Last week I hinted that something big was coming. This something has evolved over the past nine years, but has moved especially fast over the past six to twelve months.
The hardest part has been keeping quiet. But I’ve had a good reason for doing so: I haven’t invested years of work into this blog only to endanger my reputation with a half-baked idea.
But the time has come…today I lay everything on the table.
It’s OK If You Don’t Like Your Job
If you’re like the hundreds of software developers I’ve talked to over the past few years you’re not thrilled with your job.
One explanation could be that you’re smart, skilled, and creative but employers treat you like a retail clerk.
Whether it’s overtime, crappy pay, company politics or annoying co-workers, if you’re like most developers you would leave your office job if you could. In the end, you need something more than a 9 to 9 can offer.
What you really want is to solve interesting technical problems, write code instead of being forced to manage people, and work where and when you want.
You want to be in control.
Consider Yourself Lucky…
Software is an exceptional industry – it’s one of the few occupations where our skills translate into a huge number of options.
I don’t know of any electrical engineers who do contract work on the side. Or architects who have the option of starting a product company.
We are lucky to be developers, because it means we don’t have to work for corporations our whole life if we don’t want to.
We have options. And I’ve spent the better part of my career exploring them.
After years of trial and error I’ve found an approach that re-shaped my thinking about our industry, entrepreneurship, and our role as developers.