Re:Ask HN: What would you be doing if you weren't working in...
by MeinBlutIstBlau on Wednesday June 30, 2021 @09:21AM
(#27688160)
I'd be working in banking, probably ending up a commercial lender since there would be a vacuum for the VP and a few other positions in a few years as they were all in their early 60's. Would've been a guaranteed "you literally can only get these jobs with experience" type of deal for me. No bank hires commercial lenders without experience. They won't even hire college grads who studied it. Way too many obscure things you can only learn in the industry. So you still have to work your way up!
Re:Ask HN: What would you be doing if you weren't working in...
by jqpabc123 on Wednesday June 30, 2021 @08:27AM
(#27687631)
Yes, it can be profitable making custom furniture for upscale clientele. I know someone who does it.
These folks don't care about cost but the result has to be outstanding and unique, one of a kind. They probably won't pay thousands of dollars for something that looks like it could have been bought at any furniture store.
It helps if you've got an artistic bent. Design is a big part of it. You'll need to give clients sketches of your proposals and massage their egos throughout the process. Hand holding and individual attention also seems to be a big part of it.
You'll need to show examples and photos of your work just to be considered.
Re:Ask HN: What would you be doing if you weren't working in...
by jqpabc123 on Wednesday June 30, 2021 @08:18AM
(#27687555)
I went the opposite direction --- from engineer to software for a couple of reasons.
1) Software development is something you can easily teach yourself if you've math, science and logic skills. Get a computer, get on the internet, read, study, look at other people's work. For an engineer, it really ain't that hard.
The difficult part is separating the wheat from the chaff. For some reason, people tend to go to great lengths to make it more difficult than it has to be --- a real no-no in engineering.
2) You can start a software oriented business with virtually no money. I've been running my own SaaS (software as a service) business for 25 years.
These folks don't care about cost but the result has to be outstanding and unique, one of a kind. They probably won't pay thousands of dollars for something that looks like it could have been bought at any furniture store.
It helps if you've got an artistic bent. Design is a big part of it. You'll need to give clients sketches of your proposals and massage their egos throughout the process. Hand holding and individual attention also seems to be a big part of it.
You'll need to show examples and photos of your work just to be considered.
1) Software development is something you can easily teach yourself if you've math, science and logic skills. Get a computer, get on the internet, read, study, look at other people's work. For an engineer, it really ain't that hard.
The difficult part is separating the wheat from the chaff. For some reason, people tend to go to great lengths to make it more difficult than it has to be --- a real no-no in engineering.
2) You can start a software oriented business with virtually no money. I've been running my own SaaS (software as a service) business for 25 years.