding.

Check out Terry Laughlin's http://totalimmersion.net program for how you can learn to swim freestyle without struggle.

This has just as much substance as someone posting "What should I go into in college? I'm good at math."

It's hard to choose, but careers aren't like funnels where everyone who would enjoy software development would be a great architect!

What else can you do? In my opinion, it would be a bad idea to do something that requires the same skills than a developer. If you can cook, why not be a chef? If you can play music, why not be a musician?

As a veteran developer, I too was hit by RSI, and strongly urge you to first start using speech recognition for dictating all of your e-mail messages, code comments, documentation, etc.

I was actually thinking about doing a degree in geology just for the fun of it - then I saw what petroleum geologists get paid!

Too low, or high enough to prompt you to join the profession?

Become a cobbler.

Thank you everyone for your kind advice and suggestions

Become a mechanic; That's what I would do anyway...

Have you considered working in a pet store?

How about carpentry?

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