I'm a programmer who doesn't really get to program. I work for a consulting company. Most development work is off-shored, which means most roles for UK staff are more client facing.
Right now I'm building a web front end for a bloated piece of enterprise software. There's no technical difficulty, it's just frustrating and boring. I can't leave to work in 'proper' software development because I don't have the relevant experience, and because I keep being given crappy jobs like this, I'm not getting the experience I need. Plus my educational background isn't great. To top it all off, I came to programming late, I'm already in my 30s and I'm painfully aware of time ticking away.
I'm in a strange mental state where I feel simultaneously bored and burned-out. The day job saps my motivation so much I find it virtually impossible to work on side projects in my spare time.
I don't think my experience is very typical of the high-achieving HN crowd, but if anyone has been in this position and can offer any advice I'd be hugely appreciative.
If you want a path out of this, you're going to have to motivate yourself. There was a point in my career that I was falling asleep at my desk because I was so bored and no one cared about what I was working on. It's both a sad and funny memory now, but I'll tell you what I did to get out.
I remember stumbling into some blog posts by some great programmers who were doing some really interesting things and thinking to myself "how will I ever get there?" I was in my mid-late twenties, time seemed to be flying by and each year I was no better a programmer than last.
I decided to jump into the programming "scene." That's right, it's a scene just like punk rock. Started going to meetups for whatever, any language, any technology, and started meeting some intelligent motivated people. The people you meet at these meetups/programming groups will start to inspire you. You'll also find jobs with problems to solve. Companies go to these things to find motivated talent. They don't want the Java bean enterprise developer who punches 9-5 and calls it a day. The people who go to meetups and tech groups are constantly self-improving and learning; go to one, join, dive into the programming/tech culture, and live that lifestyle. Don't look back. Doors will open, opportunities will present themselves, and you will have the chance to solve problems.
I don't think I've ever faced any direct age discrimination, I'm just aware that there's no reason why anyone would hire me when they can have an enthusiastic 22 year old who's fresh out of uni.
>here's no reason why anyone would hire me when they can have an enthusiastic 22 year old who's fresh out of uni.
Have you worked with many "modern-day" 22 year-olds lately? Unless the company is intentionally looking for naivete as a trait, there are plenty of reasons to hire someone with more experience and maturity.
Right now I'm building a web front end for a bloated piece of enterprise software. There's no technical difficulty, it's just frustrating and boring. I can't leave to work in 'proper' software development because I don't have the relevant experience, and because I keep being given crappy jobs like this, I'm not getting the experience I need. Plus my educational background isn't great. To top it all off, I came to programming late, I'm already in my 30s and I'm painfully aware of time ticking away.
I'm in a strange mental state where I feel simultaneously bored and burned-out. The day job saps my motivation so much I find it virtually impossible to work on side projects in my spare time.
I don't think my experience is very typical of the high-achieving HN crowd, but if anyone has been in this position and can offer any advice I'd be hugely appreciative.