I used to just watch your channel because I thought you were funny and smart @ThePrimeTime... but then you started talking about your backstory that I never heard before and I can just relate so much to what you said about the things you have done in your past. As someone who is myself trying to change my life and go down the better path, this was really nice and motivational for me to hear. Thank you for what you do.
:) my man. Keep the chin up and you got this! Pursuing a changed life is hard, and there are times where it doesn't feel worth it, but trust me, in the end it absolutely is
Side note, I've had to write for a tombstone and I never thought to put on such a shallow message, you really don't think about those things when it actually comes down to it
So to summarize: 1. Went from Amazon to Netflix as a senior software engineer, loves it 2. Wants to transition to product-manager role (vertical transition requiring at least 6 months of training and work) 3. Doesn't get the role and isn't in it for the long run, losing motivation 4. The pandemic scares him into thinking he will die before doing anything meaningful with his life 5. Quits job after getting bad performance review (by his own doing) 6. Took a long break to relax and travel 7. And since Feb 2022, he is CEO of a supply chain software consulting company. So what is the moral of the story here? He hit his breaking point at about 29 years old, and it seems to me he felt sorry for himself that he didn't get what he wanted sooner. His lack of patience demotivated him when he realized he would have to invest time and energy into transitiong into a completely different role. I don't understand why he wrote a story about him not having patience on the internet.
I understand getting bored at your programming job and then wanting to look for more, happens to me, happens to most other software engineers at some point or another. When this happens we usually try to move up for the better salary or more interesting work, but you have to consider most devs don't make anything near 450k a year, thus making these changes a little less impactful on our lives. What I can't possibly understand is how someone making 500k to 1M a year drop it all because of this. Being bored at your job is literally buying something that is priceless, which is financial freedom towards an early retirement, a true breakout from the job system. Why not deal healthily with the boredom for a few years longer (like every other pleb earning less than 6 digits) and then go embrace your own projects with all that passion after you manage to free yourself from these so called "handcuffs of boredom". Everyone is giving their youth, time and mental health to these companies, you are actually privileged to receive the key to life in exchange, most people will never break free. Anyway, guy went to Amazon next, what was even the point of all this rambling.
Nah there was a comma between Ex-Netflix and Amazon Engineering, he was trying to say he is both Ex-Netflix and Ex-Amazon. People flex like this on linkedin all the time. He’s actually currently a scammy sounding consultant. Here’s the full blurb: “I help VC-Backed Startups Build Their MVP's • FANG-tier Engineering Consulting for Non-Technical Founders • Ex-Netflix, Amazon Engineering • EECS @ UC Berkeley • Founder w/ 1x Successful Exit” Edit: He’s even flexing his exact bachelors program (EECS) at UC Berkley. So many red flags its not even funny
I think he already could retire financially. That is why he didn't care to call quits. Then he moves to Amazon and may be he will bounce back in the future to the role he desires. Of course for many , half a million a year simply means mission accomplished. But for those who get there, another challenge starts. The Struggle for Power.
Youth IS wasted on the young. You are 100% correct: 40's is peak. But at the same time, fuck that. I'm 58, and I'm making better choices and doing better in my life than ever. But 40's had many advantages over 50's. Mostly physical. Soooo... in reality, TODAY is truly the peak. And FYI: i started my coding career at 57.
Yeah I'm starting to take better care of myself in my 30s to squeak out more good health years in my 50s. I'm a woman so we naturally retain more fat, but building muscle decreases our osteoporosis risk so I'm integrating more strength training.
Am older by few years and have done it all over my career - did cool tech startups, worked for very major companies,, lead rather large dev team for a company flagship product, did stint as enterprise architect over engineering org, developed several new products - some of my software is used in the marine terminals on the West coast and other terminals to this day. But these days am doing high performance networking programming for back-end software systems using the Intel DPDK library, which is programmed in C (but I also use C++17 to some extent). Very satisfied to be completely immersed in just writing code that is technical and challenging. And feel fortunate that at my age can still get these kind of gigs. (But why should we have to shuffle off into retirement when we still have the chops?)
Never thought that the hip programmer reaction channel could get so real. You are the most _based_ person I've come across in a while. Aspiring to your flexibility of thought, humor and wisdom. Truly great to watch.
I quit my job from amazon and decided to take time off, my problem was that I was really depressed and then couldn't get myself back into interviewing. One year later and I haven't done anything with my time off because I've been constantly anxious, depressed, and stuck in a pit. My manager gave me the advice to stay in my job until I get my next one, in hind sight I should have taken that advice.
yeah, that is super hard. one problem about anxiety / depression is that its almost momentum based, its like when things get hard, the multiply. there is always light at the end of the tunnel. Focus on the light
I'm in the same situation. Deep depression, but I burnt my bridges with that. I resigned companies thinking it would be better than getting fired, but then realised I'm not hireable anymore cuz companies dont give a fuck about neurodivergent and depressed people. Well, it will get better, be strong!
@@ThePrimeTimeagen So true about momentum! It really works the both ways too, when you're stuck it is very easy to stay stagnant, but when you get the ball rolling... it just keeps on rolling as long as you help it along abit :)
Holy heck. He was on a 500k a year role at Netflix... tried to become a PM... didn't get there in 2 years... and quit? They gave him opportunities to parter with PM's and develop more skills and he turned it down? That's kinda crazy and a serious waste of an opportunity and seems like impatience.
PrimeAgen make a good comment about it in the video (around 10 minute mark). It might've looked weird to us, because we are not earning that kind of money. But we need to understand that people that actually get into this kind of companies (faang) are actually very talented and passionate about learning. They got money, they don't need more of it. They want to keep growing and when they feel that they're not going anywhere, they feel miserable.
I’m not even a programmer or anything like that but at 26 I’ve decided to go back to school and improve my life in different areas. I really like your videos and how relatable you are as well as your wisdom. Glad I ran into your channel.
I do it ALL for my wife and children. The last few minutes of your personal testimony actually brought a couple tears to my eyes. It wasn't drugs for me, but my childhood wasn't without its trials, and YES, having children absolutely changes you!! I'm 43, sole breadwinner, and between jobs, so it's beginning to get stressful as I watch the savings dry up.
Here’s some food for thought. I’m 25, working in Accounting. To see over 100K I’d have to get my designation, CPA, which is a hell of a lot of work. The only way I’ll see 400K+ is if I get into corporate tax which is a LOT of education, there’s lots of regulation and guidelines regarding that. At that point you’re typically working 60+ hour weeks consistently, there’s no catering, there’s no socializing, it’s pure tax analysis and work. As a kid if first gen immigrants, I get the familial pressure to perform and to just keep your head down. I also get the desire to go off on your own and pursue the things you find interesting. However, it’s 450K dude. Suck it up. I personally don’t have the luxury to just quit because I felt like it. I have a fiancé, we have our own place, I have to support us and keep the bills paid. This guys is so privileged and he doesn’t even get it.
Comparing yourself to others is what get you messed up, i remember starting University for comp sci, i had been programming for about 6 years at the time and i thought that the degree was gonna be easy. well there were 2 others who were very similar to me in the sense that they had already been working as SWE's and just wanted a change of pace. instead of comparing myself to the majority of my classmates i constantly compared myself to those 2, one was just a wizard with databases and back end infra, the other was a great at creating interactive UI's and front-ends. and here i was a game developer who had been doing both of those things but less focused ( i was more into physics simulations and engines ) compared to them i felt soooo bad at front end and back end infra that i actually dropped out to make games instead. i got a job from grandma to take care of her forest that had been neglected for 20 years and i just kept making small niche games. Today i still work for grandma but im also working together with my father ( who's into strategy, marketing and entrepreneurship ) to create some tools for him and his work ( mainly data analysis ) Comparison practically killed my will to create anything or even attempt new things because i kept telling myself that there is always gonna be someone better at it than i am ( which is true, but that isn't necessarily a bad thing)
00:55 what more could you ask for? A loving family, a healthy relationship with your partner and God (if applicable), a balance between work and life, being able to actually use your PTO, and being mentally stable/happy. Not saying you can’t have this at Netflix, in fact I’m sure many do have these there. But asking “what more could you ask for” after listing purely monetary incentives is stupid and clearly short sighted imo :)
I turn 40 this year and started programming a year ago. Actually I come from a "creative field" and thought the combination is perfect. My passion is getting bigger and bigger. I love it and I feel much more independent today.
I relate to his issue of "my teams goals aren't matching up with my career goals" pretty strongly. But for half a million dollars I think I would have stayed around lol
he probably did stay around, think about it bro it only takes 6 months to save 200k, that takes a normal person with no bills atleast 4 years , you dont actually have to stay long to have a floated bank account so u can take time to move into something else and 450k only seems like alot but its not a big difference if u can go get a job you like more that makes 350k, think about it
yeah would have to be a pretty strong misalignment, like if you were working at a pet shelter to save animals, then you get put on the "put down this bag of puppies every day team". but honestly it just sounds like he had a mini-midlife crisis
I think people see those numbers and scoff at his decision making. I can definitely identify with it but I had a lot of other factors. I've not made 500K in a year before, but with my own personal situation of the past few years, I don't think there's any salary that I could have pushed through without some sort of career break. A combination of being Neurospicy, no support system, caretaking of my dad until he passed and then trying to keep his business alive, a whole bunch of other things, Covid stuff, etc. Just had no push left in me. Have taken a 10 month career break and just starting to get interested in it again.
dang man, this one hit me on a whole different level. As a new viewer who usually watch you while working or gaming for some laid back fun, I don't think I've fully grasped your depth until now. You've got a special ability to joke around, make fun of something, but at the same truly listen and empathize with the person behind the seemingly anonymous block of text. I could relate to a lot of it once you took away the fluff lol. This was great, had to pause BG3 and just watch.
I loved what you said about the programming / management. I used to be able to code most of my day but now I'm interacting with business way too much. Meetings, meetings, meetings. I just want to code
I'm building a start-up solo, so I don't have many meeting but need to do many different things at the same time. I think to keep coding on your off time, even just a little, is really nice. I do like that I can put some time into automating my processes and keeping up to date with developments. For example I'm learning Rust and made a web analytics tool in a few days in my off time, which saves me many hours of diagnosing the websites I'm maintaining, while giving me a good learning project. Every friday afternoon I spend on studying (preferably something relevant to my current activities) which I find to be a great compounding investment that gives continuous immediate returns. Felt like sharing and maybe it can give inspiration ☺️
take a paycut and go back to production (does it worth your sanity/satisfaction) or get some recreative projects at home :) I guess a simple "I'm not happy doing this, I was happier doing that" kind of convo with your boss would do
That story about you taking 4 months leave resonates with me soo much! Last year I dread doing coding, even for the task that i know exactly how to do it. It was just so hard to start. Took a 1 month+ break, 1 week before coming back to work I was already eager to code, can’t wait to code! Fast forward to now, i churn out more features, bugfixes, and improvements more than before. I was also motivated to do more of other self-improvement stuff. So to all, if you feel burned out and can afford long leave, take it. Probably the feeling of doing nothing made me realize i need to do something, or how i love coding so much!
I'm shedding crocodile tears for this dude; my parents were blue collar workers before retiring, before that they fled their home country due to a civil war that was happening ... Imagine if I had to explain that I left my job because it was "boring." That is truly some First world problems.. Dayum..
Except in the west and in particular the USA you literally have tons of nonsense unfulfilling jobs that only exist so that corporations can rake in tax cuts and whatever have you for "creating jobs" so having a meaningless boring job is a very real thing
I worked in heavy industrial, changing it up in my 50's. I got a degree in my mid 30's and feel more grounded and mature to make a change at this stage.
The thing is, you're trading your freedom. And also sovereignty. And those things really are quite priceless, especially once you taste financial independence.
Heard this from a 45-year-old college professor: "Your best years are the ones where you're working to be the best version of yourself." Ever year from here on out can be your best year yet. Challenges will come, tragedies will happen, but how you handle them can constantly improve. The upside is that working to overcome come challenges can help teach how to enjoy the times that are relatively challenge-free.
Man, I needed this! Thanks for giving props to those of us who made the shift to tech later in life (37 for me). I often feel beat up because of my age. Initially I started following you to get better with my programming jargon (I’m a sys admin). But now I gathered more important life lessons from you. I lost my Bay Area tech job in April, and I no longer have my 6 figure job. I moved to LA and landing a new job here has been challenging. Yet, just like the person who wrote this thing you reviewed, I’ve also been recently guilty of not checking my privilege. When you said “eat the fish, spit the bones” is exactly what I need to keep in mind as I prepare to work odd jobs to make ends meet. I have to remember that I’ve done the hardest part, which is landing my first jobs in the industry. Thanks to you, I’m inspired to check my privilege, and will also push on in my quest for being better at tech. Hearing you give us props for transitioning to tech later in life energizes me. Thank you for this gem!!!
programming is like art, once you turn your love into work, it changes you. I would rather get paid less, have less responsibility, but give myself time to do my own projects just for health reasons. it's why engineers don't want the leadership.
TI people are weird. The "greener grass effect" can get to some people. It's funny to see too how you can almost never have an accurate perception of yourself. Yeah... You're being paid 450k and you're doing this job for 1.5 year. How about you get really good at it instead of trying to make a move to CEO? Sure CEO is nice and I'm sure you'd be good doing it and all but... How about focus at the task at hand? "Oh at the beginning it was awesome to learn & earn but then I because dissatisfied just earning" meanwhile everyone looks at your situation and see the obvious skill gap you're not seeing. Not to mention the enormity of people with 2 jobs they hate just to make a living for them and their kids.
I can see the feasibility in quitting a $450k job without regrets. With those kinds of savings the low chance of becoming homeless or losing access to the vast majority of healthcare options is bound to help a ton with the "no regrets" part.
Yea he’s a newbie consultant (of course he is lmfao). The full blurb actually reads: “I help VC-Backed Startups Build Their MVP's • FANG-tier Engineering Consulting for Non-Technical Founders • Ex-Netflix, Amazon Engineering • EECS @ UC Berkeley • Founder w/ 1x Successful Exit” Yea this guy definitely listens to podcasts about business lmfao
Great video, and i can feel that, i my 20s i decided to quit my "bore to the ass" job and go out try to find my passion. But the problem is that if you can not sustain yourself, you spent way more time deal with "no-money" problems than actually doing your dreams. So after 30 and spent 3-4 years wandering around, i again applied for a 8-5 job, slowly build up my stable income streams. And it is true as you said that in our 30s, we are more smart, less stupid decision, less impulsive and more resilient.
I changed from finance. So, it’s possible. Requires tons of effort, an active github, and apply to places where your domain knowledge is valuable. For example, Odoo development on accounting modules. Apply to banks, risk management desks. Good luck, mate.
You know, I want to sympathize with this guy. I really do. But I worked the same job, that I HATE, for 8 years. Because it put food on the table while I was going school. Let's just say I wasn't making $450k... Or $100k. Not even $60k. So, if somebody offered me $450k, I could probably do that job forever.
I'm also on the side of "after 1 week of vacation, I'm feeling miserable". I took 23 days off and the urge to code during those days was enormous. But I could stand strong, I got some deserved rest and came back to work feeling renewed
Had a similar experience with the pandemic but I made 10x less in a kitchen. Took a year and a half off to focus on coding (I had done side projects but never really completed anything) and I have zero regrets.
Can relate to so much of this having ditched the golden handcuffs and restrained as a hands on code guy learning new things every day, never been happier.
Hard to relate. I've been looking for a developer job for 6 months now and I hate every day. There will never, ever be a future where I quit a job before finding a new one.
Quitting a job before finding a new one doesn't make sense for most people, we simply can't afford the potential downtime. I don't have such issues currently as I'm being scouted by other companies, mostly due to luck, but I had a really rough time when I couldn't find a new job for 8 months. It was just constant suffering where everything just felt pointless.
@@CottidaeSEA It's been incredibly rough. It's also quite a lot of pressure when you have a wife, family and no income. I am glad to hear that things changed for you.
Man, I just found your channel... I almost gave up on being a developer altogether, but I finally regained the same enthusiasm I had in my teens just by watching your videos. I love your videos, man!
It is one thing to get bored and switch jobs from Netflix to Amazon, but it is another battle when you quit a conventional job to pursue software engineering only to find out you are effectively not hireable as a software engineer.
Also, if you’re personally dealing with job search issues, I’m sorry to hear that. The market is tough right now but I’d be happy to do a resume review / interview coaching session for you if you’d like.
@@justinthec Thank you very much for the offer but I will respectfully decline. I'm currently expanding my portfolio and concentrating on learning Threejs. Potentially I'll be moving to HTLM5 game development but that's not certain. There's a reason why I'm not noticed, and the reason is that my portfolio is weak.
Speaking as a long time dev that came up during the late 90’s… I can relate to the burnout and was a super nerd in programming that really loved IT. I transitioned to Solution Architect to Enterprise Architecture and now Leadership where I am now standing up a new EA Practice. I couldn’t be happier and have real significant impact to the company from the C-org down.
I'm in my 30s now, 32 to be exact, and as a software engineer, I also think this is the best time of my life, I'm always learning, not only different programming languages, but also new concepts. Because one of your videos I started to learn touch typing, It always bothered me not be a fast typist, but I always thought that I spent most of my time mentally figuring out stuff, and then I got it, the fact that I wasn't as fast typing made me not to try all my ideas and try to develop only the most optimal concepts, and in actuality they weren't the best ideas, because the best is always going to be the simplest solution refactored a feel times, so write your code and then discover if you can do better.
Many of the themes of work and seeking purpose in the discussion (maybe not so much in the article) resonated with me...I'm a veteran and have been searching for purpose for quite a while now. I served in two different branches and I've deployed twice, I've traveled the world for over 2 years after getting out of the military, I've been in and out of school many times and I'm finally finishing up my CS degree on the third try and will graduate just before I'm 40. My previous jobs have mostly been very secure and maddeningly boring telecom jobs where I sit around and wait for stuff to break. I absolutely love coding my personal projects where I get to make things from scratch and understand the small details. I do not enjoy using huge, excessively complicated frameworks made by others but I appreciate the purpose they serve in managing increasingly complex systems. I really hope there's a role for me out in the world that I will actually enjoy and can still pay the bills because I definitely haven't found it yet. I'm hopeful and optimistic that I'll find it soon though!
Got a guy who's 40 where I work the man was a senior business analyst he switched to junior software eng. He worked at the company I work at now for a year. Absolute pleasure and now he's off into and more exciting job
What you're describing is very startup-like thinking. Focus on the problems that exist here today. Not on building stuff to build stuff. It's great that you enjoy it!
The whole "don't quit a job" thing isn't right. It feels right. But it isn't. I have done it twice in my career (and I'm one week out from starting a new gig after the second run at it). It is scary. But it gives you time to focus on who you are, what you want to do next, and how that translates to the actual job search to land another position (or take a different path in life). That space is critical. Just make sure you have the finances to do it. Investing in yourself is the actual hard part.
I turned 40 in November and I've been a software developer for just over a year now; I wish I'd been aware of the prospect of burnout or understood the burnout when it was happening, it was very overwhelming and honestly kind of scary how bad things got for awhile. Oh well, so it goes... hopefully I have a better sense of it now. and won't let it happen again. Writing code is super fun, I hope I can do it the rest of my life :)
I just finished an intro to Javascript course, so I do have some interest in programming but still trying to figure out if I want to make a career change. Right now, my gut tells me I do not want to be a SWE full time and despite that I love your content. Love the topics, love your personality. Great channel.
It's about balance between job satisfaction and level of salary. Sometimes a lot more money, allowing one to have a nicer life outside of work, can make it worth staying in a job that's not enjoyable. But in the long run, doing a job that's really stressful/draining is not sustainable, no matter the rewards.
It's possible the guy wasn't passionate about programming, as you mentioned. However, another likely scenario is that he was passionate, but turning that passion into a transaction for money, perks, and other benefits stripped it of its value. While much of this can be mitigated by perspective, not everyone has the innate temperament to mix work and passion. Rarely does anyone get to fully pursue their passion without compromise. Most people have to engage in tasks they're not enthusiastic about as part of pursuing their passion, such as attending stand-up meetings, debriefing clients, work-related travel, and so on. Over time, the brain can begin to associate the negative aspects of these tasks with the passion itself, leaving a bitter taste.
I quit a job I had for three years. Built up a savings, took a year a half off to build a game. Now I have a job in game dev. Didnt have a job lined up. Didnt even ship the game. I built a website to host my portfolio. I dreaded interviews too, and i did pretty bad in the ones i had. I got fortunate that my current company offered a 3 month temp position with a potential for full time after. My manager loves the work im doing. Not saying everyone can do it, but it has changed my life for the better. I WFH full time, i make just as much money, i am doing something i like. The pay is not going to be as good in game dev as it is at other tech companies, but im ok with that. I dont need a ton of money.
Golden handcuffs is such an insult to everyone else on the planet. I can NEVER sense any humility, grace, or thankfulness coming from these guys. I can understand every point made but its never couched in an air of gratefulness for all that they have.
I mean I get what you're saying but we are so conditioned to money. Do what the money tells you. Golden Handcuffs is a perfect metaphor for the misalignment between what we are here to actually do and being conditioned to money. Being a slave to good money = golden handcuffs.
“Imagine being 50 and making the switch to programming” I love this because it took me until 42 to realize just how much I love tech. I built a PC, started learning Linux, and now I want to learn bash and python. Once I have those down I was gonna look into other languages/scripting. Who knows, by 50 I might be doing this.
17:33 As an operations analyst, I get mega ultra excited when we are able to leverage new data points to gauge performance and health of the business. This sort of stuff has a HUGE impact and it feels incredibly rewarding once the tools are built and being used.
I worked at Goldman for a few years. Golden handcuffs was the keyword that helped me make the right decision... i almost wasted my life on a company just because I was afraid I couldnt live off a lower salary. The salary gap has disappeared by now but a difference that still prevails is that I do not hate getting up for work in my current job because people around me care for something else than themselves
This was the most privileged, pointless, out of touch article I've ever seen. The crux of his entire argument is that he wanted to move in to a role at a company 99% of us will never make it to, to earn twice his ridiculous salary, to do something he had no experience with and ended up leaving because his ego couldn't fathom why he wasn't being handed exactly what he wanted while simultaneously shitting on everyone who struggles to make 10% of what he was earning to "be bored". This is why most people hate big tech company culture. These people achieve what the vast majority of us never will and then have the balls to complain about it.
people look at things really relatively. you may be the most rich person in the world by 2x buy no matter what, if you lose a really small part of that money, and if you took your old money as the relative point, you'll be in depression that's what makes people that can get happy from small things have a strong psychology because they took the lowest point / avg as their relative point
Really frustrating generally how widespread the mindset still is, society's determined to work itself to death instead of growing and adapting to what the people need.
20:38 So much this. I got a much later start to learning how to program than most people because of external factors, and I have quickly learned that feeling like it was wasted time is a waste of time itself.
This sounds like an issue that most of us have, but I think it is all in our head. I would be proud in his place. He got the golden handcuffs. Some of us can't afford even bronze ones... 🤣 I realy like your reacts! Keep it up! 👏
Really insightful takes here. I strongly disagree with the take that UI is copy-pasta. Though, I will concede that when working with well-established component libraries, it can feel like you’re just gluing together pre-built components. On the flip side, UIs have become a lot more logic-heavy which introduces different, fun challenges of its own
Right? You're earning $400k. Save up for a handful of years and you can retire then and there. What a load of crap this article dude. I understand what Primeagen is saying but at the same time it's $400k(+) a year. Suck it up for a little while.
It’s because they’re still young and haven’t faced being destitute. And hopefully they never do. But if they do they’ll look back and realize just how silly they sounded.
I fell empty inside, but because a chronic headache. 7 years without pause. Started architecture in my 32 and lock the degree 1 month before the completion because I can't continue brute forcing my life through the pain. I studied with the headache. I always took risks, times paid of times don't. After 10 doctors finally we got a effective treatment, I take 20 pills a day, the days with pain reduced 95%. There is no diagnosis. Had paused my life one year because of the headache, tried to live through pain playing video-game s. But I have the same sentiment you have. A week at the beach is good, 2 weeks is miserable. What miserable year I had. Now I'm coming back to begin with life, again. But everything in life has no meaning at all. Sorry if the format of the text is wrong, I can write in English but my thought process is in Portuguese. Brazil mentioned? Come to Brazil. 😊
Eastern European here. I've been both happy and miserable working for 200 euros a month and 3k euros a month (3k in Eastern Europe is kind of the equivalent of 200k in the US). When I learned new things I was happy like a bubba for 200 euros, and when i earned the most in my carrier I was miserable because I worked in a company that would ultimately end up closing, dying a slow and painful death. I watched and waited as all the people in my department left one after the other - even the product managers/owners and all the other high management in the data department. Before I got sacked along with the other 60 people in the office, I was left alone to support and maintain the company's entire infrastructure.
I make much less than this guy and have also felt the golden handcuffs. Honestly what helped me the most was interviewing at a few companies that couldn't afford my asking price, and then having a talk with my manager about stuff that was making me miserable. Finding this channel has helped as well. Sometimes you just need a perspective shift.
ThePrimeTime is a risk taker! Going cross-country to California with an 8.5 month preggo wife and two labs, no friends? Wow. But he has a Subaru, I like that car, we got one ourselves, very reliable. Peace and subscribed!
24:50 I do feel this is absolutely true. I'm 30 in a couple months and only now I'm starting to comprehend and settling in life. I've lost so much time being a dumbass in my 20's as well, comparing myself to everyone else and just being reckless with my choices. Life just makes more sense when you grow up.
It's a balancing act. Preferrably, find a job that you like, with people that you like working with. If you're going to spend that much of your time somewhere you might as well enjoy being there. For most people however, a good salary is the most important part, because in the end, we work to live, not the other way around.
I get why he felt that way. Chinese culture has this obsession with wealth, status and position. He fell into that trap without realizing it's generational BS. I grew up around that culture and saw lots of asian american friends chase it. I rebelled against that and reject that way of thinking. Hopefully that person matures a bit and gains some wisdom. The blog also exposes the sad fact chinese are super repressed, which leads to emotional ignorance. Until he unlearns the generational trauma to gain some wisdom, he isn't going to find real happiness and peace.
i have played lots of stuff, watched so many channels, but truly your channel and twitch are interesting contents to watch with curiosity. this is no fake comment, but my sincerily point of view. your channel just drive me out, and i am keeping grwing up :p
4:44 You don't go to work to find friends. Honestly all that these "social incentives" at tech companies are goofy as hell. I spent my entire carreer skipping company celebrations and never went to lunch with colleagues and I still get hired. The way I see it all of this feel like detention at school. It's a waste of time, I'd rather skip lunch, finish my work sooner and go home earlier. If they allow me to smoke cigarettes in the office I don't even need to take a break at all. And I would strongly disagree about paychecks not releasing as much dopamine as being recognized. Getting praised feels like a scam until it earns you money. If I'm good at something I don't need being told I'm good at it, especially not by people who know less about it than me.
Damnnn prime, this stream, this fuking stream it's really made me feel how grateful I am. Looking back at the person I was 3 years ago, that person would be so proud and so happy how I have turned out to be, that person would't believe who he is now, he never would have believed it. This is such a eye opening stream. I have never been so heavy with emotions. It literally took me 2 days to watch the whole video every time something deep comes up I pause and contemplate. Thank you so much prime you are the OP father of all the developers out there (A programming father figure) even though it sounds weird to say it out loud
I think it's healthy to strive for better, or for more, but when I became grateful I realized I already had almost everything I needed. I am grateful to have lived a little bit harder life than some, so I could learn this. You may not realize it, and it may not seem like it, but your life is perfect 👌 - from someone loving their 40's
My 40s have absolutely rocked so far. I feel like I'm starting over again (mentally, not actually) with the experience of the last 20 years. You know how some people say "if I could be 20 again with all that experience..."? That's what it can be like in your 40s, IF you want to own that approach. And I haven't needed to re-start anything - it's the same old body, doing the same work I've done for decades, but a whole better approach.
I feel like fulfilment can't come from an external source. Like, a job that don't match sure takes energy, but fulfilment in life got to come from the inside. Accept what you are doing, excel at what you're doing and be happy for your own improvements. If you just keep jumping jobs, they will be as empty as the first one you quit for that very reason. Somewhere its a choice of attitude.
I love your channel and watching your videos, you are super funny and brilliant, you are a born genius at it and I just can’t help but lmao at every single word that you utter
You know, it is pretty strange to watch this video as 16yo developer. Because I felt like I am losing my time because I can’t work while in school (by law and by time commitment). But finding out that not everyone is 16yo SEO with 4 years of experience is such a relief. Like I am living in bubble and comparing myself to people who are 10-20 years older than me. Just helps to understand that I have a lot of my YOUTH left to get out of Kazakhstan and find actual job. Your channel helped me a lot! Thanks man!
I'm 18, about to be 19 in one and a half months, and while I know I have much more experience and disgust towards drugs and stupid decision making compared to others of my age, below it, and even higher up to 30, I am pretty depressed, and combining that with autism that so happens to carry negative aspects (hence it being a disability) my interests are very short bursts and then die pretty quickly and I have been so since 14 or 15, can't remember. This does ring in as depression speaking, the gravestone bit definitely alerting me as self-deprecation and low self-esteem. And this is why I'm afraid for going forward with any programming job that really isn't my own short-scope projects, then my motivation dies really quickly and i just stop working on said project. While I do have a job in retail and I have energy for it, it also brings with it another aspect of depression and I can't be bothered to do much of anything in terms of creativity. It's a really big pit that's just hard to climb out of. It's been getting better slowly but I feel I just need time.
I used to just watch your channel because I thought you were funny and smart @ThePrimeTime... but then you started talking about your backstory that I never heard before and I can just relate so much to what you said about the things you have done in your past. As someone who is myself trying to change my life and go down the better path, this was really nice and motivational for me to hear. Thank you for what you do.
:) my man. Keep the chin up and you got this! Pursuing a changed life is hard, and there are times where it doesn't feel worth it, but trust me, in the end it absolutely is
Side note, I've had to write for a tombstone and I never thought to put on such a shallow message, you really don't think about those things when it actually comes down to it
Same
99.9xy% survival rate.. effectively 100% if you’re under 40 😂.
@@ThePrimeTimeagen I completely agree (as a millionaire)
So to summarize:
1. Went from Amazon to Netflix as a senior software engineer, loves it
2. Wants to transition to product-manager role (vertical transition requiring at least 6 months of training and work)
3. Doesn't get the role and isn't in it for the long run, losing motivation
4. The pandemic scares him into thinking he will die before doing anything meaningful with his life
5. Quits job after getting bad performance review (by his own doing)
6. Took a long break to relax and travel
7. And since Feb 2022, he is CEO of a supply chain software consulting company.
So what is the moral of the story here? He hit his breaking point at about 29 years old, and it seems to me he felt sorry for himself that he didn't get what he wanted sooner. His lack of patience demotivated him when he realized he would have to invest time and energy into transitiong into a completely different role. I don't understand why he wrote a story about him not having patience on the internet.
I understand getting bored at your programming job and then wanting to look for more, happens to me, happens to most other software engineers at some point or another. When this happens we usually try to move up for the better salary or more interesting work, but you have to consider most devs don't make anything near 450k a year, thus making these changes a little less impactful on our lives.
What I can't possibly understand is how someone making 500k to 1M a year drop it all because of this. Being bored at your job is literally buying something that is priceless, which is financial freedom towards an early retirement, a true breakout from the job system. Why not deal healthily with the boredom for a few years longer (like every other pleb earning less than 6 digits) and then go embrace your own projects with all that passion after you manage to free yourself from these so called "handcuffs of boredom".
Everyone is giving their youth, time and mental health to these companies, you are actually privileged to receive the key to life in exchange, most people will never break free.
Anyway, guy went to Amazon next, what was even the point of all this rambling.
Nah there was a comma between Ex-Netflix and Amazon Engineering, he was trying to say he is both Ex-Netflix and Ex-Amazon. People flex like this on linkedin all the time. He’s actually currently a scammy sounding consultant. Here’s the full blurb:
“I help VC-Backed Startups Build Their MVP's • FANG-tier Engineering Consulting for Non-Technical Founders • Ex-Netflix, Amazon Engineering • EECS @ UC Berkeley • Founder w/ 1x Successful Exit”
Edit: He’s even flexing his exact bachelors program (EECS) at UC Berkley. So many red flags its not even funny
I think he already could retire financially. That is why he didn't care to call quits. Then he moves to Amazon and may be he will bounce back in the future to the role he desires. Of course for many , half a million a year simply means mission accomplished. But for those who get there, another challenge starts. The Struggle for Power.
I just found his entire article to be pointless. People don't appreciate what they already have because the grass is always greener on the other side.
thank you, you saved me a few minutes of watching lol
Maybe because all the rambling happened before he joined Amazon???
Youth IS wasted on the young. You are 100% correct: 40's is peak. But at the same time, fuck that. I'm 58, and I'm making better choices and doing better in my life than ever. But 40's had many advantages over 50's. Mostly physical. Soooo... in reality, TODAY is truly the peak. And FYI: i started my coding career at 57.
How's your coding career gone so far if you don't mind me asking? What language did you start with? What resources did you use?
Yeah I'm starting to take better care of myself in my 30s to squeak out more good health years in my 50s. I'm a woman so we naturally retain more fat, but building muscle decreases our osteoporosis risk so I'm integrating more strength training.
Am older by few years and have done it all over my career - did cool tech startups, worked for very major companies,, lead rather large dev team for a company flagship product, did stint as enterprise architect over engineering org, developed several new products - some of my software is used in the marine terminals on the West coast and other terminals to this day. But these days am doing high performance networking programming for back-end software systems using the Intel DPDK library, which is programmed in C (but I also use C++17 to some extent). Very satisfied to be completely immersed in just writing code that is technical and challenging. And feel fortunate that at my age can still get these kind of gigs. (But why should we have to shuffle off into retirement when we still have the chops?)
Never thought that the hip programmer reaction channel could get so real. You are the most _based_ person I've come across in a while. Aspiring to your flexibility of thought, humor and wisdom. Truly great to watch.
my man, ty ty
I quit my job from amazon and decided to take time off, my problem was that I was really depressed and then couldn't get myself back into interviewing. One year later and I haven't done anything with my time off because I've been constantly anxious, depressed, and stuck in a pit. My manager gave me the advice to stay in my job until I get my next one, in hind sight I should have taken that advice.
yeah, that is super hard.
one problem about anxiety / depression is that its almost momentum based, its like when things get hard, the multiply.
there is always light at the end of the tunnel. Focus on the light
I'm in the same situation. Deep depression, but I burnt my bridges with that. I resigned companies thinking it would be better than getting fired, but then realised I'm not hireable anymore cuz companies dont give a fuck about neurodivergent and depressed people. Well, it will get better, be strong!
@@ThePrimeTimeagen So true about momentum! It really works the both ways too, when you're stuck it is very easy to stay stagnant, but when you get the ball rolling... it just keeps on rolling as long as you help it along abit :)
Lmao what a douche. This guy sucks.
@@CaioCodes But if you're busy working, how do you get the time and focus to consider another job?
i like the honesty of the thumbnail lmao
Holy heck. He was on a 500k a year role at Netflix... tried to become a PM... didn't get there in 2 years... and quit?
They gave him opportunities to parter with PM's and develop more skills and he turned it down?
That's kinda crazy and a serious waste of an opportunity and seems like impatience.
he went to amazon, he's not working at mcdonald's
@@user-uk9er5vw4cHe didn't go to Amazon. He used to work at Amazon before netflix. He now does an AI startup
PrimeAgen make a good comment about it in the video (around 10 minute mark). It might've looked weird to us, because we are not earning that kind of money. But we need to understand that people that actually get into this kind of companies (faang) are actually very talented and passionate about learning. They got money, they don't need more of it. They want to keep growing and when they feel that they're not going anywhere, they feel miserable.
I’m not even a programmer or anything like that but at 26 I’ve decided to go back to school and improve my life in different areas. I really like your videos and how relatable you are as well as your wisdom. Glad I ran into your channel.
Good luck bro
I do it ALL for my wife and children. The last few minutes of your personal testimony actually brought a couple tears to my eyes. It wasn't drugs for me, but my childhood wasn't without its trials, and YES, having children absolutely changes you!! I'm 43, sole breadwinner, and between jobs, so it's beginning to get stressful as I watch the savings dry up.
Here’s some food for thought. I’m 25, working in Accounting. To see over 100K I’d have to get my designation, CPA, which is a hell of a lot of work. The only way I’ll see 400K+ is if I get into corporate tax which is a LOT of education, there’s lots of regulation and guidelines regarding that. At that point you’re typically working 60+ hour weeks consistently, there’s no catering, there’s no socializing, it’s pure tax analysis and work. As a kid if first gen immigrants, I get the familial pressure to perform and to just keep your head down. I also get the desire to go off on your own and pursue the things you find interesting. However, it’s 450K dude. Suck it up. I personally don’t have the luxury to just quit because I felt like it. I have a fiancé, we have our own place, I have to support us and keep the bills paid. This guys is so privileged and he doesn’t even get it.
Somewhat unrelated. Super cool that you read to your children. Some of my best memories are my father reading to me.
:)
Comparing yourself to others is what get you messed up, i remember starting University for comp sci, i had been programming for about 6 years at the time and i thought that the degree was gonna be easy. well there were 2 others who were very similar to me in the sense that they had already been working as SWE's and just wanted a change of pace. instead of comparing myself to the majority of my classmates i constantly compared myself to those 2, one was just a wizard with databases and back end infra, the other was a great at creating interactive UI's and front-ends. and here i was a game developer who had been doing both of those things but less focused ( i was more into physics simulations and engines ) compared to them i felt soooo bad at front end and back end infra that i actually dropped out to make games instead. i got a job from grandma to take care of her forest that had been neglected for 20 years and i just kept making small niche games. Today i still work for grandma but im also working together with my father ( who's into strategy, marketing and entrepreneurship ) to create some tools for him and his work ( mainly data analysis ) Comparison practically killed my will to create anything or even attempt new things because i kept telling myself that there is always gonna be someone better at it than i am ( which is true, but that isn't necessarily a bad thing)
I think he's ex-amazon, not current amazon. He was there before his netflix job
00:55 what more could you ask for? A loving family, a healthy relationship with your partner and God (if applicable), a balance between work and life, being able to actually use your PTO, and being mentally stable/happy. Not saying you can’t have this at Netflix, in fact I’m sure many do have these there. But asking “what more could you ask for” after listing purely monetary incentives is stupid and clearly short sighted imo :)
I turn 40 this year and started programming a year ago. Actually I come from a "creative field" and thought the combination is perfect. My passion is getting bigger and bigger. I love it and I feel much more independent today.
I relate to his issue of "my teams goals aren't matching up with my career goals" pretty strongly. But for half a million dollars I think I would have stayed around lol
How do you even get a half million job where you're half assing it
@@dhammond249 the bigger question is how do you lose one to yourself.
The guy probably was depressed, that's the best explanation I can think of.
he probably did stay around, think about it bro it only takes 6 months to save 200k, that takes a normal person with no bills atleast 4 years , you dont actually have to stay long to have a floated bank account so u can take time to move into something else and 450k only seems like alot but its not a big difference if u can go get a job you like more that makes 350k, think about it
yeah would have to be a pretty strong misalignment, like if you were working at a pet shelter to save animals, then you get put on the "put down this bag of puppies every day team". but honestly it just sounds like he had a mini-midlife crisis
I think people see those numbers and scoff at his decision making. I can definitely identify with it but I had a lot of other factors.
I've not made 500K in a year before, but with my own personal situation of the past few years, I don't think there's any salary that I could have pushed through without some sort of career break.
A combination of being Neurospicy, no support system, caretaking of my dad until he passed and then trying to keep his business alive, a whole bunch of other things, Covid stuff, etc. Just had no push left in me. Have taken a 10 month career break and just starting to get interested in it again.
dang man, this one hit me on a whole different level. As a new viewer who usually watch you while working or gaming for some laid back fun, I don't think I've fully grasped your depth until now. You've got a special ability to joke around, make fun of something, but at the same truly listen and empathize with the person behind the seemingly anonymous block of text. I could relate to a lot of it once you took away the fluff lol. This was great, had to pause BG3 and just watch.
Dang, kind words man
I loved what you said about the programming / management. I used to be able to code most of my day but now I'm interacting with business way too much. Meetings, meetings, meetings. I just want to code
I'm building a start-up solo, so I don't have many meeting but need to do many different things at the same time. I think to keep coding on your off time, even just a little, is really nice. I do like that I can put some time into automating my processes and keeping up to date with developments. For example I'm learning Rust and made a web analytics tool in a few days in my off time, which saves me many hours of diagnosing the websites I'm maintaining, while giving me a good learning project.
Every friday afternoon I spend on studying (preferably something relevant to my current activities) which I find to be a great compounding investment that gives continuous immediate returns.
Felt like sharing and maybe it can give inspiration ☺️
I just want a routine where I don't forget to brush my teeth before falling asleep on my chair every night
take a paycut and go back to production (does it worth your sanity/satisfaction) or get some recreative projects at home :) I guess a simple "I'm not happy doing this, I was happier doing that" kind of convo with your boss would do
That story about you taking 4 months leave resonates with me soo much! Last year I dread doing coding, even for the task that i know exactly how to do it. It was just so hard to start. Took a 1 month+ break, 1 week before coming back to work I was already eager to code, can’t wait to code! Fast forward to now, i churn out more features, bugfixes, and improvements more than before. I was also motivated to do more of other self-improvement stuff.
So to all, if you feel burned out and can afford long leave, take it. Probably the feeling of doing nothing made me realize i need to do something, or how i love coding so much!
I'm shedding crocodile tears for this dude; my parents were blue collar workers before retiring, before that they fled their home country due to a civil war that was happening ... Imagine if I had to explain that I left my job because it was "boring." That is truly some First world problems.. Dayum..
Except in the west and in particular the USA you literally have tons of nonsense unfulfilling jobs that only exist so that corporations can rake in tax cuts and whatever have you for "creating jobs" so having a meaningless boring job is a very real thing
I worked in heavy industrial, changing it up in my 50's. I got a degree in my mid 30's and feel more grounded and mature to make a change at this stage.
The thing is, you're trading your freedom. And also sovereignty. And those things really are quite priceless, especially once you taste financial independence.
Your love of programming is contagious, thank you for sharing
Heard this from a 45-year-old college professor: "Your best years are the ones where you're working to be the best version of yourself."
Ever year from here on out can be your best year yet. Challenges will come, tragedies will happen, but how you handle them can constantly improve. The upside is that working to overcome come challenges can help teach how to enjoy the times that are relatively challenge-free.
Man, I needed this! Thanks for giving props to those of us who made the shift to tech later in life (37 for me). I often feel beat up because of my age. Initially I started following you to get better with my programming jargon (I’m a sys admin). But now I gathered more important life lessons from you. I lost my Bay Area tech job in April, and I no longer have my 6 figure job. I moved to LA and landing a new job here has been challenging. Yet, just like the person who wrote this thing you reviewed, I’ve also been recently guilty of not checking my privilege. When you said “eat the fish, spit the bones” is exactly what I need to keep in mind as I prepare to work odd jobs to make ends meet. I have to remember that I’ve done the hardest part, which is landing my first jobs in the industry. Thanks to you, I’m inspired to check my privilege, and will also push on in my quest for being better at tech. Hearing you give us props for transitioning to tech later in life energizes me. Thank you for this gem!!!
programming is like art, once you turn your love into work, it changes you. I would rather get paid less, have less responsibility, but give myself time to do my own projects just for health reasons. it's why engineers don't want the leadership.
"I couldn't innovate being paid $500,000 a year so I had to quit"
What a fucking bubble.
TI people are weird. The "greener grass effect" can get to some people. It's funny to see too how you can almost never have an accurate perception of yourself.
Yeah... You're being paid 450k and you're doing this job for 1.5 year. How about you get really good at it instead of trying to make a move to CEO? Sure CEO is nice and I'm sure you'd be good doing it and all but... How about focus at the task at hand? "Oh at the beginning it was awesome to learn & earn but then I because dissatisfied just earning" meanwhile everyone looks at your situation and see the obvious skill gap you're not seeing. Not to mention the enormity of people with 2 jobs they hate just to make a living for them and their kids.
I can see the feasibility in quitting a $450k job without regrets. With those kinds of savings the low chance of becoming homeless or losing access to the vast majority of healthcare options is bound to help a ton with the "no regrets" part.
No regerts
At that point you can easily purchase land and livestock and just freelance as a programmer to have some cash in case you'd ever needed it
Yea he’s a newbie consultant (of course he is lmfao).
The full blurb actually reads:
“I help VC-Backed Startups Build Their MVP's • FANG-tier Engineering Consulting for Non-Technical Founders • Ex-Netflix, Amazon Engineering • EECS @ UC Berkeley • Founder w/ 1x Successful Exit”
Yea this guy definitely listens to podcasts about business lmfao
"FANG-tier", he is a clown
Great video, and i can feel that, i my 20s i decided to quit my "bore to the ass" job and go out try to find my passion. But the problem is that if you can not sustain yourself, you spent way more time deal with "no-money" problems than actually doing your dreams. So after 30 and spent 3-4 years wandering around, i again applied for a 8-5 job, slowly build up my stable income streams. And it is true as you said that in our 30s, we are more smart, less stupid decision, less impulsive and more resilient.
I'm in my (early) 30s and can't wait to switch to programming from an accounting-related career of 7+ years.
don't think everyone earns this lol
@@darkfoxwillie you have to work on the transition.
I changed from finance. So, it’s possible. Requires tons of effort, an active github, and apply to places where your domain knowledge is valuable.
For example, Odoo development on accounting modules. Apply to banks, risk management desks.
Good luck, mate.
You know, I want to sympathize with this guy. I really do. But I worked the same job, that I HATE, for 8 years. Because it put food on the table while I was going school. Let's just say I wasn't making $450k... Or $100k. Not even $60k. So, if somebody offered me $450k, I could probably do that job forever.
I'm also on the side of "after 1 week of vacation, I'm feeling miserable". I took 23 days off and the urge to code during those days was enormous. But I could stand strong, I got some deserved rest and came back to work feeling renewed
Had a similar experience with the pandemic but I made 10x less in a kitchen. Took a year and a half off to focus on coding (I had done side projects but never really completed anything) and I have zero regrets.
Can relate to so much of this having ditched the golden handcuffs and restrained as a hands on code guy learning new things every day, never been happier.
Hard to relate. I've been looking for a developer job for 6 months now and I hate every day. There will never, ever be a future where I quit a job before finding a new one.
Quitting a job before finding a new one doesn't make sense for most people, we simply can't afford the potential downtime. I don't have such issues currently as I'm being scouted by other companies, mostly due to luck, but I had a really rough time when I couldn't find a new job for 8 months. It was just constant suffering where everything just felt pointless.
@@CottidaeSEA It's been incredibly rough. It's also quite a lot of pressure when you have a wife, family and no income. I am glad to hear that things changed for you.
450k is enough for me to love the handcuffs.
Pause? 🤤
Man, I just found your channel... I almost gave up on being a developer altogether, but I finally regained the same enthusiasm I had in my teens just by watching your videos. I love your videos, man!
que buen contenido audiovisual, me encanta, super entrentenido, practico ingles, habla de programacion, es perfect.
"Ease doesn't bring fulfillment. Ease brings emptiness" - One wise man on twitch
It is one thing to get bored and switch jobs from Netflix to Amazon, but it is another battle when you quit a conventional job to pursue software engineering only to find out you are effectively not hireable as a software engineer.
I don’t think he actually switched to Amazon, his bio was just written like “ex-Netflix, Amazon” implying ex-Amazon as well.
Also, if you’re personally dealing with job search issues, I’m sorry to hear that. The market is tough right now but I’d be happy to do a resume review / interview coaching session for you if you’d like.
@@justinthec Thank you very much for the offer but I will respectfully decline. I'm currently expanding my portfolio and concentrating on learning Threejs. Potentially I'll be moving to HTLM5 game development but that's not certain. There's a reason why I'm not noticed, and the reason is that my portfolio is weak.
@@Pavel-wj7gy learn react
@@ChadAV69 already did, react is not enough
i found very difficult to simpatize with that article
Speaking as a long time dev that came up during the late 90’s… I can relate to the burnout and was a super nerd in programming that really loved IT. I transitioned to Solution Architect to Enterprise Architecture and now Leadership where I am now standing up a new EA Practice. I couldn’t be happier and have real significant impact to the company from the C-org down.
I'm in my 30s now, 32 to be exact, and as a software engineer, I also think this is the best time of my life, I'm always learning, not only different programming languages, but also new concepts. Because one of your videos I started to learn touch typing, It always bothered me not be a fast typist, but I always thought that I spent most of my time mentally figuring out stuff, and then I got it, the fact that I wasn't as fast typing made me not to try all my ideas and try to develop only the most optimal concepts, and in actuality they weren't the best ideas, because the best is always going to be the simplest solution refactored a feel times, so write your code and then discover if you can do better.
lets go
@ThePrimagen - where the f do you get your energy from? Getting up at 5am - working - having 4 kids - working after work - streaming etc etc
Many of the themes of work and seeking purpose in the discussion (maybe not so much in the article) resonated with me...I'm a veteran and have been searching for purpose for quite a while now. I served in two different branches and I've deployed twice, I've traveled the world for over 2 years after getting out of the military, I've been in and out of school many times and I'm finally finishing up my CS degree on the third try and will graduate just before I'm 40. My previous jobs have mostly been very secure and maddeningly boring telecom jobs where I sit around and wait for stuff to break. I absolutely love coding my personal projects where I get to make things from scratch and understand the small details. I do not enjoy using huge, excessively complicated frameworks made by others but I appreciate the purpose they serve in managing increasingly complex systems. I really hope there's a role for me out in the world that I will actually enjoy and can still pay the bills because I definitely haven't found it yet. I'm hopeful and optimistic that I'll find it soon though!
Got a guy who's 40 where I work the man was a senior business analyst he switched to junior software eng. He worked at the company I work at now for a year. Absolute pleasure and now he's off into and more exciting job
As someone with a crippling fear of the speed at which time passes, Prime is the only person in the universe who makes me excited to be older.
What you're describing is very startup-like thinking. Focus on the problems that exist here today. Not on building stuff to build stuff. It's great that you enjoy it!
The whole "don't quit a job" thing isn't right. It feels right. But it isn't. I have done it twice in my career (and I'm one week out from starting a new gig after the second run at it). It is scary. But it gives you time to focus on who you are, what you want to do next, and how that translates to the actual job search to land another position (or take a different path in life). That space is critical. Just make sure you have the finances to do it. Investing in yourself is the actual hard part.
Thanks for your words. I quit my job a month ago. Taking a break is necessary sometimes.
@@Syntaxsticyeah it's fun until some HR nepotard starts to berate you about a two-month gap lol
I turned 40 in November and I've been a software developer for just over a year now; I wish I'd been aware of the prospect of burnout or understood the burnout when it was happening, it was very overwhelming and honestly kind of scary how bad things got for awhile. Oh well, so it goes... hopefully I have a better sense of it now. and won't let it happen again. Writing code is super fun, I hope I can do it the rest of my life :)
I just finished an intro to Javascript course, so I do have some interest in programming but still trying to figure out if I want to make a career change. Right now, my gut tells me I do not want to be a SWE full time and despite that I love your content. Love the topics, love your personality. Great channel.
It's about balance between job satisfaction and level of salary. Sometimes a lot more money, allowing one to have a nicer life outside of work, can make it worth staying in a job that's not enjoyable. But in the long run, doing a job that's really stressful/draining is not sustainable, no matter the rewards.
It's possible the guy wasn't passionate about programming, as you mentioned. However, another likely scenario is that he was passionate, but turning that passion into a transaction for money, perks, and other benefits stripped it of its value. While much of this can be mitigated by perspective, not everyone has the innate temperament to mix work and passion. Rarely does anyone get to fully pursue their passion without compromise. Most people have to engage in tasks they're not enthusiastic about as part of pursuing their passion, such as attending stand-up meetings, debriefing clients, work-related travel, and so on. Over time, the brain can begin to associate the negative aspects of these tasks with the passion itself, leaving a bitter taste.
I quit a job I had for three years. Built up a savings, took a year a half off to build a game. Now I have a job in game dev.
Didnt have a job lined up. Didnt even ship the game. I built a website to host my portfolio. I dreaded interviews too, and i did pretty bad in the ones i had. I got fortunate that my current company offered a 3 month temp position with a potential for full time after. My manager loves the work im doing.
Not saying everyone can do it, but it has changed my life for the better. I WFH full time, i make just as much money, i am doing something i like. The pay is not going to be as good in game dev as it is at other tech companies, but im ok with that. I dont need a ton of money.
Golden handcuffs is such an insult to everyone else on the planet. I can NEVER sense any humility, grace, or thankfulness coming from these guys. I can understand every point made but its never couched in an air of gratefulness for all that they have.
I agree. Some of us are making a tenth of that with far worse conditions. The new gen is genuinely disgusting
I mean I get what you're saying but we are so conditioned to money. Do what the money tells you.
Golden Handcuffs is a perfect metaphor for the misalignment between what we are here to actually do and being conditioned to money. Being a slave to good money = golden handcuffs.
"Comparison is the thief of joy" One of the most real quotes I have ever heard.
This has gotten quite emotional and sincere towards the end, you are very motivatiknal
“Imagine being 50 and making the switch to programming” I love this because it took me until 42 to realize just how much I love tech. I built a PC, started learning Linux, and now I want to learn bash and python. Once I have those down I was gonna look into other languages/scripting. Who knows, by 50 I might be doing this.
Thx man. I thought I’m the only one going through these stages. I’ll take your advice and reevaluate some things in my life
17:33 As an operations analyst, I get mega ultra excited when we are able to leverage new data points to gauge performance and health of the business. This sort of stuff has a HUGE impact and it feels incredibly rewarding once the tools are built and being used.
I worked at Goldman for a few years. Golden handcuffs was the keyword that helped me make the right decision... i almost wasted my life on a company just because I was afraid I couldnt live off a lower salary. The salary gap has disappeared by now but a difference that still prevails is that I do not hate getting up for work in my current job because people around me care for something else than themselves
You don't even realize how inspiring you are to others. Keep it up man. Thanks from someone struggling on their programming journey
This was the most privileged, pointless, out of touch article I've ever seen. The crux of his entire argument is that he wanted to move in to a role at a company 99% of us will never make it to, to earn twice his ridiculous salary, to do something he had no experience with and ended up leaving because his ego couldn't fathom why he wasn't being handed exactly what he wanted while simultaneously shitting on everyone who struggles to make 10% of what he was earning to "be bored". This is why most people hate big tech company culture. These people achieve what the vast majority of us never will and then have the balls to complain about it.
you are my hero prime, I listen to the things you say and aspire to be as competent at my job as you are at yours.
people look at things really relatively. you may be the most rich person in the world by 2x buy no matter what, if you lose a really small part of that money, and if you took your old money as the relative point, you'll be in depression
that's what makes people that can get happy from small things have a strong psychology because they took the lowest point / avg as their relative point
No amount of money can save you from the feeling of helplessness and everything feeling pointless.
This guy gives me strong “live to work” vibes.
Legit a bit cringy
Really frustrating generally how widespread the mindset still is, society's determined to work itself to death instead of growing and adapting to what the people need.
20:38
So much this. I got a much later start to learning how to program than most people because of external factors, and I have quickly learned that feeling like it was wasted time is a waste of time itself.
Wheel of time is awesome, I have the audio books and listen to them over and over when I program
I love hearing you man. This channel is not about programming at all. It's about life. "I am excited about my forties".
This sounds like an issue that most of us have, but I think it is all in our head.
I would be proud in his place. He got the golden handcuffs. Some of us can't afford even bronze ones... 🤣
I realy like your reacts!
Keep it up! 👏
Really insightful takes here. I strongly disagree with the take that UI is copy-pasta. Though, I will concede that when working with well-established component libraries, it can feel like you’re just gluing together pre-built components. On the flip side, UIs have become a lot more logic-heavy which introduces different, fun challenges of its own
i can buy this take
“I cannot just quit netflix”
That aged well
for about 70% of the population, a part of enlightenment is do only what energize you, salary doesn't really matter ( learned that from a teacher )
Amazing. Thanks for sharing the journey!
This whole article doesn’t just reek of privilege it is a complete manifestation of it
Right? You're earning $400k. Save up for a handful of years and you can retire then and there. What a load of crap this article dude. I understand what Primeagen is saying but at the same time it's $400k(+) a year. Suck it up for a little while.
It’s because they’re still young and haven’t faced being destitute. And hopefully they never do. But if they do they’ll look back and realize just how silly they sounded.
I fell empty inside, but because a chronic headache. 7 years without pause.
Started architecture in my 32 and lock the degree 1 month before the completion because I can't continue brute forcing my life through the pain. I studied with the headache.
I always took risks, times paid of times don't.
After 10 doctors finally we got a effective treatment, I take 20 pills a day, the days with pain reduced 95%. There is no diagnosis.
Had paused my life one year because of the headache, tried to live through pain playing video-game s. But I have the same sentiment you have. A week at the beach is good, 2 weeks is miserable. What miserable year I had.
Now I'm coming back to begin with life, again. But everything in life has no meaning at all.
Sorry if the format of the text is wrong, I can write in English but my thought process is in Portuguese.
Brazil mentioned? Come to Brazil. 😊
Meaning in the life.. ye this stuff is powerful. You opened my eyes. I know what to do now. Thanks man this video is awesome
Eastern European here. I've been both happy and miserable working for 200 euros a month and 3k euros a month (3k in Eastern Europe is kind of the equivalent of 200k in the US). When I learned new things I was happy like a bubba for 200 euros, and when i earned the most in my carrier I was miserable because I worked in a company that would ultimately end up closing, dying a slow and painful death.
I watched and waited as all the people in my department left one after the other - even the product managers/owners and all the other high management in the data department. Before I got sacked along with the other 60 people in the office, I was left alone to support and maintain the company's entire infrastructure.
Ya we moved from Austin to San Diego, that crap lasted 10 months then we tried Raleigh nc. Much better than cali. But eventually moved back to Austin.
I make much less than this guy and have also felt the golden handcuffs. Honestly what helped me the most was interviewing at a few companies that couldn't afford my asking price, and then having a talk with my manager about stuff that was making me miserable. Finding this channel has helped as well. Sometimes you just need a perspective shift.
ThePrimeTime is a risk taker! Going cross-country to California with an 8.5 month preggo wife and two labs, no friends? Wow. But he has a Subaru, I like that car, we got one ourselves, very reliable. Peace and subscribed!
24:50 I do feel this is absolutely true. I'm 30 in a couple months and only now I'm starting to comprehend and settling in life. I've lost so much time being a dumbass in my 20's as well, comparing myself to everyone else and just being reckless with my choices.
Life just makes more sense when you grow up.
It's a balancing act. Preferrably, find a job that you like, with people that you like working with. If you're going to spend that much of your time somewhere you might as well enjoy being there. For most people however, a good salary is the most important part, because in the end, we work to live, not the other way around.
I get why he felt that way. Chinese culture has this obsession with wealth, status and position. He fell into that trap without realizing it's generational BS. I grew up around that culture and saw lots of asian american friends chase it. I rebelled against that and reject that way of thinking.
Hopefully that person matures a bit and gains some wisdom. The blog also exposes the sad fact chinese are super repressed, which leads to emotional ignorance. Until he unlearns the generational trauma to gain some wisdom, he isn't going to find real happiness and peace.
i have played lots of stuff, watched so many channels, but truly your channel and twitch are interesting contents to watch with curiosity. this is no fake comment, but my sincerily point of view. your channel just drive me out, and i am keeping grwing up :p
4:44 You don't go to work to find friends. Honestly all that these "social incentives" at tech companies are goofy as hell. I spent my entire carreer skipping company celebrations and never went to lunch with colleagues and I still get hired. The way I see it all of this feel like detention at school. It's a waste of time, I'd rather skip lunch, finish my work sooner and go home earlier. If they allow me to smoke cigarettes in the office I don't even need to take a break at all. And I would strongly disagree about paychecks not releasing as much dopamine as being recognized. Getting praised feels like a scam until it earns you money. If I'm good at something I don't need being told I'm good at it, especially not by people who know less about it than me.
Damnnn prime, this stream, this fuking stream it's really made me feel how grateful I am. Looking back at the person I was 3 years ago, that person would be so proud and so happy how I have turned out to be, that person would't believe who he is now, he never would have believed it. This is such a eye opening stream. I have never been so heavy with emotions. It literally took me 2 days to watch the whole video every time something deep comes up I pause and contemplate. Thank you so much prime you are the OP father of all the developers out there (A programming father figure) even though it sounds weird to say it out loud
20:21 oh dang… it may be pessimistic but I’m THERE right now. This just triggered a change in focus. Thanks random internet article.
Work for 5 years and retire
450k, even after taxes, is insane
I think it's healthy to strive for better, or for more, but when I became grateful I realized I already had almost everything I needed. I am grateful to have lived a little bit harder life than some, so I could learn this. You may not realize it, and it may not seem like it, but your life is perfect 👌 - from someone loving their 40's
My 40s have absolutely rocked so far. I feel like I'm starting over again (mentally, not actually) with the experience of the last 20 years.
You know how some people say "if I could be 20 again with all that experience..."? That's what it can be like in your 40s, IF you want to own that approach. And I haven't needed to re-start anything - it's the same old body, doing the same work I've done for decades, but a whole better approach.
You mention you work 5AM-4PM. That just for Netflix? Or include your streaming & YT work?
hey man as a local south bayn. whats up man! i almost worked at netflix too. now I'm doing the start up thing. hows its going nf?
I feel like fulfilment can't come from an external source. Like, a job that don't match sure takes energy, but fulfilment in life got to come from the inside. Accept what you are doing, excel at what you're doing and be happy for your own improvements. If you just keep jumping jobs, they will be as empty as the first one you quit for that very reason. Somewhere its a choice of attitude.
I love your channel and watching your videos, you are super funny and brilliant, you are a born genius at it and I just can’t help but lmao at every single word that you utter
You know, it is pretty strange to watch this video as 16yo developer. Because I felt like I am losing my time because I can’t work while in school (by law and by time commitment). But finding out that not everyone is 16yo SEO with 4 years of experience is such a relief. Like I am living in bubble and comparing myself to people who are 10-20 years older than me. Just helps to understand that I have a lot of my YOUTH left to get out of Kazakhstan and find actual job.
Your channel helped me a lot! Thanks man!
@motivationaldoc.170 ffs, make those messages at least look realistic
I'm 18, about to be 19 in one and a half months, and while I know I have much more experience and disgust towards drugs and stupid decision making compared to others of my age, below it, and even higher up to 30, I am pretty depressed, and combining that with autism that so happens to carry negative aspects (hence it being a disability) my interests are very short bursts and then die pretty quickly and I have been so since 14 or 15, can't remember. This does ring in as depression speaking, the gravestone bit definitely alerting me as self-deprecation and low self-esteem. And this is why I'm afraid for going forward with any programming job that really isn't my own short-scope projects, then my motivation dies really quickly and i just stop working on said project. While I do have a job in retail and I have energy for it, it also brings with it another aspect of depression and I can't be bothered to do much of anything in terms of creativity. It's a really big pit that's just hard to climb out of. It's been getting better slowly but I feel I just need time.