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Programming professionally

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  • W wolfbinary

    What would you do if you couldn't program professionally anymore to make a living?

    C Offline
    C Offline
    carlospc1970
    wrote on last edited by
    #82

    I'd be a Mathematician. It strikes me as a very similar profession. :cool:

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    • W wolfbinary

      What would you do if you couldn't program professionally anymore to make a living?

      G Offline
      G Offline
      grgran
      wrote on last edited by
      #83

      I don't understand the question ;-)

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      • W wolfbinary

        What would you do if you couldn't program professionally anymore to make a living?

        B Offline
        B Offline
        BC3Tech
        wrote on last edited by
        #84

        drag race

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        • W wolfbinary

          What would you do if you couldn't program professionally anymore to make a living?

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          P Offline
          Paul A Howes
          wrote on last edited by
          #85

          Either carpentry (cabinet making in particular) or teaching.

          Paul

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          • S Steve Mayfield

            when the only things you do are: wake up, eat, program, eat, program, eat, go to sleep...dream about programming...repeat...

            Steve _________________ I C(++) therefore I am

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            Jordon4Kraftd
            wrote on last edited by
            #86

            "Wake up" check "eat" check if (DayofWeek.IsMorning) "program" check "eat" check" if (DayOfWeek.IsAfterNoon) "program" check "eat" check "hang out with friends family, enjoy anything not technology for the next 4 hours" check "go to sleep" check if (DayOfWeek) "dream about programming" check Going through your list i almost thought i was in danger, thank god for my daily 4h break.

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            • K kirsty pollock

              What are the signs of getting burned out? Getting tired of being (approximately) 10 years ahead of the curve (in my personal case, 'Agile' type development, ORM/data layers, frameworks, TDD/Unit testing frameworks/continuous integration - I've written my own tools for them all... since back when I was at uni in the 80's...) Realising it's only the illusion of change that we have in development. Realising that you are writing the same damn apps over and over - whilst the tech changes under you so fast that you actually are no better/faster at actually delivering a working product. Being tired of running to stand still - if you study really hard *in your own time* you can just about stay as good as you were after about 5 years in the biz. In the few areas where there is design continuity, being tired of seeing all the same mistakes made all over again... (dreadful database design, over-engineering, under-engineering, 'hacking' to meet a time schedule, lack of client involvement, premature optimisation, optimising without metrics). Seeing the whole arena move in what seems like rather pointless directions - e.g. making web apps act like WinForms apps (except slower) by dint of much complex autogenerated code, seeing the database side engulfed by new tools with their own syntax and learning curve - none of which is necessary if you knwo the SQL and a programming language, seeing the proliferation of a kind of thinking that wants to do everything by ever-more config files - rather than the tool actually designed for the job (i.e. a standard programming language that everyone can follow). Knowing that going for architect only distances you so fast from the tech that you'll be out of touch even faster - and even less useful. Knowing that *WE* made it this way - we wanted a pure mertiocracy, we (when we were young) wanted a field where age and experience didn't matter so much as quickness and cleverness. Being just tired of it all.

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              J Offline
              Jordon4Kraftd
              wrote on last edited by
              #87

              You old guys are depressing... I "wanted" to excel to a architect status but now i think I'll just keep updating code generators with the latest technology and run that for 15 min and bill for 6 hours. Then i won't have to come onto a post about great jobs and depress the new guys with how empty their future will be. Jordon.

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              • W wolfbinary

                What would you do if you couldn't program professionally anymore to make a living?

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                S Offline
                sennomo
                wrote on last edited by
                #88

                Sadly, I'd probably go back to working convenience stores and selling insurance.

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                • _ _Damian S_

                  wolfbinary wrote:

                  I'm wondering what the signs are

                  When you dread getting out of bed in the morning because it's a work day... When you feel the need to cry yourself to sleep at night, or self medicate with alcohol... When you dread Sunday evenings because Monday is the start of the working week... When you sigh instead of get excited by having to work late, again...

                  -------------------------------------------------------- Knowledge is knowing that the tomato is a fruit. Wisdom is not putting it in fruit salad!!

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                  R Offline
                  radioman lt
                  wrote on last edited by
                  #89

                  GC.Collect(this.Life, this.CurrentJob); // ;P

                  peace & serenity

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                  • _ _Damian S_

                    wolfbinary wrote:

                    I'm wondering what the signs are

                    When you dread getting out of bed in the morning because it's a work day... When you feel the need to cry yourself to sleep at night, or self medicate with alcohol... When you dread Sunday evenings because Monday is the start of the working week... When you sigh instead of get excited by having to work late, again...

                    -------------------------------------------------------- Knowledge is knowing that the tomato is a fruit. Wisdom is not putting it in fruit salad!!

                    S Offline
                    S Offline
                    soaplady
                    wrote on last edited by
                    #90

                    I have all of those symptoms but they have more to do with my work place than my actual job. To answer the original question, I would make and sell soap.

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                    • W wolfbinary

                      What would you do if you couldn't program professionally anymore to make a living?

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                      T Offline
                      tsdragon
                      wrote on last edited by
                      #91

                      The only thing I've done lately besides programming is night auditor at a hotel (glorified front desk clerk), and I'd kill myself if I had to do that again. I got good grades in accounting and economics in college (4.0), so I'd probably become a CPA. I've also enjoyed writing training manuals and teaching classes, so that's an area I'd consider as well. Of course, I'd still be a closet programmer at home...

                      Meddle not in the affairs of dragons, For you are crunchy, and good with mustard.

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                      • W wolfbinary

                        What would you do if you couldn't program professionally anymore to make a living?

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                        Z Offline
                        z974647
                        wrote on last edited by
                        #92

                        Well, if Hugh Hefner's position isn't vacant (ha) :wtf: , I would sell real estate (have a license) and/or work for some charity.

                        What does an agnostic, dyslexic, insomniac do? He lies awake at night wondering if there's a dog.

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                        • W wolfbinary

                          What would you do if you couldn't program professionally anymore to make a living?

                          M Offline
                          M Offline
                          MattPenner
                          wrote on last edited by
                          #93

                          I love development but if I had to leave I'd probably get a job in construction, like an Office Space thing. After being cooped up all day long in an office with glowing monitors it would be nice to be doing some heavy labor at 6am in the brisk air and later the sunshine. I'm sure I'd find some sore muscles that I forgot were even there, but it would be nice. Granted I live in Southern California. I don't think I'd look so fondly at waking up at 4am just to work all day in the rain.

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                          • W wolfbinary

                            What would you do if you couldn't program professionally anymore to make a living?

                            J Offline
                            J Offline
                            Jon_Boy
                            wrote on last edited by
                            #94

                            wolfbinary wrote:

                            What would you do if you couldn't program professionally anymore to make a living?

                            Holy mackerel, this is a long thread. I'd go into porn. Of course, that is if the porn industry needs another hairy dude like Ron Jeremy and one less blessed, sigh. I guess my acting nick name could be my screen name?

                            Any suggestions, ideas, or 'constructive criticism' are always welcome. "There's no such thing as a stupid question, only stupid people." - Mr. Garrison

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                            • W wolfbinary

                              What would you do if you couldn't program professionally anymore to make a living?

                              J Offline
                              J Offline
                              Jalapeno Bob
                              wrote on last edited by
                              #95

                              I would still program as a hobby. Professionally, I would shift to assisting my wife raising meat goats. We have a nuber of herd improvement ideas, but do not have the time to implement them. Success in this venture requires multiple generations of goats.

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                              • J John D Sanders

                                This is so true it hurts! Spent 10 years as an "Architect" now have spent the last 2 catching up with develpment. Thank God it is just the same ol stuff with new names.

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                                T Offline
                                tstirewalt
                                wrote on last edited by
                                #96

                                Where do you start? I used to consider myself highly qualified with C, Assembler, C++ etc, but that was like 10 years ago. My last IDE was MS VC6. Then I became a designer/algorithmeter. Now, my office is being shut down. Where do I go to get started programming again? I have still don't know what .NET really means. REALLY!

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                                • T tstirewalt

                                  Where do you start? I used to consider myself highly qualified with C, Assembler, C++ etc, but that was like 10 years ago. My last IDE was MS VC6. Then I became a designer/algorithmeter. Now, my office is being shut down. Where do I go to get started programming again? I have still don't know what .NET really means. REALLY!

                                  J Offline
                                  J Offline
                                  John D Sanders
                                  wrote on last edited by
                                  #97

                                  Bro I am sorry to hear that you are getting put out. I just went through it myself and it is not fun. I had to go through the same process and I just started studying like crazy. I got Jesse Liberty's ASP.net book and then C# Books and then ADO.net. I then just started coding like a mad man. I worked out though. The hardest thing is having people that you wouldn't even have hired just a few months ago tell you that you don't have enough experience or are not adequate. Don't get discouraged and keep coding. Develop a portfolio that you can use to display your skills and emphasize your other experience. It will be a challenge to your character but you will make it. I just landed a job.

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                                  • J Jordon4Kraftd

                                    You old guys are depressing... I "wanted" to excel to a architect status but now i think I'll just keep updating code generators with the latest technology and run that for 15 min and bill for 6 hours. Then i won't have to come onto a post about great jobs and depress the new guys with how empty their future will be. Jordon.

                                    J Offline
                                    J Offline
                                    John D Sanders
                                    wrote on last edited by
                                    #98

                                    At least us "old guys" have ethic that works for 15 minutes and bills for 15 minutes.

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                                    • J John D Sanders

                                      Bro I am sorry to hear that you are getting put out. I just went through it myself and it is not fun. I had to go through the same process and I just started studying like crazy. I got Jesse Liberty's ASP.net book and then C# Books and then ADO.net. I then just started coding like a mad man. I worked out though. The hardest thing is having people that you wouldn't even have hired just a few months ago tell you that you don't have enough experience or are not adequate. Don't get discouraged and keep coding. Develop a portfolio that you can use to display your skills and emphasize your other experience. It will be a challenge to your character but you will make it. I just landed a job.

                                      T Offline
                                      T Offline
                                      tstirewalt
                                      wrote on last edited by
                                      #99

                                      Thanks for the tips. And especially thanks for the encouraging words. It seems to be time for me to buckle down and muddle through...

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