Considering leaving software engineering to work in construction (self employed, application, job)
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When you mention the hours getting old, I question construction as your next choice, depending on the kind you mean. I am a Mechanical Engineer in the construction industry. Most of my time is spent in the office, but I obviously make a lot of site visits and more importantly I have also worked on a few projects full time on the construction management side for 12+ months at a time. I have to say that, while the construction side can be very fun and rewarding, any time on a construction site has been by far my longest hours in my career. I also get a big pay bump when I do construction assignments though, so it's worth it to me.
Last edited by Sunbather; 07-25-2016 at 08:34 AM..
As someone who has spent 20 years in a job a despise in tech, full of the backstabbing, never a day off (even when sick or on vacation you are ALWAYS working checking email, etc.) I would say go for it - especially those who suggested construction management. You sound young and probably without a mortgage and dependents, so go for it. The longer you stay in tech the more $$ you will make which will make it even more difficult to leave. Trust me, if you hate it now it will only get worse particularly since the office environment is getting worse not better these days with layoffs happening even at the most profitable companies at least once a year. It is an office version of Survivor. And if it doesnt work out you can always go back. I would say just dont incur any major debt that limits your choices. And at tech companies these days, age discrimination is definitely an issue. Once you hit 50 if you havent moved up to the executive ranks you are pretty much out.
I went from truck driving to tech support then network engineer/administrator for world wide corporation and missed driving a truck so much.
After the stress of the job, dealing with corporate politics at a high level and long, long,long hours took their toll I ended up blowing out several discs in my neck and having heart issues. Did I mention all the back stabbing ladder climbers along the way? I ended up disabled/retired.
While I made pretty decent money in tech, had I stayed a hazmat driver I'd be making over $100k a year now with way less stress, no corporate game playing/back stabbing/ladder climbing and would have most likely remained way more healthy as it was NOT a desk job and pretty much self directed.
Life is too short to not do what makes you happy and pays the bills.
Hope that gives you some idea what I think of your idea.
Interesting.
I've heard so many horror stories about the truck driving profession. What was it like being a truck driver, for you?
Just know that it'll take a toll on your body and you'll be exposed to significantly more occupational hazards than software engineering.
True, but try getting disability for mental health issues aquired by working a software engineering job. Ain't gonna happen. At least if you get hurt physically, there are programs to help you survive.
Been a self-employed software developer for the past 6 years. Make decent money, but the hours are starting to get old.
Before doing this, I worked construction, and loved it. Most of the time was spent being active, and things tended to be new at every job site.
Even though I work for myself, 10-12 hours at a desk every day is starting to feel like a prison.
Anyone made a transition like this? I'm 33, so not exactly young, but not too old for this kind of work either.
Depends on what type of construction job you're talking about. If you are just one of the worker bees, in most areas of the country you would be competing with immigrants and 20 something young adults who are willing to work more hours for less pay than you are. Also keep in mind that you will work lots of extra hours during high season, but you may be unable to find any work during the low season and you won't get paid if you aren't working.
Other downsides to construction:
--more dangerous than a desk job
--very likely you will not receive any benefits, like medical insurance, 401k, paid vacation, paid sick time, etc.
--Very hard on the body. Most don't make it past 50 still being able to work.
--If you do construction for a few years and then want to transition back to IT, good luck actually getting back into the IT industry. In IT, a break of a few years means you will have to start back near the bottom as your skills will be very outdated.
The only way I would say maybe switch is if you are trained in a specialty area like electrician, plumber, HVAC, etc. Those folks seem to always have work and are paid well for it.
IMO, you would be better off just looking for an IT job with fewer hours where you work for a company. My guess is your biggest issue is not IT so much as you being self-employed. Adding the self-employment aspect makes any job more difficult since you are doing your job plus essentially running a business. Most IT workers I know who are employees don't work 10-12 hours every day - usually they only work that much when a project is due or a problem comes up. In fact, based on the IT workers I know, IT seems to be far more flexible than many other desk job professions.
I'm a Mech Eng, but I want to switch to making video games, money making websites, or writing ebooks. OTR trucking driving would be an interesting option to see America.
At 47, I'm still strong and healthy to bmx freestyle. But my other 47 year old buddy, Eric, is disabled and can't freestyle. Age doesn't treat everyone the same.
Self employed software eng? _ Would you know how to program an MS Word like program or make any type of Windows program?
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