just to be clear: --> working as a software engineer was the best job I've had and I recommend it to anyone. you are getting paid to learn a valuable skill, and can save a lot. --> keep in mind, the average turnover at these companies is actually just 1-2 years --> do I I still program? yes pretty much every day. except now I can work on whatever :)
1 to 2 years used to be my average time spent at a job anyway (I get bored of the job). I've heard all the negatives I can find about coding and it's still better then trucking by far.
@@AaronJack great to hear! Hope you'll like it! If only you travelled far from Moscow (our capital) for around 1k kms, you could find yourself in my region and we could even meet :D
@@Michael-zg4ig The stuff and emotion that you pretend to acquire are dreams, with that being said you do care about dreams. Same goes for the person up you in the comment section that has a dream of having big money. But i got what you both meant, you dont care about working at stuff you hate doing the most, at a professional level, if that gives you the best monetary returns possible.
@@j.r.5803 Well Im still in school and I dont like it but I still try to get the best grades possible, so I guess it will be the same for when I start working, If the pay is good then what i do isnt a big problem. But I might change my views in the future, who knows
imagine earning only 235 thousands dollars a year with all posible benefits, without even a college degre, working on a relativly stress free job in one of the most prestige company in the entire world What an awful life man
@@alejandrob.4961 Of course its not fully stress free,no job is.But its nothing compared to jobs like a working in law or medicine when you are dealing with peoples lives. As se you the majority of your day is spent just sitting in a room and writting codes while you listen to music or podcasts. And fuck it i would work in cold mine for two hundred k
$100,000 per year in middle America = wealth and security $250,000 per year in San Francisco = 600 square foot, run down apartment - loud neighbors - aggressive homeless
bruh you do know they can save it up and buy a giant house else where. you really don't know how this works right.. people in SF are making so much money that they're investing in properties else where when so they have a house to retire to in 5 years
Don't forget real estate and stocks. If this dude saved up and just out and bought an apartment in a city he could be getting passive income through rent. If he then also used a portion to invest in stocks or index funds he could be looking at market level valuation of 10% (for NASDAQ ETF's) and dividends. Before you know it a couple hundred thousand in savings could be earning you over 20k a year and increasing every year. Top this off with freelance coding work and you could be looking at an annual salary of 40k-60k depending on how much you work. If you live in South East Asia (Bali, Kuala Lumpur, Bangkok or Saigon) this amount of income is enough to maintain a ridiculously good lifestyle and set some money aside to boot. I have lived in Saigon and 1500 dollar was enough for a nice apartment with a pool in an expensive area, eating lunch and dinner every day at upscale restaurants, getting multiple high end coffees a day, a great gym facility, going out for drinks at least 3/4 times a week and occasional trips out of town. If you make 30k a year you could have that lifestyle and save up 1000k a month for a rainy day.
I definitely understand your decision, I'm in the same mood. Being in a top IT company too, I'm waiting the end of my education to leave to really start an entrepreneurship trip. You got a bonus point because your personal brand with your TH-cam channel, you're on a very good track to successfully manage to grow. Good luck 😊👍
I doubt anyone still living with patents and stick at the same job for more than three years is capable of starting his own business...leave alone startup ones...so it does nit matter if they invest their own money or someones... most likely they are going to loose it fast, fail spectacularly and go back to stay with a mom (in case he even risked to leave her at all))))
Same, I'm sick of the mudane life and after studying programming for the past year I recruited some people and were going to be building games on UE4. We're starting small first, wish us luck. B
Dude I hear so much of my own story in yours, but I'm still in the learning phase of my software journey (pre-job). But I thought college would give me the answers too, only to find that it didn't, and am learning software for all the same reasons you mentioned here. You are quickly becoming one of my favorite code channels on TH-cam and I just want you to know that your story is a huge inspiration to me man. Thanks for sharing it with us.
I’m so happy for you bro. I’ve been watching you since day one and you’ve done so much with your life... keep going 👍🏼 thanks to your videos I got into coding and once I finish with my classes I hope your interview videos are up :)
Absolutely agree with everything you said! I taught myself to code so I could have more freedom and flexibility in life because I hated going nowhere in a 9-5 job. It's an amazing feeling to have a "skill" that contributes to the economy. Indie Hacking and Digital Nomadding is an incredible way to get out of the 9-5 grind, see the world and live life on your terms!
Thank you so much for putting this content out. I feel that pound for pound you provide the richest content on this topic. I'll be heading back abroad soon enough, and am hyped to hear how things go for you on your new adventure. Honestly let me know if you'll ever be in Japan. I know the country quite well and would be happy to show you around a city or two.
Sounds like my story. I was in St.Louis Missouri, making 125k in giant multinational robotics company. I had great life but work was boring/tedious. so, one day i left the job, came back to my home country and started working for my self, building my own automatic machineries. I am still not making lots of money but I am having tones of fun seeing my robots reduce manual work and make life easier of other people.
@@ftsmallwood Here are the links of some of the projects, we are working on. They are self pretty much explanatory. th-cam.com/video/DRyhrfCKKZ4/w-d-xo.html th-cam.com/video/tDyKVezIPSc/w-d-xo.html th-cam.com/video/gbnsxT80m0g/w-d-xo.html
If he will tell you, It won't happen. Lol, but I think they go through some form of crisis. And it's natural when you have lots of money and you are tired of repeated shit, wanting to take control of your life and add some meaning to it. But first a lot of money needs to be made.
@@Mart00091 Because working for those companies my seem prestigious on the outside, but once you get in there it can be a slog. Plus the prestige of working in those companies wear off pretty quickly. Imagine being hired as a software engineer at Google only to find yourself writing documentation for 18 months. It happens. Or tight deadlines. Or awful managers. Or a cultist culture than insists on total compliance at all times.... Like imsrini said, there's a long line of engineers who went their and found out it wasn't all it was cracked up to be.
I work as a software dev right now but i belong to a small contractor team belonging to a sub branch of a govt company. I really don’t mind it except for the fact that there’s literally only 5 people in my dev team, working different projects and sothey can’t help me with any questions I have. It makes me feel incompetent and horrible for most of my days since my progress is slow and I’m on a road block for forever, even though i just started this job a few months ago, and I’m still learning.
Be careful what you wish for. I've worked at places where we have all of these amazing amenities but everyone is unhappy. It's largely because their managers treat them like sh*t. So you stay for the company and the free lunches but hate your life because of how you're being treated. It is very very rare to find that amazing balance of great work, great manager, and great pay+benefits and having them for a long time. Re-orgs happen often so you may get to experience that but not for very long.
@@TreavorUnion yeah, I won't work in a disrespectful or hostile working environment. Actually I quit the last company because of that. I thought it was different in these companies!
Living the dream! I'm working on a second project right now for my portfolio; I'm hoping that I'll get to do what you're doing, now, except I'm currently in customer service with a math degree! Good luck!
Staying at a 200k salary job, working, and facing the challenges that accompany the grind of daily labor does not strike me as being risk-averse. There's significance in mastering a trade, and reaping the benefits of one's work. I'm finding a lot of overnight coder/youtubers share a similar desire for some sort of fulfillment; they thought they'd find it in coding and money, now they are seeking it in self-sufficiency and entrepreneurship. That's great, good for them. However, I'm questioning if some of these "risk-averse" folks haven't already found that fulfillment, and see work with a high salary as an added bonus. Or perhaps they have shaped their worldview around their leisure time, and their self-identity isn't solely consumed by their profession...Rather than a perspective that relies on drawing a dichotomy between risk and non-risk, I think the more interesting perspective is one that can deconstruct how we prioritize value in our worlds. A more relevant question I feel when watching this video is....Do you value the freedom of working abroad, or, do you value the freedom of traveling in early retirement.
Its all relative. My job sends me home everyday with cuts, bruises, burns, exposure to roaches, dead animals, human feces, angry residents, working when its 101 degree Texas summers outside or 28 degrees in the rain. I am a highly experienced maintenance HVAC technician. Certified EPO. CPO certified, master electrician, plumber and appliance repair specialist. We work are ASS'S OFF and are treated like total shit. Just a number. I only get paid $20 an hour. After taxes.$18,000 a year. Really sad. If I'm just doing Front End Web Development for $76,000 a year in a cozy office where you get free food and are relatively respected....geeez, that would be a dream job compared to having to wake up at 3am to go deal with some dumb-ass that just flooded their apartment, freezing your ass off on a golf cart in the winter, climbing on a roof to fix an A/C ....4 stories up. Every single day with no days off EVER!!! Im already wearing handcuffs....and sad to say....they are rusty brown.
I totally get why you left and I feel the same. Right now you are truly free! This is priceless. Right now I am a nurse and the stress to money ratio is so uneven. I'm coding everyday now so I can transition careers. I have been so pumped thinking about this different career but I realized that even when I become a developer I will still want more. It is okay to want more and not get comfortable. It's about redefining comfort and happiness so you can forever learn and change. It is wonderful to see someone else Express what I feel in a sea of people who want to stay the same for years.
A wise comment here. For some time now my salary has grown 3 times bigger than the previous one. I'm still as unsatisfied. Of course, I appreciate it but yeah, that's how it works :)
I hear you Ashley...as a pest control technician, I'm a blue-collar guy with an unhealthy dose of the stress/money ratio. I'm self-learning coding to transition to a better way of life. You were spot on when you said "it's about redefining comfort and happiness" which has been a central theme in my own soul-searching over the past year. RETOOL, REINVENT, REBRAND!!
I really appreciated the courageous remarks about the dangers of the Golden Handcuffs. I think it is something that everyone in the tech industry wrestles with. You have to really know yourself and be aware of what kind of work environment lets you be your authentic self, while taking in consideration all of your personal commitments you've to yourself and others. For parents, you have to dig into how you can fulfill your promises to your children... and have the courage to consider that there are more ways to fulfill those promises than through the "1950's American Dream" way of thinking. Kids really don't need "stuff" but they do need learning opportunities and with that modern learning aids. Those can come in many forms. For adults taking care of their parents, you have to really think through what this looks like considering your promises to them as well. You will have to progressively spend more energy and time caring for them if it is part of your value system. What work arrangement makes sense for that. Ironically, it's becoming less and less true that a traditional career path working for a traditional or even a SV-style company will be able to support the lifestyle necessary to care for your loved ones. You've given me or inspired in me a lot of distinctions to consider. Thanks.
I get about 75k, having two jobs on outsource, but that's pain in the a## and surely it is not for everybody. It is stressfull and you burn out too quickly. Actually I was much happier when I had less gold, worked normally and had my free time for side projects or gaming.
100% on the "big secret" in college. I had a Geology degree and kept waiting and waiting to learn some worthwhile skill. Never happened and in my last semester I realized I was screwed...
Probably because you chose geology😂 also everyone knows business degrees are empty degrees. No offense but did you research what all is entailed in your degree before going for it? I mean it’s an expensive decision dude. Thousands of dollars for a business degree or side science is maybe risky
I feel like "health insurance" is the golden handcuffs for the average worker. It's crazy how many people hate their jobs but stay because they "don't want to lose their insurance." I recently decided to keep my insurance separate.
Your channel has really inspired me man. By the way, you sound much happier and more relaxed now that you quit your job. Maybe it's just because you're more comfortable making vids but it's definitely noticeable
You know what, I was thinking the exact same thing. Definitely a noticeable improvement in overall energy with this one compared to earlier ones I feel like. But still that totally real vibe(: Wish you much luck dude! I'll be staying tuned for updates about the course. Unfortunately, I'm a broke college kid, but maybe that's to say I need a course like that hah
Good for you. At the end of the day you’ve got an incredibly valuable skill set so you can afford to take some risks at this point. If it doesn’t work out its not going to be hard for you to pick up paid work again. Good luck!
and if it does work out, he will never need to be anyone's bitch ever again. Freedom is the way to go. You are totally wrong, getting a job is basic and easy when you have the skillset the job needs, the demand for tech coders is more than there are available to fill them.
@COOLBIAN57 Depends where you are at. I live in Ireland where a lot of tech companies set up their EMEA HQ. And trust me we cannot get the people here. Far more jobs than people.
Not really, threshold for correlation between annual salary and happiness is $75k and, for most people salary becomes orthogonal to happiness after that threshold. I can say at least for myself, this is my experience. The point of life is not to accumulate wealth and in my 20 years of studying fulfillment and happiness, I've come to find that the most fulfilled people prioritize freedom over security and comfort.
I did a software and electronics degree. After I graduated I didn't want to do software, became a building services engineer instead. Now that I see that software can make you financially free, I am starting to be interested in coding again. I'm getting older (26) so I don't have much time to learn new skills, I better hurry up
As a senior software engineer who also graduated with a Finance degree many years back, your video really resonated with me. If I didn't have a wife and kid I would be looking down the exact same path. I look forward to watching you progress and produce more amazing content!
Probably one of the best video I've seen from a Developer. Because I relate so much.. this is the reason I never went to any silicon valley jobs. Lol it's funny I've been talking about levels.io for years in my channel. it's funny seeing someone else who was inspired by him. Definitely check my channel out I focus on Developer entrepreneurship
As an IT guy myself who has implemented an ERP system using Python. My respects to you my friend and I wish you all the best. I have been inspired to start a drum channel as its my soul and blood. You only get one life so - go for it!
If have been in tech for decades and I love it. I don’t make a lot but I enjoy learning new things everyday. Sometimes I wonder if I can handle to toughest tech jobs that pay good.
Sounds similar to what I have done. I quit my role as a software engineer in June to go to work and travel in Australia for a year. I previously did solo trips to numerous countries in Asia but wanted to challenge myself in backpacking while working abroad. Currently earning a decent income and still trying to sort out my own projects in my spare time, but I don't care if future employers in the software industry will look down upon it. It is one of the best decisions I've ever made
i worked as a software engineer in Calfornia 1992-1997 and my salary never got out of the 30's. Software engineering turned out to be a nightmare for me. But i was young and i got taken advantage of.
This entire video is one big mood. Almost exactly what I want to do one day. Currently working as a pretty underpaid designer in central US learning front-end so I can make the transition over to a developer role. I've wanted to move to Saigon for a while now, but never had the cash and wasn't confident enough in my freelance/entrepreneurial skillset to make the plunge.
The way you explained and summarized your college majors was a very helpful bit of wisdom and I resonated with your explanation a lot, thank you for sharing. Best of luck towards your endeavours
managers everywhere make 200k easily for doing next to nothing. I know Directors of departments who make 300k+ for running a quarterly meeting 4 times a year . "six figure salary" is a phrase from like 25+ years ago where the economy was way different
I really appreciate the straightforward videos, man. I legit made a plan for learning to program from scratch from your "fastest way to become a programmer in 2019" video. Super useful stuff, I hope things go well for you!
That you never loose the fun 'Code Drip'. Working for a company and making stuff like coding is a hard work too. But without these talents a lot of stuff would never exist. And It's important that you are happy and money isn't the important thing in the end. I wish you good luck with all, that you have fun and be happy + everyone here too ;) For you 'Code Drip': I'm not a pro, but I like to make some music and if you like take a look in my channel and maybe you find something that you like or not
You truly are an inspiration. I love that you're not afraid to take risks, but you're also not opposed to putting in the work that needs to get done in order for you to follow your dreams. I currently work at the mailroom in Pinterest and I've become incredibly interested in learning how to code. Your videos have been an insane help and this video in particular makes me realize that there are no limits to what we can learn and what we can do. We just need to persevere and have some grit and have the right attitude.
I got a degree in entrepreneurship as well. Now I’m learning to code because i didn’t have a technical skills 😂. I did still start and run a business but I definitely want to build a tech biz. Cool video 👍🏽
I stumbled onto this video just as I was thinking of how to diversify my geographical footprint with or without my cushy NYC job with one of the FAANG companies. (My plan is to stay NYC-based but to be un-tethered from any office/geo.) I love to hear you talking about these things. Thanks for sharing. I will check out the resources you posted and will hopefully join you on your path some time soon. Wishing you all the success.
Good luck to you out there Aaron, I personally do not mind golden or rusty handcuffs. 8month after graduation 300+ applications sent and not a single interview. SF didn’t treat me good, got depressed and now moved to east! Struggle continues. Good luck though.
It seems the root of the matter is "Existential". I know that software development can be demanding but it can become problematic when your existence revolves around your job. But, if you do something that gives you meaning and purpose then your job will be like walking your dog in the morning or do groceries, you know, part of your daily life.
I am only three minutes in and it sounds like my story. Thanks for telling me about Indie Hackers. And God speed things will look up for you soon. And for me too. :-)
Love your videos, Aaron. I always get feed up after 3~6months of my new job. I think maybe it is important for people to find our own keen purposes and develop a career around it. Please share more what are you doing after jailbreak from your golden handcuff. I guess you are funding your own company and business or something. Wish you all the things best!
Thanks man. You have no idea how much this information you share help people out there like myself. To some degree I'm like you, I originally want to build a business but don't have the skill that I need like programming. I'm glad I found your video, really inspired.
I just watched the video and curious to take a look at your channel. I’m interested in tutorials on how to program for someone who doesn’t know anything about programming. Also curious about those scary “interview questions” I’ve heard about.
As a software engineer trying to keep up with coding and coming up with new ideas, this was very enlightening. Good luck with your future endevours and I can't wait to check out your tutorials, talks about the industry, your thoughts of interviews processes and just listening to a person that wants to stay progressive and keep life interesting. You earned yourself a sub good sir!
Golden Handcuffs. Damn. That's what's preventing me from leaping into programming ... but then the entry level salaries I'm seeing are 1/4 what he earned.
I know nothing of coding but have some remote undefined interest in it. Your video is interesting and is very REAL to life and what TH-cam is all about. REAL things happening in REAL life which there isn't really any script for and others can learn from.
What worked for me isn't quitting entirely but just working much less hours (for less pay obviously) and then using the new free time to build new passions.
@@RabbitConfirmed Yes, outside the air polution and water contamination, you have cheaper living cost, no terrorist, peaceful country. Also, I believe many ppl invest into our country to found their own company due to low cost labor... Just look up the face of having 200k dollar ( ~4.6 B vnd ) in a bank will help you live an average life here ( ~20-26M vnd per month )
![ILLSLICK - THE KING'S LANDING [Freestyle]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/feIJJnNkTfk/mqdefault.jpg)
just to be clear:
--> working as a software engineer was the best job I've had and I recommend it to anyone. you are getting paid to learn a valuable skill, and can save a lot.
--> keep in mind, the average turnover at these companies is actually just 1-2 years
--> do I I still program? yes pretty much every day. except now I can work on whatever :)
1 to 2 years used to be my average time spent at a job anyway (I get bored of the job). I've heard all the negatives I can find about coding and it's still better then trucking by far.
Man, come to Russia. You'll find our country very affordable due to low prices on everything considering a luring ruble-dollar exhange rate :)
@@oOcitizenOo cheers I'm hoping to visit this summer man
@@AaronJack great to hear! Hope you'll like it!
If only you travelled far from Moscow (our capital) for around 1k kms, you could find yourself in my region and we could even meet :D
Code Drip Come to ukraine as well you can also use Couchsurfing to find someone to hangout with. If you’re ever in Lutsk or in Lviv. Let me know
"You can either work 80-100 hours on your own dream, or you can work 40-50 hours on someone else's dream" - Richard Branson
@Cosmin Ciobanu me too i dont really care about dreams i just want to have fun and buy nice things
@Cosmin Ciobanu GL with that
@@Michael-zg4ig The stuff and emotion that you pretend to acquire are dreams, with that being said you do care about dreams. Same goes for the person up you in the comment section that has a dream of having big money.
But i got what you both meant, you dont care about working at stuff you hate doing the most, at a professional level, if that gives you the best monetary returns possible.
@@j.r.5803 Well Im still in school and I dont like it but I still try to get the best grades possible, so I guess it will be the same for when I start working, If the pay is good then what i do isnt a big problem. But I might change my views in the future, who knows
@Cosmin Ciobanu whoosh
I left my job as a Software Engineer 6 months ago. Built a product and now I am trying to find investment. Wish me luck.
wish you all the best bro.
@@tjtheo5280 thanks bro
good luck. what kind of product is it?'
@@youngKOkid1 Thanks... Its a hotel and property management tool, focused on costumer experinece
Nice one... we will hear about your success story by God's grace.
"Be careful of the golden handcuffs."
Highest possible level of first-world-problems achieved.
That's right on spot!
Grievings from Turkey :O
I want my problems to be of this quality!
Quarter-Life Crisis: UNLOCKED
imagine earning only 235 thousands dollars a year with all posible benefits, without even a college degre, working on a relativly stress free job in one of the most prestige company in the entire world
What an awful life man
@@lahaine8026 "stress free" is not the software developer life
@@alejandrob.4961 Of course its not fully stress free,no job is.But its nothing compared to jobs like a working in law or medicine when you are dealing with peoples lives. As se you the majority of your day is spent just sitting in a room and writting codes while you listen to music or podcasts. And fuck it i would work in cold mine for two hundred k
$100,000 per year in middle America = wealth and security
$250,000 per year in San Francisco = 600 square foot, run down apartment - loud neighbors - aggressive homeless
Three One true , but you could commute and live great with that salary .
@@Primalcombs I suppose if you don't mind driving 2 to 3 hours per day.
bruh you do know they can save it up and buy a giant house else where. you really don't know how this works right.. people in SF are making so much money that they're investing in properties else where when so they have a house to retire to in 5 years
Three One not really dude. You live in SF for few years. Save and get out if you smart. Middle America don’t offer much in opportunities.
@@ozzieoz3990 In my city the median home price is around $250,000 and Node developers earn a little over $100,000. And every day life is easy.
It's easy to quit your job and do all the cool stuff when you are already a millionaire.
@@joselaw6669 i mean..yes i would think so
that would be gross income, not net including all the forms of taxes that dock anywhere from 33%+ of gross pay
It is. So what?
@Ken MacDonald exactly
Don't forget real estate and stocks. If this dude saved up and just out and bought an apartment in a city he could be getting passive income through rent. If he then also used a portion to invest in stocks or index funds he could be looking at market level valuation of 10% (for NASDAQ ETF's) and dividends. Before you know it a couple hundred thousand in savings could be earning you over 20k a year and increasing every year. Top this off with freelance coding work and you could be looking at an annual salary of 40k-60k depending on how much you work. If you live in South East Asia (Bali, Kuala Lumpur, Bangkok or Saigon) this amount of income is enough to maintain a ridiculously good lifestyle and set some money aside to boot. I have lived in Saigon and 1500 dollar was enough for a nice apartment with a pool in an expensive area, eating lunch and dinner every day at upscale restaurants, getting multiple high end coffees a day, a great gym facility, going out for drinks at least 3/4 times a week and occasional trips out of town. If you make 30k a year you could have that lifestyle and save up 1000k a month for a rainy day.
I definitely understand your decision, I'm in the same mood. Being in a top IT company too, I'm waiting the end of my education to leave to really start an entrepreneurship trip. You got a bonus point because your personal brand with your TH-cam channel, you're on a very good track to successfully manage to grow. Good luck 😊👍
If you work at these companies for 5 years and live with your mom, you are basically millionaire and don't need investors.
Most startups still need money - definitely
Better have some saved up tbh
also, while living with your mom, you won't be spending any money on a girlfriend
@@nannerlchanel5045 "ah thanks mom, you got me an escort for my birthday!"
@@nannerlchanel5045 exactly
I doubt anyone still living with patents and stick at the same job for more than three years is capable of starting his own business...leave alone startup ones...so it does nit matter if they invest their own money or someones... most likely they are going to loose it fast, fail spectacularly and go back to stay with a mom (in case he even risked to leave her at all))))
Same, I'm sick of the mudane life and after studying programming for the past year I recruited some people and were going to be building games on UE4. We're starting small first, wish us luck. B
Logan Hebert good luck man, wish you all the best
Good luck man! If you need help with marketing let me know.
I can help you with writing copy. :)
Gl man, indie games the move. The video game industry is beyond fucked.
Hey, pls answer me!
I'm looking for such a team :)
Cool choice! 👍😁 Are you building for mobile or pc?
“Programming is a tool to live the life you want”
This line motivated me like hell.
Hello world
"Programming is a tool to live the life you want...or end your life sadly" :(
To me Programming is just another language I know. No different than Spanish or Russian. Just a means to and end.
@Alek Wolf YOU are the app
Awesome! Looking forward to whats next, subbed.
Seu cu
Dude I hear so much of my own story in yours, but I'm still in the learning phase of my software journey (pre-job). But I thought college would give me the answers too, only to find that it didn't, and am learning software for all the same reasons you mentioned here. You are quickly becoming one of my favorite code channels on TH-cam and I just want you to know that your story is a huge inspiration to me man. Thanks for sharing it with us.
Yeah college was such a waste of time/money. I always assumed there would be a job for me as soon as I left...boy was that a big surprise.
I’m so happy for you bro. I’ve been watching you since day one and you’ve done so much with your life... keep going 👍🏼 thanks to your videos I got into coding and once I finish with my classes I hope your interview videos are up :)
cheers
Love following your journey. I’m going through the self taught journey right now and I always learn so much from you
Absolutely agree with everything you said! I taught myself to code so I could have more freedom and flexibility in life because I hated going nowhere in a 9-5 job. It's an amazing feeling to have a "skill" that contributes to the economy. Indie Hacking and Digital Nomadding is an incredible way to get out of the 9-5 grind, see the world and live life on your terms!
Thank you so much for putting this content out. I feel that pound for pound you provide the richest content on this topic. I'll be heading back abroad soon enough, and am hyped to hear how things go for you on your new adventure. Honestly let me know if you'll ever be in Japan. I know the country quite well and would be happy to show you around a city or two.
Thanks Tariq will do 👍
Sounds like my story. I was in St.Louis Missouri, making 125k in giant multinational robotics company. I had great life but work was boring/tedious. so, one day i left the job, came back to my home country and started working for my self, building my own automatic machineries. I am still not making lots of money but I am having tones of fun seeing my robots reduce manual work and make life easier of other people.
Any link or info where we can see your robots and how you build them.
@@ftsmallwood Here are the links of some of the projects, we are working on. They are self pretty much explanatory.
th-cam.com/video/DRyhrfCKKZ4/w-d-xo.html
th-cam.com/video/tDyKVezIPSc/w-d-xo.html
th-cam.com/video/gbnsxT80m0g/w-d-xo.html
The Internet (actually, TH-cam) seems to be full of software engineers leaving their jobs from Google, Facebook, Microsoft, Uber, etc. these days ! 😂
Exactly! No one lasts long there.
PMoose Traven why not? I want to work for one of them lol
If he will tell you, It won't happen.
Lol, but I think they go through some form of crisis. And it's natural when you have lots of money and you are tired of repeated shit, wanting to take control of your life and add some meaning to it.
But first a lot of money needs to be made.
@ The job IS particularly hard, but is only remembered for its enjoyable parts.
@@Mart00091 Because working for those companies my seem prestigious on the outside, but once you get in there it can be a slog. Plus the prestige of working in those companies wear off pretty quickly. Imagine being hired as a software engineer at Google only to find yourself writing documentation for 18 months. It happens.
Or tight deadlines. Or awful managers. Or a cultist culture than insists on total compliance at all times....
Like imsrini said, there's a long line of engineers who went their and found out it wasn't all it was cracked up to be.
Wish you success in life man. It's true we will eventually move on.
I work as a software dev right now but i belong to a small contractor team belonging to a sub branch of a govt company. I really don’t mind it except for the fact that there’s literally only 5 people in my dev team, working different projects and sothey can’t help me with any questions I have. It makes me feel incompetent and horrible for most of my days since my progress is slow and I’m on a road block for forever, even though i just started this job a few months ago, and I’m still learning.
Your entire life story is simply impressive. I genuinely wish that you achieve everything you want
These golden handcuffs seem incredible. Might go to full life sentence 😅
lmao yeah
Be careful what you wish for. I've worked at places where we have all of these amazing amenities but everyone is unhappy. It's largely because their managers treat them like sh*t. So you stay for the company and the free lunches but hate your life because of how you're being treated. It is very very rare to find that amazing balance of great work, great manager, and great pay+benefits and having them for a long time. Re-orgs happen often so you may get to experience that but not for very long.
@@TreavorUnion yeah, I won't work in a disrespectful or hostile working environment. Actually I quit the last company because of that. I thought it was different in these companies!
i love it
The grass is always greener
Living the dream! I'm working on a second project right now for my portfolio; I'm hoping that I'll get to do what you're doing, now, except I'm currently in customer service with a math degree! Good luck!
Staying at a 200k salary job, working, and facing the challenges that accompany the grind of daily labor does not strike me as being risk-averse. There's significance in mastering a trade, and reaping the benefits of one's work. I'm finding a lot of overnight coder/youtubers share a similar desire for some sort of fulfillment; they thought they'd find it in coding and money, now they are seeking it in self-sufficiency and entrepreneurship. That's great, good for them.
However, I'm questioning if some of these "risk-averse" folks haven't already found that fulfillment, and see work with a high salary as an added bonus. Or perhaps they have shaped their worldview around their leisure time, and their self-identity isn't solely consumed by their profession...Rather than a perspective that relies on drawing a dichotomy between risk and non-risk, I think the more interesting perspective is one that can deconstruct how we prioritize value in our worlds.
A more relevant question I feel when watching this video is....Do you value the freedom of working abroad, or, do you value the freedom of traveling in early retirement.
Its all relative. My job sends me home everyday with cuts, bruises, burns, exposure to roaches, dead animals, human feces, angry residents, working when its 101 degree Texas summers outside or 28 degrees in the rain. I am a highly experienced maintenance HVAC technician. Certified EPO. CPO certified, master electrician, plumber and appliance repair specialist. We work are ASS'S OFF and are treated like total shit. Just a number.
I only get paid $20 an hour. After taxes.$18,000 a year. Really sad. If I'm just doing Front End Web Development for $76,000 a year in a cozy office where you get free food and are relatively respected....geeez, that would be a dream job compared to having to wake up at 3am to go deal with some dumb-ass that just flooded their apartment, freezing your ass off on a golf cart in the winter, climbing on a roof to fix an A/C ....4 stories up. Every single day with no days off EVER!!! Im already wearing handcuffs....and sad to say....they are rusty brown.
More and more of these videos make me contemplate pursing that MD/PhD combo... too many people seem to be leaving software engineering early.
The combo will be 100% covered by the government. The government will pay for all your fees. No student loan debt!
We're going to run out of names for Algo training sites at this rate. :))
Do these guys not do any competition analysis, or is there so much more money to make in the algo training niche ?
mine's not gonna start with "algo" and also be differnet in a few other ways (;
the thing is with any class or course is different people have different styles that may benefit people that others didn't click with
haha the Algo drama
When there's a gold rush it's more profitable to sell shovels than dig for gold...
Respect for recognizing that you want more and creating your own path in life. Wishing you the best!
I totally get why you left and I feel the same. Right now you are truly free! This is priceless. Right now I am a nurse and the stress to money ratio is so uneven. I'm coding everyday now so I can transition careers. I have been so pumped thinking about this different career but I realized that even when I become a developer I will still want more. It is okay to want more and not get comfortable. It's about redefining comfort and happiness so you can forever learn and change. It is wonderful to see someone else Express what I feel in a sea of people who want to stay the same for years.
Coding is same..was a Telecom Engineer I switched career to software...still felt the need to scale...
A wise comment here. For some time now my salary has grown 3 times bigger than the previous one. I'm still as unsatisfied. Of course, I appreciate it but yeah, that's how it works :)
Living outside the comfort zone, oh yeah!! 🤩
I hear you Ashley...as a pest control technician, I'm a blue-collar guy with an unhealthy dose of the stress/money ratio. I'm self-learning coding to transition to a better way of life. You were spot on when you said "it's about redefining comfort and happiness" which has been a central theme in my own soul-searching over the past year. RETOOL, REINVENT, REBRAND!!
How is the transition going right now??
I really appreciated the courageous remarks about the dangers of the Golden Handcuffs. I think it is something that everyone in the tech industry wrestles with. You have to really know yourself and be aware of what kind of work environment lets you be your authentic self, while taking in consideration all of your personal commitments you've to yourself and others.
For parents, you have to dig into how you can fulfill your promises to your children... and have the courage to consider that there are more ways to fulfill those promises than through the "1950's American Dream" way of thinking. Kids really don't need "stuff" but they do need learning opportunities and with that modern learning aids. Those can come in many forms.
For adults taking care of their parents, you have to really think through what this looks like considering your promises to them as well. You will have to progressively spend more energy and time caring for them if it is part of your value system. What work arrangement makes sense for that. Ironically, it's becoming less and less true that a traditional career path working for a traditional or even a SV-style company will be able to support the lifestyle necessary to care for your loved ones.
You've given me or inspired in me a lot of distinctions to consider. Thanks.
Fellow developer here. Glad to see you doing your own thing. Hope your TH-cam channel helps out with promoting your business. Good luck, man!
I want the "Golden handcuffs" 😭
Golden Handcuffs means companies will pay you a lot of money to treat you like shit.
Exactly hahah
@@ComeHereGreatness in comparison to getting paid a lot of nothing and still treated like shit for most?
@@florentinog.8870 that's why people study
You’re on the right track. Life is about the hunt
Note to everyone: these salaries are for top companies in the US. In most other countries you won't get anywhere near his salary.
I agree. In the UK it's 30-40k a year.
I get about 75k, having two jobs on outsource, but that's pain in the a## and surely it is not for everybody. It is stressfull and you burn out too quickly.
Actually I was much happier when I had less gold, worked normally and had my free time for side projects or gaming.
this is actually true in India the average starting salary for developer is 600,000 INR or 8400 USD (approx) annually.
KARTIK GANDHI Wow that is crazy. Is that the highest in India?
@Marco the cost of living in my country is higher than in the US, yet we earn less.
100% on the "big secret" in college. I had a Geology degree and kept waiting and waiting to learn some worthwhile skill. Never happened and in my last semester I realized I was screwed...
What are you doing now?
Probably because you chose geology😂 also everyone knows business degrees are empty degrees. No offense but did you research what all is entailed in your degree before going for it? I mean it’s an expensive decision dude. Thousands of dollars for a business degree or side science is maybe risky
I feel like "health insurance" is the golden handcuffs for the average worker. It's crazy how many people hate their jobs but stay because they "don't want to lose their insurance." I recently decided to keep my insurance separate.
Your channel has really inspired me man. By the way, you sound much happier and more relaxed now that you quit your job. Maybe it's just because you're more comfortable making vids but it's definitely noticeable
You know what, I was thinking the exact same thing. Definitely a noticeable improvement in overall energy with this one compared to earlier ones I feel like. But still that totally real vibe(: Wish you much luck dude! I'll be staying tuned for updates about the course. Unfortunately, I'm a broke college kid, but maybe that's to say I need a course like that hah
Good for you. At the end of the day you’ve got an incredibly valuable skill set so you can afford to take some risks at this point. If it doesn’t work out its not going to be hard for you to pick up paid work again. Good luck!
and if it does work out, he will never need to be anyone's bitch ever again. Freedom is the way to go. You are totally wrong, getting a job is basic and easy when you have the skillset the job needs, the demand for tech coders is more than there are available to fill them.
@COOLBIAN57 Depends where you are at. I live in Ireland where a lot of tech companies set up their EMEA HQ. And trust me we cannot get the people here. Far more jobs than people.
It’s difficult to fight complacency. Glad you were able to seek your purpose. Good luck.
Amazing brother, I can feel you entrepreneur spirit, keep moving forward, there is not Senior limits on our minds !!
Well, you have to follow your heart. Money isn't everything but its close!
Not really, threshold for correlation between annual salary and happiness is $75k and, for most people salary becomes orthogonal to happiness after that threshold. I can say at least for myself, this is my experience. The point of life is not to accumulate wealth and in my 20 years of studying fulfillment and happiness, I've come to find that the most fulfilled people prioritize freedom over security and comfort.
Money is everything. Name 1 thing u can have that lasts without it.
@@nellatl make money the primary focus of your life and you will regret it. Especially if this is the case after you've met your basic survival needs.
@@danielsaenz1325 gtfoh. Name 1 thing u can have and keep without money? 🤔
@@nellatl No need I'll just let life play out for you with that mentality. You got a long ways to go grasshopper. Good luck, I wish you well Lol.
I did a software and electronics degree. After I graduated I didn't want to do software, became a building services engineer instead. Now that I see that software can make you financially free, I am starting to be interested in coding again. I'm getting older (26) so I don't have much time to learn new skills, I better hurry up
It's cool that you are going on your own path and doing what you want in life. That can be a risk hard to take for the majority.
As a senior software engineer who also graduated with a Finance degree many years back, your video really resonated with me. If I didn't have a wife and kid I would be looking down the exact same path. I look forward to watching you progress and produce more amazing content!
Probably one of the best video I've seen from a Developer. Because I relate so much.. this is the reason I never went to any silicon valley jobs. Lol it's funny I've been talking about levels.io for years in my channel. it's funny seeing someone else who was inspired by him. Definitely check my channel out I focus on Developer entrepreneurship
I love your channel and live streams!!
This is why i chose this path in life, you're free to do whatever you want.
thanks man! you are a such inspiration, i hope when i become someone who's competent to meet and do business with you!
cheers man
OMG, someone please slap "golden handcuffs" on me. Hilarious!
I would kill for a pair
As an IT guy myself who has implemented an ERP system using Python. My respects to you my friend and I wish you all the best. I have been inspired to start a drum channel as its my soul and blood. You only get one life so - go for it!
What an interesting way to word it. As someone who works in big tech, I've never considered the term "golden handcuffs". But I see your point.
If have been in tech for decades and I love it. I don’t make a lot but I enjoy learning new things everyday. Sometimes I wonder if I can handle to toughest tech jobs that pay good.
@Dick White fr
Sounds similar to what I have done. I quit my role as a software engineer in June to go to work and travel in Australia for a year. I previously did solo trips to numerous countries in Asia but wanted to challenge myself in backpacking while working abroad.
Currently earning a decent income and still trying to sort out my own projects in my spare time, but I don't care if future employers in the software industry will look down upon it. It is one of the best decisions I've ever made
Cool. Break off the golding handcuffs by showing others how to put them on. Well, there is a long line of people wishing to be handcuffed
Goodluck, I wish you all the best, it's never easy to start afresh, but you will do great
The main reason I want to get into programming is that I don’t have a valuable skill .
This is my story and I don’t know what to do 😖😞🥺
Same man.....hardest part is giving up my love for drawing.....and killing my imagination
i worked as a software engineer in Calfornia 1992-1997 and my salary never got out of the 30's. Software engineering turned out to be a nightmare for me. But i was young and i got taken advantage of.
I lived out of the USA for 20 years, want to continue controlling my own life! Excited about your 20 essential Interview Questions! Your the Best!
This entire video is one big mood. Almost exactly what I want to do one day. Currently working as a pretty underpaid designer in central US learning front-end so I can make the transition over to a developer role. I've wanted to move to Saigon for a while now, but never had the cash and wasn't confident enough in my freelance/entrepreneurial skillset to make the plunge.
I enjoy your content, as well as your non-hyper delivery. Keep it up!
Great for you man! Great decision
What I'd do, at the same time work on personal projects. Once the projects are working well then quit the job. It's more work but it's safer
the company has a claim on any code you develop during the contract is still active.
This is awesome mate! Well done... put yourself out there!
Note 230k is more like 115k when working for the 'Big 4' in their respective, ultra-expensive cities. Insurance matters...
thanks for making this real honest vid on the industry as a developer working in the industry over 7 years found it very helpful
i quit my $300k job last year and i'm happy so far :)
IT? Wow
The way you explained and summarized your college majors was a very helpful bit of wisdom and I resonated with your explanation a lot, thank you for sharing. Best of luck towards your endeavours
Top 1% problems
0.1%
@@tdreamgmail 200k a year is nowhere near 0.1% lmao in some states its not even 1%
managers everywhere make 200k easily for doing next to nothing. I know Directors of departments who make 300k+ for running a quarterly meeting 4 times a year . "six figure salary" is a phrase from like 25+ years ago where the economy was way different
@@pjdalton 6 figure salaries can be alot, just depends on where you live, in most states 100,000 will let you live very comfortably with good savings
I found Indie Hackers a year ago - so cool. I'm glad to hear you mention that. The podcast is awesome, too
I really appreciate the straightforward videos, man. I legit made a plan for learning to program from scratch from your "fastest way to become a programmer in 2019" video. Super useful stuff, I hope things go well for you!
so which programming language u are learning..?
Umar Ajmal starting with front end, html/css/js
@@driiver4199 ok
i have started with c++
@@umarajmal6216 nice! hope it goes well
hmm what you think guys of stories of people that say 3-6 months and they got junior position level is that even possible?
I was scared you were resigning oooops, thanks u still in the field
much love bro! travel safe!
That you never loose the fun 'Code Drip'.
Working for a company and making stuff like coding is a hard work too.
But without these talents a lot of stuff would never exist.
And It's important that you are happy and money isn't the important thing in the end.
I wish you good luck with all, that you have fun and be happy + everyone here too ;)
For you 'Code Drip':
I'm not a pro, but I like to make some music and if you like take a look in my channel and maybe you find something that you like or not
I live in Miami and they are barely offering $20/hr job as a front-end web developer :(
You truly are an inspiration. I love that you're not afraid to take risks, but you're also not opposed to putting in the work that needs to get done in order for you to follow your dreams. I currently work at the mailroom in Pinterest and I've become incredibly interested in learning how to code. Your videos have been an insane help and this video in particular makes me realize that there are no limits to what we can learn and what we can do. We just need to persevere and have some grit and have the right attitude.
i appreciate this so much, so many senior developers just clamshell and fall off the grid. The world is a better place when we work together
Or worse...they get promoted to management positions. Which they then hate/aren't suited to.
You are DEFINITELY one of the best vlogs out here! I'm glad I found your content, thanks for the uploads!
I got a degree in entrepreneurship as well. Now I’m learning to code because i didn’t have a technical skills 😂. I did still start and run a business but I definitely want to build a tech biz. Cool video 👍🏽
I stumbled onto this video just as I was thinking of how to diversify my geographical footprint with or without my cushy NYC job with one of the FAANG companies. (My plan is to stay NYC-based but to be un-tethered from any office/geo.)
I love to hear you talking about these things. Thanks for sharing. I will check out the resources you posted and will hopefully join you on your path some time soon. Wishing you all the success.
The *golden handcuffs* reference is spot on.
It's a very common term amoungst engineers. I also think it's a first world problem.
I started to learn to code 1 week ago. My motivation is to be able to work remotely from anywhere in the world so I can travel while making good $!🙏🏻
I love this mentality, keep it up!
Good luck to you out there Aaron, I personally do not mind golden or rusty handcuffs. 8month after graduation 300+ applications sent and not a single interview. SF didn’t treat me good, got depressed and now moved to east! Struggle continues. Good luck though.
Your transformation is amazing and inspiring! Keep going! (-:
It seems the root of the matter is "Existential". I know that software development can be demanding but it can become problematic when your existence revolves around your job. But, if you do something that gives you meaning and purpose then your job will be like walking your dog in the morning or do groceries, you know, part of your daily life.
That's interesting. My best friend has a multiple six figure software job but he HATES it so much. It sounds terrible.
Can you elaborate a bit on what he's experiencing working for what is likely a major tech firm?
Congratulations. Good luck on your journey. It will be exciting to see how it all goes. You can do it!
I am only three minutes in and it sounds like my story. Thanks for telling me about Indie Hackers. And God speed things will look up for you soon. And for me too. :-)
Love your videos, Aaron. I always get feed up after 3~6months of my new job. I think maybe it is important for people to find our own keen purposes and develop a career around it. Please share more what are you doing after jailbreak from your golden handcuff. I guess you are funding your own company and business or something. Wish you all the things best!
when the bonus equals to your years salary
Thanks man. You have no idea how much this information you share help people out there like myself. To some degree I'm like you, I originally want to build a business but don't have the skill that I need like programming. I'm glad I found your video, really inspired.
I just watched the video and curious to take a look at your channel. I’m interested in tutorials on how to program for someone who doesn’t know anything about programming. Also curious about those scary “interview questions” I’ve heard about.
Check out Corey Schafer
As a software engineer trying to keep up with coding and coming up with new ideas, this was very enlightening. Good luck with your future endevours and I can't wait to check out your tutorials, talks about the industry, your thoughts of interviews processes and just listening to a person that wants to stay progressive and keep life interesting.
You earned yourself a sub good sir!
Golden Handcuffs. Damn. That's what's preventing me from leaping into programming ... but then the entry level salaries I'm seeing are 1/4 what he earned.
I know nothing of coding but have some remote undefined interest in it. Your video is interesting and is very REAL to life and what TH-cam is all about. REAL things happening in REAL life which there isn't really any script for and others can learn from.
10:30 "Programming is the tool to live the life you want" 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥
Keep making content. You earned a sub. Finding a community of entrepreneurs and digital nomad types is important!
Your interview questions course sounds great
What worked for me isn't quitting entirely but just working much less hours (for less pay obviously) and then using the new free time to build new passions.
200k can let me retire in Vietnam
don't be late again pls
Wait is that true?
Is Vietnam good to live?
I play to move to another country in the future and Im always interested in good cheap countries.
@@RabbitConfirmed Yes, outside the air polution and water contamination, you have cheaper living cost, no terrorist, peaceful country.
Also, I believe many ppl invest into our country to found their own company due to low cost labor...
Just look up the face of having 200k dollar ( ~4.6 B vnd ) in a bank will help you live an average life here ( ~20-26M vnd per month )
@@thanatosor its cheap to live in bulgaria
@Other TechLead If you choose to burn money that way...
* P/S : Chicks are great out there
You are the evidence that I'm not crazy when I decide to quit my job, thank you