I'm a 31 year old, recently single, long time programmer. For the sake of this post, humor me and assume that I am at least above average when it comes to engineering. I've been passionate about it since high school, have had a wide variety of projects, never give up, have a track record of success, etc.
Over the last few years I've built up my current humble project into a steady little business which nets me some steady income with little of my time required any more. Let's say roughly $5,000/mo clean - enough to live in many parts of the US (currently I'm in Southern California).
After months of reflection, therapy, etc etc, I've come to believe that a physical and social job would do me a world of good. I.E. not one where I'm completely alone at my computer for hours, days, months on end.
I've thought about becoming a firefighter (overcorrection?), a pool guy (seriously), an online teacher (teaching programming from my own perspective) etc etc.
As you can see, I'm fairly confused. So, I'm casting this note over a shoulder into the HN wishing well and wishing that one of you fine friends happens to stumble upon this.
Any ideas?
<3 - Mike
Second, just be straight up with them - you've been working a sedentary desk job plugged into a computer building software apps for all of your twenties, and now want to spend some time learning how to build real world things and doing some actual physical activity. You're not sure how long you plan to do it, but at least long enough to learn the basics of the craft of building houses and similar sized buildings, maybe six months or so. You're inexperienced at construction, but are smart, have an engineering and problem solving mentality and experience, and can learn fast.
With luck you'll find one willing to take you on and assign you a crew that will mentor you. They'll start you on easy tasks, teach basic things like professional hammering technique, how to use power tools safely, etc. All things you can get a jump on just by searching on Youtube.
That's the gist of it. There will probably be more than one firm willing to take someone smart and reliable and train them up, even if you're up front about not knowing how long you intend to do it.
PS - it also occurs to me another interesting kind of company to work for would be a local machining and manufacturing company, if any are in your area. There are all sorts of cool videos on Youtube about precision machining and manufacturing that might appeal to a programmer. Same process as above.
SkyMarshal's advice is sound. If you turn up, wearing steel cap books, an something resembling the appropriate clothing, and say something like "I can start now", I think you're in with a chance.
Here in Australia, particularly Tasmania, it's been so hard to find people willing to turn most days of the week I'd say you could get a job here tomorrow (okay, maybe not Saturday) for any number of construction companies.
My contact details are in my profile. I could potentially flick you some drawings for you to study so you'd be able to walk in and say "I can read a fabrication drawing and a marking-plan".
Another option is temp companies.
Get your forklift license or trucking license if you want more of a career.
1. Steel-toe boots
2. Safety glasses
3. Professional grade hammer *
4. Professional toolbelt
Show up with those four things and they'll take you seriously.
* practice with the hammer a bit first. There's actually an art to holding the hammer at its Point of Balance (PoB), flipping it with your wrist not your arm/elbow, and letting its weight and momentum do most of the work instead of your arm muscles. I can't find a video on this on YT atm, but will post one if I find it.
entrepreneurship can be energizing and empowering and liberating and all those great things, but it can also be isolating. there are certainly downsides when it comes to working for another company, but a few upsides too:
- more social by default -- especially if you're actually in an office
- easier to casually experiment with moderate changes to job focus, e.g. "hey manager i've been doing heads-down engineering a while and i'd like to transition into product management"
- secure, compartmentalized base: $5k/mo without much input is killer, but it's not enough to obviate financial concerns (especially in southern california). you could easily be making more than double that on salary, and with that kind of base it's much easier to finance even fairly expensive social and physical activities in your off time (which could include volunteer firefighting, tutoring, a couple shifts waiting tables on weekends, etc)
being a fisherman would be awesome, but is it conservatively worth seven figures over the next two decades? for some, yes. for you?
if you're simply not going to be happy/fulfilled/<insert personal success metric here> doing work that leverages your current skillset, you probably have to find work that does. but your current skillset is quite high value, you're young, and compound interest is no joke. i would make a serious effort towards finding a compromise between current earnings and social/physical outlets before throwing the baby out with the bathwater and becoming a mechanic.
that said, spending a few months bartending on a tropical island somewhere might help you figure it out either way.
The vast majority the last decade has been solopreneuring. I've had a stint at larger companies, but usually as a consultant.
It's likely immature of me, but I gravitate strongly towards "meritocracy" and the simplest purest form of that - for me - has been to work almost entirely alone. And I am acutely aware of all the things I'm giving up in an idealized situation: working alongside great people who are smarter and more passionate than me, cool benefits, money, etc.
I deeply believe that I'd be incredibly valuable to the right company, for the right job, and that the salary and social benefits and such could change my life and lives of my family (and future family!).
But, I've failed as far as finding that just right job.
Here is immature Mike's train of thought regarding this, perhaps someone else can relate?: "I don't want to go do the thing that so many of my peers have done: get a job at a largish tech company, work super hard for 6 months and then fade into a passive state of not really doing anything besides fielding slack notifications and collecting large pay checks. Idk it just feels so lame. It feels immoral. But those people seem to be killing it, they have the money and their girlfriends feel secure and stable, they have friends and get sent on cool business trips. Maybe I'm the one who has it all wrong, and I'm going to slowly age into irrelevance with nothing but my misplaced pride...etc etc etc"
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All that to say, perhaps it's fear of rejection that is keeping me from reaching out and finding that "just-right" job that leverages my "economically valuable" skills.
Your words have struck a chord, and I will make the aforementioned serious effort towards finding a compromise between earnings and outlets.
Thank you, and I hope to keep in touch. - Mike
part-time consulting work seems like a pretty solid way to make good money and maintain lots of free time, but you've done it and it didn't stick. what drawbacks outweighed the pay/flexibility benefits in your experience?
in my experience working for smaller companies and startups is also way better than working for big companies. i understand why people work for big companies and all the perks they provide (sometimes i just browse openai job postings and read all the compensation sections), but you're more flexible and have more impact at small companies and that's huge. especially for entrepreneurs: more flexibility means it's easier to build stuff in your free time. and more impact means it's easier to creatively express yourself on a larger scale by leveraging company resources.
the other point i want to make here though is: if you've been solopreneuring for a decade and you've built multiple revenue-generating businesses on your own already, i would not bet against that track record. if you've got runway to last you a while, maybe just maximize your free time and your wellness. you'll probably start something new.
E.g., offer as much in the way of online signup / online service requests as possible. Don't make horrid, bizarre websites. Don't make people call you on the phone -- or worse, wait for you to call them -- in order to get a decent estimate of cost and/or when you're going to show up. Include things like DoorDash, to show me on a map where you are when you're headed to my house, so that if I have to meet you, I don't have to putter around for an hour wondering when you're going to show up.
And then, of course, do the actual work well and with excellence.
Could be any number of specific lines of work -- lawn care, plumbing, heating/cooling, water services. If you want to leave California, snow removal.
So, I'm working to become a pilot instead. It's expensive, time consuming, competitive, and probably won't see six figures for half a decade or more. But, it's a heck of a lot more meaningful than sitting at my desk all day.
Just thought I'd share my situation and solution since it's relatively similar. All the best.
Maintenance shops are everywhere and give you a 9-5. Fishing is on the coast and gives you a highly a non-standard mostly summer/fall schedule.
Both are an absolute blast when you're with the right people. But then again, nearly everything is like that.
Landscape designer: There is a lot to learn about various plants, climate zones, etc. I am learning for our home but feeling overwhelmed. We are considering hiring a consultant and probably would do actual yard work myself. But there are a lot of landscaping companies that will do everything for you.
Realtor: I have real estate license, you meet a lot of people, explore new areas, learn about so many things. It was really enjoyable experience without being pushy salesperson as I didn’t need money. I stopped as most of work happen in evenings and weekends, and as a dad I felt it was not fair to my kids.
Handyman: Along the same lines as landscaping but probably more in demand. I personally rather do work outside.
Portrait photography: It has a lot of competition but also very rewarding and not as stressful as wedding photography. You get explore new places for the shoots. And it is very fulfilling to make people happy with your photos.
Job satisfaction is key. I hear good things about Physical Therapist. Think about it.
I'd suggest not doing anything rash like quitting your job or switching careers unless you are at a crossroad and ready to make the switch, such as a job that just let you go. Therapy was a great option. I wish I opted for it but instead, I had family and friends and up until today, which is the last day I will be "related to her by law", I didn't want to let her go, but I've come to peace since it is now a reality.
You are a free man currently and can do anything you want. Don't rush into another relationship. Learn more about who you are, what you want, and what you don't want. Make time to exercise.. commit to an hour a day. I have to admit, I haven't been great at it, often having severe anxiety, and I think it was because I was left in a house full of memories for the past 2 years, just drowning in reminders, while fearing going outside.
My brother called me with an opportunity to run one of his businesses across the country, so I'm headed to try that out for a few months and hoping it goes well. He's a bit of a hardass and wants everyone to be exactly like him, so I'm hoping it does last, but we'll see!
Go to a movie. See what events are around your town and go to them. Call up friends you neglected while you were in your relationship and ask if they'd like to catch up and actually plan a date. Life is not over. It's still going on.. with or without you.
Do what you can to keep your mind off her. Understand you'll go through your series of pain, depression, and acceptance moments. Have a person or two you can trust. You aren't alone in this either.
2) Pick a profession that you might be able to meld with your technical/computer skills and interests in the future. Maybe you'll have an idea for a future startup that combines your job that other people without the tech background haven't recognized.
Doing deliveries is more social, but there's a lot of deadline stress.
If you like being active and more physical - just look at what interests you in terms of what you want to do physically and try to match it with something that can yield an income or trade.
Pay and benefits are reasonable. They seem to be in high demand in my area (Pacific NW) and the work is physical without being so grueling that it destroys one's body.
