# Alternate jobs/careers for programmers



## AriesLilith (Jan 6, 2013)

Hi guys, I've graduated in Computer Science and have been a programmer/developer for 4 years working on different projects at different clients (generally working with Java developing web applications).

While I enjoy programming, I've been feeling lack of motivation from time to time, specially lately. Perhaps it's coz the project I'm in right now is boring (having to analyze legacy code that was simply dumped on us with little help), but then I've been feeling this from time to time, usually a while after joining a project.

Without dispersing too much, the negative points I feel are:
- While I've been doing well all these years (fast learner, good understanding of code, fast developer once on track), I feel that ultimately I'm not a good programmer, since I don't really update myself with technological knowledge (unless needed at work) and I also am not interested in too much technicalities like my fellow coworkers (I prefer a certain level of abstraction, I specially hate to have to worry about configurations and too much technical details);

- I feel lack of motivation and hard to carry on the tasks that are too much of a challenge that requires constant stress and worrying if I'm able to deal with problems (for example right now I have to analyze legacy code with little help, the code is ugly and old school and I'm postponing things that I shouldn't);

- I'm worried of when I become a senior, I'll have too much responsibility as where I live, it seems that specially seniors have no life and works too much extra hours.


Basically, my strong points as a programmer are:
- Fast to master technologies that are used in a project as long as there is proper initial guidance of the seniors and tasks being clear by managment;

- Good at pinpointing the issues and fixing them;

- Interest in figuring out solutions, modeling and designing implementations (with a certain level of abstraction).


In the end, resumidly, I'm good at what I do but I lack of interest in the technicalities and don't feel enough motivation for the potential stress of worrying about solving problems and too much responsibility (having to solve certain things all by myself).


I've tried to google a bit and found out that there are fellow programmers who are burned out too and wondered about alternate jobs. I'm not too confident to change since aside of not knowing what I might enjoy more, programming is also a career with many job opportunities here, along with good stability and money (not that I'm rich, but the salary allows me freedom in my personal life and free from worries, and free to pursuit hobbies or quality time), which many jobs around doesn't seem to provide.

I've thought about working from home too so that I can reduce the 2 hours wasted in transportation daily (maybe I'd feel less tired then), but I can't find any telecommuting (work from home?) job yet.

Taking a year or a few months off sounds good too, although it might be pointless if I still lack the motivation when I come back, not to mention how I don't have enough cash for that.


Any advices or sharing of experience??


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## anarchitektur (Feb 11, 2011)

There are a lot of jobs where knowledge of programming can be helpful, but any suggestions I make depend more on what your _other _skills are in addition to that.

For instance, you could be a project manager for a development team... not doing the actual coding, but managing the employees who do. Similarly, you could be a systems analyst-- someone who gathers requirements from the end users and acts as a liason between technical and non-technical people. These, of course, assume you have a modicum of interpersonal and organizational skills.


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## nonnaci (Sep 25, 2011)

Grad school and do research. Five years working on your own ideas/solutions (provided that it's tangentially related to the grant proposal that your advisor has covered) that companies wouldn't touch with a 10 foot pole can be quite liberating. 

If you seek a sense of community/camaraderie or a common purpose/direction, the theory is that startups are the way to go although it will eat up most of your time. More hacking, interesting domain knowledge, agency/impact in the decision making (less swimming against the currents of others). I'm currently thinking about joining one.

Other options are manager positions where moving between abstraction and communication skills become more valuable than raw implementation skills.


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