Attention Software Devs/ IT Nerds

[Dan Druff]

Congrats on your job.

You're absolutely correct that each programming language becomes easier to learn as you have more of them under your belt. The very first programming language you learn is always the hardest one, as you're completely new to all of the coding concepts.

Very interesting how you said that learning software development helped you learn to take on tasks in steps. I had the same experience. There was a BBS door (onlline game) I wanted to write at age 15, but the whole task just seemed monumental and impossible to manage, especially with school going on at the same time. I then thought of it differently and broke it down to all the parts of the game I needed to write -- doing the easiest stuff first, and going from there. Made it a lot less intimidating, and I not only finished it, but I basically copied it a few months later and made a better theme for the game, which then caught on and was a minor success at the time. Fun experience for a kid so young.

Just to expand on my previous advice last year, project the image at your company as a hard worker who also has a life outside of the office. If you appear to be lazy and undedicated, you will be the first one laid off, and often resented by co-workers. If you appear to have little going on outside of the workplace, they will pile additional hours onto you (maybe unpaid, not sure how it works in your country), and figure you have nothing better to do anyway.

And if you see a better way of doing things, always speak up. Sometimes that will impress your bosses. Good luck!

BTW, how old are you?

[Starbucks Spunk Bucket]

Thanks guys!

Fortunately I have a bit of work & life experience under my belt; I am now in my mid-30s and most of my career has been in management (IT Sales / Customer Success) roles. Networking and discreetly setting boundaries etc. is almost second nature at this point. I have plenty of examples at hand for use in interviews so I was confident that compared to younger grads I had an edge. Interestingly a lot of people on my MSc are older than me.

I took your advice on board and did my research (Glassdoor reviews, asking people who worked at the companies, etc) before applying for jobs- especially as relates to overtime expectations. In fact I only applied to a handful of places; where I live is a bit of a tech hub so that's been an advantage in a number of ways.

The roles themselves have Hybrid working models, 2 or 3 days a week in the office at most. Suits me perfectly and I don't have a long commute anyway. Best of both worlds but yeah I am especially aware of the importance of face time given this is a new career.

Funny you say about speaking up Druff (great point): this has always been one of my strong suits. In one of my interviews we had a group task under supervision and I found myself having to indirectly /respectfully disagree with a team member and softly find a way to move the team in the direction I thought was best. I knew that was make or break for me as far as being passed on to the next stage. The guy wanted to start down a path of designing more web pages when we had about 5 minutes before having to deliver a presentation, which we hadn't yet organised ourselves for- lol. The funny thing was everyone else in the team seemed like they were ready to sheepishly go along with him!

San, I have no tattoos, piercings or dreadlocks. Just a raging hard-on for Jannick Sinner

[Dan Druff]

Ok, very nice. Sounds like you did a lot of research and approached all of this in the best way possible.

Mid-30s still gives you plenty of time to move forward with this career. I asked because a lot of us here are old (including me), and at a certain point it's really too late to start a new career direction, unless it involves starting your own business and/or investing. In fact, once you are around my age, it becomes difficult to move up from where you presently are, when working for a corporation. Basically nobody is looking to promote someone who will be already thinking of retirement soon. But you're very far from that point.

Good luck with it all, and keep us updated. Master Scalir will be glad to know that the guy whose screen name came from his bathroom antics has had a successful career change.