HN Explorer

Ask HN: Am I committing career suicide?

58 points by skurry ↗ HN
I've been working in IT as a software engineer for almost 12 years now. Half of that in Europe with J2EE, the latter half in the Bay Area as a web developer in .NET.

I'm starting to become more and more bored with work. I started to look around for other opportunities, but I feel it's hard to do that while working full time. Also, my problem does not seem to be with that particular job, it's with the whole corporate world. Being forced to sit at a desk the whole day. I'm still motivated to work on my own projects after work and on the weekends. I still like programming. I just don't like coding stuff for other people.

Long story short, I'm preparing to take a time out. Maybe one year, maybe two, maybe only six months. My savings could probably sustain my current lifestyle for 5-10 years, if not more. My plan would be to crank out mobile apps, maybe one every two months, see if any of them can make some money. If it doesn't work, I could use them as a reference to get a mobile dev job, hopefully at a company with a product I can be passionate about.

Am I crazy to give up a six figure salary just because I don't feel like being employed anymore? I'm in my mid-late thirties, will I even find a new job with a gap in my resume like this? Any first hand experiences? I'm single, no kids.

88 comments

[ 345 ms ] story [ 422 ms ] thread
stitchintime
You're definitely not crazy. I am not as far into my own career as you, but I would even say that it seems the crazy thing to do, in your position, is to do nothing. You want more from life? Get it! You will be able to find a job later, guaranteed, especially if you kept hacking after leaving your big-co job! (Do re-adjust expectations, though. A start-up will not pay you nearly as much as your last job did, although you should get stock. You know all this, but it will still be a big change.)
GuiA
Do it. Your savings exist precisely for that sort of situation.

Take time off, and figure out what you want to do. Maybe it'll be freelancing/indie development. Maybe in 6 months you'll want to come back to the tech world. Or maybe you'll just say "fuck it" and go teach high school mathematics or help out with IT infrastructure in third world countries or whatever.

The point is: you only live once, do it.

obviouslygreen
Perhaps good advice for HORRID reasons. Anyone spouting "YOLO" or any such thing should be ignored out of hand.
jpgvm
"You only live once" used to be perfectly fine before a bunch of kids gave it bad connotations.

Once upon a time it used to be a way of saying that you only have finite amount of time on earth and you should make the best of it. Somewhat similar to "Carpe Diem" and "Momento Mori".

The fact that a bunch of kids that use it as reasoning to smoke alot of dope and do stupid shit doesn't change the original meaning in the eyes of many folk.

benatkin
The Lonely Island did a parody song/video about YOLO where they made it about living well, but they took it over the top. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z5Otla5157c The YOLO phenomenon isn't limited to getting crazy, but it sure seems to be the most common use of it.
stitchintime
Not sure if this is a popular sentiment, but the Bay Area is expensive. I would probably move to a cheaper area for a while if I wanted to work on cool stuff on my own for a while without taking a nice salary.
skurry
I've been thinking a similar thing. It's probably not very smart, but one idea would be to move to Honolulu. Same cost as the Bay Area, but much more beautiful and no tech echo chamber.

If anyone has a suggestion about equally beautiful places in the US that are cheaper, please share! Virginia Beach? Fort Lauderdale?

mehrdad
If you are smart you can live in Bay area with under than $800 per month everything included (rent+food+bills+gas+insurance). That's what I am doing right now and working on my start-up at the same time.
stitchintime
I guess you can start by living in one of a three-bed apt. in Sunnyvale!
rolleiflex
> My savings could probably sustain my current lifestyle for 5-10 years, if not more.

You're successful,

> I'm single, no kids.

and you don't have obligations.

Considering these, I'd quite safely say this is a game you are not likely to lose. While it's a decision you need to make by yourself, your worst case scenario is better than lives of most people in the field. Plus, taking a year or two to work on startups as far as I can see is quite normal and even seen in a positive light in many places.

pathik
Maybe. But if you don't do it now, it'll just become harder and you'll regret not doing it all your life.

I did something similar, but I did it much before 30. Haven't regretted it so far.

Go for it.

bobrob
a change is as good as a holiday....also sounds like there is a dearth of stimulating conversation at your current gig.
infogaufire
Neither you are crazy nor you are the only with such feelings. I am a 3x entrepreneur, have sold 2 companies and 25 years old. I am working for the acquirer of my last company for last 14 months and I am already tired of writing code for someone else. I am all set to leave my six figure salary and keep hacking & building products that inner me wants to build. Believe me, getting a job at the same pay scale will never be a problem for you. Go ahead and start working on your own ideas full time.
makaimc
You're absolutely not crazy. I'm 30 and in the midst of traveling the US meeting with software developers for 5 months. Every minute, both the ups and downs, have been worth it. Check out my site codingacrossamerica.com and shoot me an email if you're interested in figuring out whether this is the right path for you.
mendozao
I'm not an expert or anything, so take my personal opinion with a grain of salt. If you aren't happy, do something about it. Otherwise, in a couple years, you will wake up miserable feeling like you have cheated yourself out of the most precious thing we can never get back - time. You are the CEO of your own life. Enjoy your journey, take risks, and don't be afraid of being a little foolish - so long as it is in a smart way. Good luck!

(FWIW I skipped out on traditional job offers after getting my masters to begin a startup)

s3b
Would it be possible to make a few apps on the side, see if they get any traction and then decide whether or not to jump? You could try taking a month off (without resigning) just to work full time on this. This way you could figure out if you're passionate about mobile apps without actually giving up your job.
skurry
I have a line of Android apps that have a few thousand downloads. So far I've made about $30 in half a year with ads. But I'm positive that it would be a different story if I could dedicate myself to that full time.
s3b
Cool, so it sounds like you know what you're doing and you've got a pretty long runway. Go ahead, jump. This will probably end well.
macarthy12
Come live in Asia for 6 months. Cut your costs, have a break.

Word of warning - Its easy to take a break and end up getting nothing done. Set boundaries.

lucidrains
if anything, i feel like you should be more employable if you decided to pursue mobile development rather than continue on with .NET.
waterlesscloud
Ask yourself this- Do you want to work for anyone in the future that would hold this against you?

You don't sound like you do.

bearwithclaws
Do it, and come to Malaysia.

Savings that lasts 5-10 years in the states would lasts you at least 20-30 years here. Most people here speaks English fluently, and the startups/hackers culture here are vibrant and growing.

My good friend quit his cozy programming job in Canada and spent a year travelling and hacking in Malaysia + Singapore. He left with more money than when he started (took very very few consulting jobs in between). Oh, and tons of great (food) memories: http://malaysianfoodporn.com/

skurry
I could probably move to Ecuador or Cambodia and retire outright. Trust me, I've been considering it. But there's something about the developed world that I enjoy. When I traveled through Asia, I like Japan, Singapore, Hong Kong, South Korea. But Singapore seems to be even more expensive than the US?
bearwithclaws
What's beautiful about Malaysia is that it's somewhere in between. The major cities (KL/Penang) are like developed world, but the living costs are relatively (way) lower.
kinkora
I have to agree with Cheng.

Malaysia is probably your best bet for somewhere in between if you are looking for a balance between the developed world and stretching your savings. KL is a pretty laid back place to be with awesome food! And with AirAsia being based in Malaysia, you could pretty much travel anywhere in Asia for cheaps. And if you ever decide you are running out of money or are bored, there are a multitude of companies/startups you can start consulting for!

Btw, bearwithclaws, how did your friend end up with more money than when he started? I'm curious.

richerd
I occasionally did some consulting jobs. Put it this way, some people make about $500 a month in Malaysia (which is more than enough to survive comfortably on). When you charge $100+ an hour you can make more in a day than the locals make in a month.
dualogy
Having been in Malaysia on and off for the last few years: you can survive with $500 a month. But you don't wanna put a guy in his late 30s in the kind of accommodation you'd have to put up with for that budget.

Let me put it this way. A 1000$ rental gets you much more luxury than the same amount would get you in the west. But a 500$ monthly budget is pretty poor lifestyle in the long run even in South-East Asia, though I agree not quite as desolate and impoverished as you'd be in Europe or America :))

mping
100+ hour? How do you get these gigs? I wouldn't mind repeating your experience :)
hkmurakami
I think those "very few consulting jobs" was enough to offset the expenses
eru
Also Singapore is just around the corner, if you need some (very!) First World living for a change. There are also plenty of high paying corporate jobs available in Singapore, in case you ever need to fall back on one. And start-ups.

I moved to Singapore from Britain last year.

noelwelsh
Do it. The kind of people who will look down on you for taking risks are not the kind of people you want to work for.

In general, it sounds like you've taken a very safe / corporate path with your career. Pays well, but it's boring. That might be the problem. I did a year in a big company and haven't worked any sizeable since. I know guys who earn six figures a year working at banks, but the crap they have to put up with -- what's the point?

merusame
Who, if not you (!!!), should do this?
bdreadz
You know how to code. Take time off if you have savings. You will find a job if you desire going back to work for someone else.
polskibus
If you are risk averse (assuming you are because you have lived corporate life for 12 years) I'd recommend working for a small company first, for at least 6 months. There are many aspects of running the company and your own product which you don't see in a corporation. This will help you prepare for launching your own enterprise.
[deleted]
(comment deleted)
skurry
Some more data points and thoughts:

- I have 23 days of PTO per year, which is generous for the US. I did several two week trips the past years, mostly to Asia. My job is fairly low stress, I work less than 40 hours per week. But still, as soon as I set a foot into the office, it feels like all life energy gets sapped out of me. Maybe it's the fluorescent lighting? The crappy HVAC that oscillates between freezing and muggy? The open office plan we moved to last year? The constant sitting? As soon as I'm on my bike on the way home, I feel better.

- Worst case, if I do it: I get lazy and don't do anything during my time off, and won't have anything to show for at the end. But that's entirely in my control, and I won't have anyone to blame but myself.

- I read many blogs and comments about this. A recurring theme is people saying "I'm afraid I wouldn't be able to bring myself to go back to work after taking such a long time off." While I can see the point, aren't they implicitly admitting that there is something wrong with their current situation?

eru
> The constant sitting?

Try to get a standing desk. It worked wonders for me.

skurry
I've been talking to my manager about this. The problem is, after moving to an open floor plan, paradoxically we don't have room anymore.

I'm trying to work standing up for a bit. It does help, but of course is far from ergonomic at a regular desk. It probably also looks ridiculous, me doing a semi-split to get low enough to reach the keyboard and mouse.

eru
Try using a few reams of copy paper (or books and boxes etc) to prop up monitors and input devices. I had such a makeshift setup at first.

Also, have you tried working from home? Orthogonally, negotiating a four day work week 4x8h (at 80% pay) might help you enjoy yourself more. Managment might not be too happy, but if you insist and tell them that the alternative is 0 day work week at 0% pay (i.e. you leave), they might see the light.

ikhare
People here have given great motivating responses. But In don't think anyone has answered the whether it would be hard to get an job again after a big gap if you decide to get one again. It seems like you want to continue coding in some form, so really there will be no gap of experience in your resume.

If anything finding people who have built products themselves and put them out there is great to see and are hugely valuable to an enlightened organization. Whenever I interview people this is always a fun part of the conversation. I find that those people are very likely to be tuned to building great products and are the kind of people I want to work with.

pbreit
If you are a decent programmer, you should be able to find some sort of satisfactory-paying work even with the "gap" you describe. And if you truly have 5-10 years of savings, you have more than enough cushion to try working for yourself for a year. Try to retain some discipline as you go. If after a year or two you're not able to make anything work, consider looking for a boss again.
revathskumar
I am right now going through the similar stage that I wanna do something for myself. I am just 4 years in this carrier and have no savings. Still I thought to take a chance, but my friends didn't allowed me to do it.

So right now I am working for myself during the nights, sacrificing some of my sleep.

If I where you or have some saving, I will definitely go for it.

schiang
I think you should go for it.

I'm currently in a similar situation. I started learning how to program about a year ago and even got a job at a startup. I really want to learn iOS dev because just being a RoR dev will limit my career path real soon. I quit my job a few weeks ago and have been spending all my time learning iOS dev. My goal is to find another job after I'm comfortable with iOS.