> I honestly believe that if the nerds told them to fuck off and started spending their time working on things they think are relevant, the world would become much better quickly. This won't happen, I know.
Most of the "creative nerds" I have encountered in this industry are arrogant, have grandiose beliefs about their own intelligence and have zero empathy for anybody who is not exactly like them. I don't think things would be much better if they ran the show.
+1 for this. The "business" folk might be filling your day to day with features that only improve conversion rates which is soul draining, of course, but nothing feels worse than working on something interesting surrounded by these wannabe wozniak "nerds" that instill this unspoken aura of "youre too dumb to be in the room with me." THOSE are the people that i hate the most in this industry.
Interesting you used Wozniak as the model. I get the impression from everything I’ve read about him is that he is very forgiving of people less knowledgable/experienced than himself. I take your comment to be even more poignant in that light, since the people who might aspire to be more like him, are ignoring the value of his personable personailty.
I have met people who are so focused on business/money that I find them repulsive. At the same time, I know some geeks who are the most bitter and angry humans ever. Even when they consider you smart and let you in their inner circles, all they do is complain about un-worthy developers or managers. It gets draining.
I am too old to hang out with negative people, also too old for people who are only interested in making money. So I searching for a new tribe, I think outdoors people are the happiest bunch. I just don't know what can I do.
Like everything in life you need a balance between the "business types" and the "creative nerds". To think that any one personality type is far superior to any other shows a lack of understanding of the human condition.
He’s not suggesting that they “run the show”. He’s suggesting that they work on the things that they think are important. The alternative is to ask them to do what they don’t think is important. Doesn’t sound like that’s worked out too well for you.
It certainly need some amount of ego to be The leader of the pack, or do something different. The right amount create unique weirdo-creative genius nerd, the wrong amount create a jerk.
It’s depends on your personality type as well, you can’t just suddenly want to be creative nerd and just become one. I mean, technically you can, skill and knowledge can be learn, but it will not be the same. Some people just born to be......ok now that’s borderline woo woo Lmao.
It kind of is though? There is a reason why company directors are able to withdraw money as salary or as dividends - their income is less stable, they take more risk, so they are allowed to take more profit in good times but they feel the pain more in bad times too.
Also, as limited company contractors, we haven't received any meaningful support from the government over Corona. Most contractors pay themselves a minimum salary of around £719 / month. The only government support available to such people now is to furlough themselves which gives you £575 / month, which is only a tad above universal credit.
I'm not complaining about that though, its fair enough because we are NOT employees, but thats also why HMRC should stop treating us like employees too.
The day rate being higher accounts for the uncertainty. There is also nothing preventing a director paying themselves a monthly salary (e.g £2k) to flatten out the highs and lows. I very much doubt the directors of larger businesses are paying themselves a tiny salary and taking dividends. It seems to be only IT contractors who see it like that. Maybe it’s more widespread than I thought.
If you deliberately structure your income to minimise tax you can’t really complain that it also minimises the support available.
Edit since you said you’re not complaining. I understand in-IR35 contracts aren’t eligible for furlough? That’s definitely an example of poor implementation imo.
> The day rate being higher accounts for the uncertainty.
Thats partially true, but if you look at outside IR-35 contracts, they might go for £400 / day. While the same kind of work but inside IR35 goes for £600 / day. So HMRC are effectively pushing the burden of a flexible work force entirely on the shoulders of contractors and the clients they work for. This is a huge disruption to both businesses and contractors alike, its also questionable if it will even raise enough revenue for HMRC to make the disruption worth it.
> I very much doubt the directors of larger businesses are paying themselves a tiny salary and taking dividends. It seems to be only IT contractors who see it like that.
You're right, directors of big businesses are paying themselves salaries in the 6 figures and taking out even larger dividends. But for myself, I am usually only in work about 6-9 months a year, I've never worked a contract for more than 6 months, when I'm not in work I spend that time learning and up-skilling to invest back into my career and business. I cannot realistically put myself on a salary of £2k / month when its perfectly feasable that I might be out of work for 6 months or more at any one time. The bottom line is that my working conditions and the benefits I receive (or lack thereof) are much closer that of somebody running a "real" business than it is to a permanent employee, so I should not be taxed as an employee.
> I understand in-IR35 contracts aren’t eligible for furlough?
Honestly I have no idea! I've only ever work outside IR35. I would have thought that inside IR-35 would be comparable to gig-economy workers and sole-traders so they should get 80% of their average earnings over the last three years. But again I am not certain of that.
EDIT: If you're talking about people who work the same contract job for 2+ years and are effectively employed by their client despite working through a limited company, then yes I would agree they are cheating the system. But instead of going after those people, HMRC are making the majority of contractors like myself who are genuinely self-employed, pay for the sins of a minority of contractors who are actually in disguised employment.
You could still get on a bus or train every morning and afternoon? You just need to make the journey a loop so you arrive back at your house each time!
I'm also not trying to sound dismissive or condescending, but it really seems weird to me that if somebody says they are have been doing something for 20 years and now they are bored of it, then they should consider seeing a therapist?
I mean, there are plenty of things I used to like that I don't anymore, should I go see a therapist every time my interests change?
I think it's more about your intent. I'm not too bothered I don't care about soccer any more, I'm not after therapy to change that.
In this case though, I see someone who badly wants to be enjoying programming, but for whatever reason they don't understand they don't. It's probably a good time to talk to someone. Usually I'd start with my girlfriend, maybe my mum, perhaps take a few weeks off and then see how I feel. If that doesn't sort it, I'd probably want to talk to a therapist.
It's true this kind of stress and feelings are universal, but doesn't mean it's not a potentially serious psychological concern. Parents who feel extremely overwhelmed with lots of young children in the house are understandably stressed out - and yes, should be encouraged to consider therapy to help them manage.
I would recommend reading munificent's comment above about therapists as "mental trainers." I think everyone should consider seeing a therapist at least at some point in their lives. The idea that therapy is only when something is medically wrong is at best misguided and at worst dangerous.
When I suggested OP considers therapy, I didn't mean "uh oh, sounds like you're clinically depressed, DSM-V states that a loss of interest..." And the word "consider" is doing a lot of work there. OP's brain is clearly trying to tell them something, and having a knowledgeable certified professional to talk things through with is simply prudent when it comes to something as profound (and risky) as reconsidering your career.
Careers are not cast in stone. Some people do change their careers if they realize that there's something else that they'd really rather be doing with their lives.
I've met an artist who became a doctor, a lawyer who became a stockbroker, a software developer who became a full-time professional musician, a professor who started a hedge fund, etc.
On the other hand if you are changing field because you are unhappy with your current situation it is relevant to ascertain that your current field is part/cause of the problem.
I'm also a contract programmer and looking at job sites the work is completely drying up. There are still a few contracts going but its a small fraction of what was available 2 months ago. What makes you say that business is booming?
