Dear MeFi: I hate my job
February 1, 2010 7:59 AM Subscribe
I hate my job, but I'm not good at anything else. Where do I go from here?
I've been a computer programming company for a few years, and I really and truly hate it. My CS degree program in school was fun enough, but didn't really give me a good idea of what a programming career is; there's a huge difference between figuring out "hello world" in lisp/smalltalk/c#/pascal/masm, and spending 8-10 hours a day doing bugfixes or figuring out who broke the stored procedure. To make matters worse, it's a high-pressure job that I end up taking home; delivery dates are firm, so I work from home most weekends. I can't stand it.
So I could quit, I guess? But how do I even figure out what to do? I like reading, animals, and ...mimicing people's speech patterns (weird, I know). Librarian? Zoologist? Doggy day-care attendant? It seems like all the jobs/careers I can think of are either highly competitive or they don't pay enough to cover rent in my area.
So how does one go about switching from one career field to another? How do you even figure out what you want to be "when you grow up"?
Throwaway e-mail: noskillsyet@gmail.com
I've been a computer programming company for a few years, and I really and truly hate it. My CS degree program in school was fun enough, but didn't really give me a good idea of what a programming career is; there's a huge difference between figuring out "hello world" in lisp/smalltalk/c#/pascal/masm, and spending 8-10 hours a day doing bugfixes or figuring out who broke the stored procedure. To make matters worse, it's a high-pressure job that I end up taking home; delivery dates are firm, so I work from home most weekends. I can't stand it.
So I could quit, I guess? But how do I even figure out what to do? I like reading, animals, and ...mimicing people's speech patterns (weird, I know). Librarian? Zoologist? Doggy day-care attendant? It seems like all the jobs/careers I can think of are either highly competitive or they don't pay enough to cover rent in my area.
So how does one go about switching from one career field to another? How do you even figure out what you want to be "when you grow up"?
Throwaway e-mail: noskillsyet@gmail.com
Your complaints sound more specific to your particular current position than to programming jobs in general... maybe you should consider finding a better job in your current field.
posted by Perplexity at 8:10 AM on February 1, 2010 [12 favorites]
posted by Perplexity at 8:10 AM on February 1, 2010 [12 favorites]
I second perplexity.
posted by notswedish at 8:11 AM on February 1, 2010
posted by notswedish at 8:11 AM on February 1, 2010
Take a step back, relax, maybe go do something else for a while, take a break - but it's not computer programming that you hate, it's just your current job.
posted by TravellingDen at 8:19 AM on February 1, 2010
posted by TravellingDen at 8:19 AM on February 1, 2010
There are one or two decent suggestions tucked away in here.
posted by mecran01 at 8:25 AM on February 1, 2010 [3 favorites]
posted by mecran01 at 8:25 AM on February 1, 2010 [3 favorites]
What about surveying your friends and family and finding out what they think are your main skills and what you would enjoy and be good at? May help you brainstorm and think out of the box.
If you think of something you'd really like to do, could you try volunteering or doing it part time to get a better sense for (a) if you would actually enjoy it (b) be good at it and (c) if you could really get the job full time and pay the bills?
posted by n'muakolo at 8:27 AM on February 1, 2010 [1 favorite]
If you think of something you'd really like to do, could you try volunteering or doing it part time to get a better sense for (a) if you would actually enjoy it (b) be good at it and (c) if you could really get the job full time and pay the bills?
posted by n'muakolo at 8:27 AM on February 1, 2010 [1 favorite]
Rather than a second degree, have you considered going for a Masters/PhD in your field or a related one? I can't really tell what your situation right now is financially, but perhaps would doing research or even being a professor interest you?
Or if you have enough experience maybe you could teach programming right now at a local community college (I'm not familiar with the requirements for this, sorry).
Another option would be to freelance in web dev or something, but this might be risky depending on a lot of things.
Lastly, you could dedicate some of your remaining spare time to creating a website/rich internet app for some platform combining your eclectic interests. If it becomes a success, you might be able to make a decent amount of money from fees/ad revenue/whatever.
Fun fact: Mathowie made this place because he was bored one day and now he's super rich and wears only brand name clothing.
posted by Throw away your common sense and get an afro! at 8:40 AM on February 1, 2010
Or if you have enough experience maybe you could teach programming right now at a local community college (I'm not familiar with the requirements for this, sorry).
Another option would be to freelance in web dev or something, but this might be risky depending on a lot of things.
Lastly, you could dedicate some of your remaining spare time to creating a website/rich internet app for some platform combining your eclectic interests. If it becomes a success, you might be able to make a decent amount of money from fees/ad revenue/whatever.
Fun fact: Mathowie made this place because he was bored one day and now he's super rich and wears only brand name clothing.
posted by Throw away your common sense and get an afro! at 8:40 AM on February 1, 2010
Nthing that every programming job is different, and some of them give you wide latitude to explore and learn. Consider applying with Google, maybe?
posted by Citrus at 8:59 AM on February 1, 2010
posted by Citrus at 8:59 AM on February 1, 2010
"Getting a computer science degree is like going to school and getting a fine art degree specializing in pottery. You spend four years learning this complex art, practicing all facets of this craft, and then you go out into the world and get your first job and all you do all day is make toilet bowls."
In terms of finding a place where you're doing pottery but not making toilet bowls, I hear large companies which are shipping products (as opposed to small companies or consulting) are the best places to be.
On the other hand, there are a bunch of places that do aptitude testing, which might give you an idea of what other careers to look at. (They don't just consider what you like to do, but they do things like test your memory for numbers/words/patterns, your spatial abilities, and so on, to hopefully tell you what you would be good at.)
posted by anaelith at 9:28 AM on February 1, 2010 [2 favorites]
In terms of finding a place where you're doing pottery but not making toilet bowls, I hear large companies which are shipping products (as opposed to small companies or consulting) are the best places to be.
On the other hand, there are a bunch of places that do aptitude testing, which might give you an idea of what other careers to look at. (They don't just consider what you like to do, but they do things like test your memory for numbers/words/patterns, your spatial abilities, and so on, to hopefully tell you what you would be good at.)
posted by anaelith at 9:28 AM on February 1, 2010 [2 favorites]
I'm inclined to agree with the general "it's your job, not your career" assessment, but I'd also counsel that as a recent college grad, you're at the bottom of the career ladder. The bottom of pretty much every career ladder involves a lot of shit work- talk to any successful developer, and they've all got stories like yours. The same goes for lawyers, doctors, editors, and (probably quite literally in this case) zoologists.
posted by mkultra at 9:30 AM on February 1, 2010
posted by mkultra at 9:30 AM on February 1, 2010
I've been a programmer for about fifteen years, on and off, and I've been where you are.
That off and on has had to do with the nature of the work sometimes and the suckyness of a job other times and my own issues yet others. It's led me to be a part of a small startup doing software & security sales (badly) for a while and bartending yet others.
Like you, I have sometimes bemoaned the fact that I'm not really good enough at anything else that pays nearly as well.
I concur that a college CS program doesn't necessarily give you a good idea what the actual job of a programmer is really going to be like. I'd point out, though, that I'm not sure any college program really prepares its students for what the working world version of its program is like.
You may well not really like what the life is like. Honestly, two years out from school having done this in one job, how could you really know?
The reality of life in the software engineering field has a lot of variation. You're in a bit of a death march position now but they're not all like that. It may be that you'd be pretty happy if you were doing a proper 40 hours a week.
Perhaps you will never like being a full time coder. That's not necessarily the only avenue you can go in. Your CS program should have spent some time on the software engineering and specification part of the job. It's possible to find yourself in a gig where that's 98% of what you do.
There's also - and this is where I really most enjoy fitting into the field - positions where you can spend much or all of your time doing business process analysis. Despite how far we've come there's still plenty of organizations or parts within the organization that could be using technology better... or at all.
Some of those positions you're not going to be able to hold at your stage in your career. Some of them you can't do at some organizations.
But there's a lot of variety out there, and you should probably follow the advice of the people above who've suggested you look into whether this is that particular software job, not all software jobs. If nothing else it'll be an easier change than a total career shift.
Personally I likes the time in my life when I was bartending better than anything else, but as a career path it's somewhat limiting. I've had other software gigs that were almost as good, however, they were just harder to find.
posted by phearlez at 9:30 AM on February 1, 2010 [1 favorite]
That off and on has had to do with the nature of the work sometimes and the suckyness of a job other times and my own issues yet others. It's led me to be a part of a small startup doing software & security sales (badly) for a while and bartending yet others.
Like you, I have sometimes bemoaned the fact that I'm not really good enough at anything else that pays nearly as well.
I concur that a college CS program doesn't necessarily give you a good idea what the actual job of a programmer is really going to be like. I'd point out, though, that I'm not sure any college program really prepares its students for what the working world version of its program is like.
You may well not really like what the life is like. Honestly, two years out from school having done this in one job, how could you really know?
The reality of life in the software engineering field has a lot of variation. You're in a bit of a death march position now but they're not all like that. It may be that you'd be pretty happy if you were doing a proper 40 hours a week.
Perhaps you will never like being a full time coder. That's not necessarily the only avenue you can go in. Your CS program should have spent some time on the software engineering and specification part of the job. It's possible to find yourself in a gig where that's 98% of what you do.
There's also - and this is where I really most enjoy fitting into the field - positions where you can spend much or all of your time doing business process analysis. Despite how far we've come there's still plenty of organizations or parts within the organization that could be using technology better... or at all.
Some of those positions you're not going to be able to hold at your stage in your career. Some of them you can't do at some organizations.
But there's a lot of variety out there, and you should probably follow the advice of the people above who've suggested you look into whether this is that particular software job, not all software jobs. If nothing else it'll be an easier change than a total career shift.
Personally I likes the time in my life when I was bartending better than anything else, but as a career path it's somewhat limiting. I've had other software gigs that were almost as good, however, they were just harder to find.
posted by phearlez at 9:30 AM on February 1, 2010 [1 favorite]
Although I generally concur with all above counseling you to not give up on programming yet, I will add that if you really do want to change careers, maybe look into sales engineering for a software development / consulting firm. That way you still use your skills, but you aren't coding 50 hours a week. You work with sales to do technical presentations, respond to RFPs, create proof of concepts, etc. It can be a nice mix of sales and technical work without being too much of either.
posted by COD at 10:06 AM on February 1, 2010
posted by COD at 10:06 AM on February 1, 2010
If you've got any 2D or 3D package clue, like graphics work, and so on, VFX technical direction is one of those jobs where you are not permitted to bring work home unless it's an exceptional case, thanks to NDAs. It is stressful, though.
posted by fairytale of los angeles at 12:20 PM on February 1, 2010
posted by fairytale of los angeles at 12:20 PM on February 1, 2010
Try the Strong Interest Inventory.
posted by y6t5r4e3w2q1 at 2:16 PM on February 1, 2010 [2 favorites]
posted by y6t5r4e3w2q1 at 2:16 PM on February 1, 2010 [2 favorites]
I tend to think one of the best ways to 'career shop' when you're just starting to look at your options is to comb through government sponsored occupational profile sites such as this one. Also, grab a copy of the program calendar for your local technical school(s) and peruse.
You may or may not have seen this post from a few weeks ago. It may or may not help to get further confirmation that your experience is somewhat typical - but temporary, it seems.
posted by kitcat at 3:53 PM on February 1, 2010
You may or may not have seen this post from a few weeks ago. It may or may not help to get further confirmation that your experience is somewhat typical - but temporary, it seems.
posted by kitcat at 3:53 PM on February 1, 2010
It's been alluded to already, but one very good thing about being a programmer is you have a fairly wide choice of employers, relative to a lot of other professional jobs. Plus, our society/economy values those skills highly. Unfortunately a lot of interesting jobs lack those qualities.
You should definitely look at changing jobs as soon as possible, however, because you sound miserable. Then, decide about the career change.
posted by 8k at 7:56 PM on February 1, 2010
You should definitely look at changing jobs as soon as possible, however, because you sound miserable. Then, decide about the career change.
posted by 8k at 7:56 PM on February 1, 2010
I'd try a different job before trying a different field. It sounds like you'd enjoy programming if you had reasonable hours and more autonomy.
posted by sninctown at 8:55 PM on February 1, 2010 [1 favorite]
posted by sninctown at 8:55 PM on February 1, 2010 [1 favorite]
I worked for a year after graduating from college and found myself in a somewhat similar position. It was developing new systems at least, and in that sense it was fun and I was learning a lot. However, the job was very stressful, the deadlines were always looming on the horizon, and there was a lot of stress in general.
You might try looking for another programming job first. I don't think all programming jobs are like that, but I have little experience in industry.
I ended up going to graduate school in Computer Science and am pursuing a PhD now, and I love it. If you are more interested in another field you can take some classes in a community college or the continuing studies program at a university, and then apply for an advanced degree in that field. Your CS background can be a big advantage and can open the door toward some interdisciplinary program, like bioinformatics, cognitive science, etc.
What are you interested in?
posted by albatross84 at 9:48 PM on February 1, 2010
You might try looking for another programming job first. I don't think all programming jobs are like that, but I have little experience in industry.
I ended up going to graduate school in Computer Science and am pursuing a PhD now, and I love it. If you are more interested in another field you can take some classes in a community college or the continuing studies program at a university, and then apply for an advanced degree in that field. Your CS background can be a big advantage and can open the door toward some interdisciplinary program, like bioinformatics, cognitive science, etc.
What are you interested in?
posted by albatross84 at 9:48 PM on February 1, 2010
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Well, you can go back to school for another degree. I think this tends to be a rather expensive proposition, but if you want to pursue something that requires another degree then go for it.
Otherwise, you can network with people, hone your "story" and figure out how to sell your services to another person in an unrelated industry. This is a hard path to follow, especially if you're not extroverted and especially in an economy such as this one.
You'll also find that people in HR and recruiting positions live and die by pigeonholing people. So even if, for example, you think you'd make a great salesman because of your gregarious personality, an HR/recruiter type would say "Computer science? This guy has no sales experience. Next!" So, if you go the networking route you need to figure a way to meet with hiring managers.
posted by dfriedman at 8:06 AM on February 1, 2010