One of key realizations has been that I'm more interested in people than machines (even though I feel the same fascination figuring out how something works). In the end, software is almost always for people to use. Things like programming language design easily get regarded as highly technical, but it's so much about creating abstractions for humans to create abstractions for humans.
Another one has been learning how software fits the bigger picture. In order for a company to succeed with software, things starting from vision, strategy, execution need to be in line. What I'm trying to say that it's important to notice when the development of software gets blamed for problems elsewhere. Otherwise our view of the development itself gets murkier.
Finally, learning new languages is something that's keeping it fresh for me. Making the effort to dig deeper and learn something complex I didn't know well before.
This was something that I experienced in my career trajectory. My first shift from pure programming was to requirements definition, which I enjoyed. I then got involved in specifying the need for systems in the first place - developing business cases and evaluating solution options. I'd by then realised that by the time someone starts writing requirements, someone else must already have done some work to secure funding, teams, etc. Luckily I was (mostly) able to stay tech-focussed rather than moving into pure management. Some of the most technically challenging work was at the end of my career - looking at how systems could be affected by / drive organisational transformation. And being able to confidently brief very senior decision makers on how their organisational structures (often stovepipes) were actually driving inefficiencies, duplication and nugatory work at the systems development and operations end.
Can you expand on this? Like what was the title, or was this a unique role to your business?
This thread has really resonated with me and where I might want to be taking my career.
The title was unique to my business but in practice I was a ‘Senior’ position. I joined a company that had been part of the UK civil service but which had been privatised before I joined. The part I belonged to conducted advice-side / customer-friend work as opposed to supply-side / product-development. So in effect I was an independent technical consultant deployed into UK Govt customer organisations (in Defence) to support their activities, which included the stuff I mentioned before (requirements definition, business case development, etc). I did this for approx. 10 years, starting very technically focussed (e.g. helping to draft tech sections of Invitations To Tender or contributing to standards development) but gradually looking at business / organisational issues (e.g. can we restructure this organisation to reduce commercial and technical barriers to efficiency? / what research do we need to do to conduct to de-risk this new simulation technology?). I became reasonably well known in the customer community and, crucially, was trusted as a friendly techie rather than a commercial ‘suit’.
The plus side to this was getting superb levels of customer access and some experiences not available to most civilians. Because I had been around for years the customers saw me as someone who actually understood their domain and their problems. I knew their acronyms and understood their business processes, more so than some of them did (especially customers who were new in role).
The downside was that from the perspective of my parent company, I had effectively ‘gone native’ with the customers (although was still useful because I generated revenue and demonstrated the competence of my company). I had to be commercially fire-walled away from the product side of the company so that the customers still trusted me. This limited my career development – partly because I couldn’t be involved in high-profile bids and delivery projects that attracted C-suite attention. As an example, although my salary increased okay, I found it very hard to gain evidence (e.g. third party feedback) that would support a grade rise. As it was, I didn’t mind too much (this was the latter end of my career) but had I been younger it would have been frustrating.
― Yennefer of Vengerberg, the software engineer
I support you in whatever endeavor to which your muse directs you. Having a background in coding generally means you’re a good problem-solver, and good problem-solvers are valuable in any vocation.
In my case, I was a manager for the last 25 years of my career, and was forced to do my programming as a “nights and weekends” gig. Since leaving my last job, I have been 100% focused on programming, and I’ve never been happier.
The advent of the Swift programming language has also been serendipitous. It’s proven to be fun and engaging.
My first computer was also a VIC-20.
Ironically for me, the more I got interested in the lower levels of programming, the more I lose sight of the original goal of solving a problem.
I have to juggle between satisfying my curiosity and interest and solving a problem.
I never really took my hand off the programming wheel, while being a manager. I just wasn't being paid for it (bonus was that I have a big open-source portfolio). I just did open-source work in nights and weekends.
When I left my last company, I just made it my full-time vocation, and that went quite smoothly.
I do this for the love of the craft; not the money.
I think this is main point. Somehow introducing money into anything seems to drain all the pleasure out of it.
They just can't seem to bring themselves to work with people like me, unless they are doing the whole "alpha dog" thing.
The NPO I'm working with can't afford to pay me squat, but I'm not constantly mud-wrestling knuckleheads.
A career path back to coding just does not exist within the industry. Of course freelancing and founding your own company may be options but in a regular company hierarchy - no way in my experience.
I'd love to be proven wrong of course and I'd love to hear stories to the contrary.
I do program every now and then in my spare time, but not to the extent the original commenter does in his spare time.
Interview wise i am doing fine, albeit not for FAANG type roles.
Basic human nature.
TBH, they have a point. I was a manager for many years, and know BS when I smell it. I had a management style that involved a lot of self-reflection and intimate feedback loops with my employees, but I also managed very experienced engineers that all knew more than I did, so treating them with respect, and listening to their counsel, became second nature. It wouldn't have bothered me a bit to have employees that used to be managers, as long as they were good engineers.
Not sure that most managers, these days, operate that way.
I just gave up looking for work, and am working with some folks on a nonprofit startup. It's great. best decision I ever made.
If you can manage to stop worrying about it and move forward, then the curiosity and magic has space to grow. Worrying that the magic isn't there is not a good way to bring it back, it's not a good mindset to have anything positive arise. But "giving in" is easier said than done of course, since you want the magic back :) Once you stop wanting it, it will have a chance to return
What also helps is having interests and hobbies that are in no way related to your job.
I have a feeling that naturally the purpose of adult work is less self centered and ambitious but broader and fair for more people.
I'm just asking.
It’s a strange feeling, as this has been my “thing” for many years now, both as a hobbyist and a professional. I can’t exactly pinpoint why the situation feels different this time. Until a few weeks ago I had dozens of interesting projects lined up and had invested money into at least a couple of them. I think part of it is that I lost a sense of “magic” that once enticed me. Whereas when I was still very new to me there was a lot of software I would think about and wonder “wow this seems incredibly complicated, I wonder how it works”. When I returned to learn about it whenever. A lot of thing seemed like sorcery, and I just needed to know how it worked. Well years later, when I decided to return to those sort of things, more experienced, I would start to dig in, only feel a bit disappointed when I figured it out and it was no longer cool or interesting. That’s not to say I’m an expert or that I know how everything works and implement it all, just that I can generally get the idea and that causes the magic to evaporate. Additionally I’m beginning notice a mismatch between interest and ability in a lot of things. I find myself unable to learn and implement the things I’m interested in. While that may sound like it’s in opposition with the my first theory, it’s not really. There’s a lot of things where I have a general mid-high level idea of how they work, but couldn’t implement if you asked me to right now.
I’m probably going to focus on other interests of mine for the time being, though I’m sure I’ll never truly be divorced from programming. Additionally, I have a feeling that the problems I noted in the previous paragraphs will eventually wither away my other interests as well. I figure simply return to it in a much different and reduced manor. I’m also considering giving it up professionally, but I’ll have to see how that ends up.