Monday, December 26. 2011Stop coding for money
Do you believe that there will come a major inflation in the next months or years? If not, you can stop reading this article. Otherwise lets think what would be the right thing to do now.
If you're a programmer, you've most probably been able to save a bit of money over the years and should worry now how to rescue this savings over the inflation. My suggestion is: don't.
Instead stop coding for money and start to life of your savings. There are three things that are worth to invest in and will surely keep their value: health, education and community. All three things require investment of time. Go to the gym, work off your backlog of things you wanted to learn, meet with friends and family more often. Well, you could spent some money and let the dentist give you a good overhaul. When the inflation comes, you'd better be in good health because you probably don't have the money for a doctor. When the inflation is over your education will quickly get you a good job again. And a good crisis is the moment that shows you which of your friends you can really count on. You can use a bit of free time to contribute to free software which will come in handy at a portfolio when searching a new job. On the other hand, it's now even more futile than ever to say that you don't have time for clean code and good software engineering practices. If you're in a company that pressures you to compromise on quality, then it's now the time to quit. Remember that your boss can only give you money, which will loose it's value anyways in short terms. Am I totally mislead or is this good advise? What do you think? Comments
It's nice to read this on the day I choose to quit my job for the reasons you mention
That was basically my thinking 2 years ago (in the US). Haven't really regretted it so far.
That was my thinking in 2007 when I decided to go my own way from corporate america. It has been four years so far. I will let you know how it goes. Even after four years I am not sure. But so far no regrets and most telling is that I do not want to return.
Hi Thomas,
I don't think there will be major inflation in the next few years in any major currency (dollar, euro, etc). I think your advice is good, nonetheless. It's always good to invest in yourself, take care of your health, and spend more time with family and friends. -Eugene
Hi Thomas,
It's nice to read this. I did exactly that 5 years ago here in Spain, when I quit from a big Telco R&D company after 10 years working there. I spent my time and savings developing @kuneproject trying to help in my community and in this difficult historical moment with my capabilities from our collective @comunes. These are not the times to do whatever. Now, I need to have a rest. -- Vicente |
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