I can empathize with the author's experience and would be grateful if they could shed some light on their aspirations within the digital marketing field.
Sure thing. My interests mostly lie in performance marketing, automation and ops. I enjoy creating landing pages, running ads, writing copy, and CRO as well. I haven't had the chance to leverage these skills in a higher traffic environment yet however, so I imagine the next step is getting my foot in the door somewhere to do that. My overarching goal is to become a T-shaped marketer with a broad depth of general knowledge and specialities in a few distinct areas.
I started professional software development more than 10 years age, luckily in my early 20's. After half an year I found it's frustrating me but instead of leave and go somewhere else I made the most shitty mistake I ever can make - I believed that I just need to work harder and everything will be fine! What a bulls*t!
Of course, I was better and better, and at the end I was pretty well paid contractor with remote and time-flexible position. On the other side I was super frustrated, depressed, and even aggressive (which is not common for me, I'm rather a chilled person). It can't work in the long run, but the golden handcuffs was so strong. First I tried to build my own biz to move out, than I switched partially for PM position (which was ok, but a bit bored). Eventually I've done a profitable software product that paid my bills. Now I don't do any commercial coding anymore and I try to leave my software coding at least as much as possible and eventually moved on.
I don't want to say that coding sucks - it's a career like any others. It can be really funny, profitable and satisfying. The problem is that it's not for everyone but we build illusion to believe that it is. Some people say money are important, other say about passion, opportunities, stability, etc. I don't know what's the truth but I personally believe that when choose your career the most important are talent and personality. Even if I'm hard working and social person who likes to be active, with all those money, opportunities and stability I was miserable - I don't have talent to resolve complex logic problem and I don't have personality to sit alone in the computer for long hours. Today I feel that's completely ok but before I lie to myself something else. When you put an introvert software developer to work in sales you will get exactly the same.
So choose what's the best for you and don't care much about internet, family, friends, company and other people opinions - what's match for them maybe might not match to you.
Eventually like you I've found that tech skill is helpful and I also move in a digital marketing field.
You hit the nail on the head – thanks for sharing. I'm glad you eventually found what worked for you. Your story sounds eerily similar to what I suspect my path would've looked like if I decided to plow ahead.
I genuinely believe that everyone knows deep down what they were meant to do. Listening to one's heart is the most difficult part, as simple as that may seem.
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[ 1.8 ms ] story [ 20.9 ms ] threadI started professional software development more than 10 years age, luckily in my early 20's. After half an year I found it's frustrating me but instead of leave and go somewhere else I made the most shitty mistake I ever can make - I believed that I just need to work harder and everything will be fine! What a bulls*t!
Of course, I was better and better, and at the end I was pretty well paid contractor with remote and time-flexible position. On the other side I was super frustrated, depressed, and even aggressive (which is not common for me, I'm rather a chilled person). It can't work in the long run, but the golden handcuffs was so strong. First I tried to build my own biz to move out, than I switched partially for PM position (which was ok, but a bit bored). Eventually I've done a profitable software product that paid my bills. Now I don't do any commercial coding anymore and I try to leave my software coding at least as much as possible and eventually moved on.
I don't want to say that coding sucks - it's a career like any others. It can be really funny, profitable and satisfying. The problem is that it's not for everyone but we build illusion to believe that it is. Some people say money are important, other say about passion, opportunities, stability, etc. I don't know what's the truth but I personally believe that when choose your career the most important are talent and personality. Even if I'm hard working and social person who likes to be active, with all those money, opportunities and stability I was miserable - I don't have talent to resolve complex logic problem and I don't have personality to sit alone in the computer for long hours. Today I feel that's completely ok but before I lie to myself something else. When you put an introvert software developer to work in sales you will get exactly the same.
So choose what's the best for you and don't care much about internet, family, friends, company and other people opinions - what's match for them maybe might not match to you.
Eventually like you I've found that tech skill is helpful and I also move in a digital marketing field.
Wish you good luck :)
I genuinely believe that everyone knows deep down what they were meant to do. Listening to one's heart is the most difficult part, as simple as that may seem.