Curious

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s.dot
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Curious

Post by s.dot »

I've been thinking about this for a while. With the abundance of talent on these boards, why are so many of you working 9-5 (stereotypically speaking) programming jobs? It seems you could invest in your own project and earn money off of advertisement revenue, services charges, or sales.

Interested in hearing opinions.
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JayBird
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Post by JayBird »

i like my job
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s.dot
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Post by s.dot »

Good answer.
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shiznatix
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Post by shiznatix »

no good ideas here. plus i would need some startup money and i dont got any of that.
Roja
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Re: Curious

Post by Roja »

scottayy wrote:I've been thinking about this for a while. With the abundance of talent on these boards, why are so many of you working 9-5 (stereotypically speaking) programming jobs? It seems you could invest in your own project and earn money off of advertisement revenue, services charges, or sales.

Interested in hearing opinions.
Actually, my day job isn't primarily doing programming. Its a large focus of it, at the moment, but that changes. Some months, I may be focusing on regulatory issues (How does Sarbanes-Oxley affect our Windows configuration choices?). Some months, I may be focusing on workflow redesign (lean six sigma, process improvement, etc). Other months, we may need a robust, quick-to-implement, web-driven interactive content solution.

I prefer the variety.

As to investing in personal projects, a couple of things make that a non-starter for me. First and foremost, I have a family now, and a steady, reliable form of income is simply a neccessity. Second, the revenue model for most web-based apps is mostly ad-driven. As Yahoo found out a few years ago, basing the majority of your income on an ad-driven model means that when the ad market shrinks, you do too. Thats a pricey risk. (It cost Yahoo Billions-with-a-B).

But more importantly, I enjoy coding because I don't have to make many compromises. I get to program what I like, when I like, and without much hassle. Thats something I can't really put a price on.

Don't get me wrong, I like programming, and some day, maybe I'll take a job doing it. For the time being, I like my current arrangement better.
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Chris Corbyn
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Post by Chris Corbyn »

I enjoy my job, and I like the fact that I know my wage is coming from my employer so it's far more secure.

I'm still waiting for the day I come up with a really great idea and get rich :twisted:
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Post by Maugrim_The_Reaper »

I'm with Roja, programming is not the core of my job. It's necessary knowledge for what I do in part, but a large part of my job revolves around internal audits, regulatory compliance and internal control system review. I enjoy programming, and I love expressing my creativity, but I don't specifically rely on it for my income. I'm not ashamed to say I probably earn more than I would programming, and the stable income is a big plus for any number of reasons (my mortgage springs to mind ;)).
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Weirdan
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Post by Weirdan »

  • I'm lazy
  • I have decent salary here
  • I have no fixed office hours (that cost me a lot, though)
  • I used to have steady income
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Chris Corbyn
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Post by Chris Corbyn »

Weirdan wrote:
  • I'm lazy
  • I have decent salary here
  • I have no fixed office hours (that cost me a lot, though)
  • I used to have steady income
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Post by jamiel »

Because I learn alot at my 9-5. Work on a good team. After hours I prefer enjoying my youth by doing things other than coding. I have some side projects which I work on however when I get time. Busy rewriting the whole of geeknewz.com at the moment.
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Weirdan
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Post by Weirdan »

d11wtq wrote: Is that hedgehog trying to Break Dance?
I'm not sure ;)
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MrPotatoes
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Post by MrPotatoes »

i am starting my own company. thing is that i just got out into the field so i can't jepordize myself by starting a company and not even having a year of 'experiance' in my belt. haha
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RobertGonzalez
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Post by RobertGonzalez »

d11wtq wrote:
Weirdan wrote:
  • I'm lazy
  • I have decent salary here
  • I have no fixed office hours (that cost me a lot, though)
  • I used to have steady income
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I really need to sleep more and post less...

To answer the original question...

I have been in my current position for almost 10 years. I earn more than a lot of folks coming out of college with a degree would earn at the moment (and I have no degree). I have full health care coverage and a ton of other company provided benefits that outweigh, at the moment, what I could be getting for myself. Plus, I have a stay-at-home wife and five homeschooled children. So taking care for them is top priority at the moment.

Don't get me wrong, I would love to be in business for myself. Heck, that is the reason I learned PHP. But at the moment, I need to provide for my house. And until my side-jobs can equal my current salary+benefits, I gotta go to the office to work.

Oh yeah, just to follow suit with the rest of the thread, my current job has nothing to do with programming at all, except when my boss gives me permission to develop tools needed to do my job. Which he has graciously done in the past.
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Post by Luke »

1. I really like my job - it's awesome!
2. No market for a new company in my area
3. I would rather work 8-5 and make a decent living right now than have to work 8am-10pm trying to run my own business
4. I still make a little on the side from things here and there... so I have the best of both worlds.
5. I did have my own company... it was not very successful, because like i said... no market in this area for another business.
alex.barylski
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Re: Curious

Post by alex.barylski »

scottayy wrote:I've been thinking about this for a while. With the abundance of talent on these boards, why are so many of you working 9-5 (stereotypically speaking) programming jobs? It seems you could invest in your own project and earn money off of advertisement revenue, services charges, or sales.

Interested in hearing opinions.
I don't work a 9-5 as a programmer...I work whenever I can find freelance work...

I'm starting to dislike acting as a freelancer though...the pay isn't the best...it's inconsistent...and the jobs are often boring...

However, the same could be said for a normal 9-5...

The projects are boring...the hours are set in stone, but your pay is consistent...

I don't like the idea of working 16 hours a day and only getting paid for 8...especially when I'm making someone else money the whole time...

THats why I like freelance...I can work 4 or 20 hours in a day and I get paid for exactly what I do...and I can sleep in until 3PM if I want to...or go away for a couple days...or whatever...

Both have their ups and downs...

As for developing a commercial quality peice of software...it's waaaay more difficult than it sounds...

Programming is just part of the whole process...

There is a lot more to it than that...i've tried several times with no success...

Cheers :)
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