Getting older and working in design
Out of context: Reply #85
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- eryx0
I was looking for a tread to post this in because I found a different career path from being a flash developer up until about 4 years ago. I was fired from my agency and tried to make it as freelance developer. I devoted a lot of my time to leaning new programming techniques but after utterly failing at Flex I decided to throw in the towel.
I started my new career at 32 years old and have been at it for almost 3 years. I work in the NDT industry. The work is very physical and has to potential to be very dangerous but I do get to take pictures all day.
There is a large amount of certifications that you have to pass in order to move forward in this career but once you start moving forward it becomes more interesting. Pay also starts pretty high, I made almost three times as much as I did when I was under salary at an agency and paid more in taxes than I made in income as a freelancer.
There are some things that I miss from my old career. I miss not being part of a large project that I can point to and say “I programmed that”. The sense of accomplishment when you solve a difficult problem. I also miss the new and exiting ideas and techniques that I was exposed to on a daily basis. The people I worked with were informed, cultured and for the most part non-violent.
My new career has some interesting challenges, I am sure that it would not be for everyone you have to have some very thick skin to deal with very thick people. Working in -40˚C weather, wildlife, insane hours, dangerous material and humping the camera through the mud are definite drawbacks but job security, monetary compensation and the ability to move forward into many different off shoots of the same core career tend to negate them pretty quickly.
All in all I am happy that I changed careers but I still miss what I use to do, I think that is why I keep coming back there, so that I can kind of still see what is going on...... and COTD.
Here is my camera:
- thanks for sharing. camera looks interesting -- are you exposed to much radiation?Gnash
- some, lots of safety procedures you have to follow. Makes it interesting.eryx
- I imagine there is little work for flex. I would have learned flex if I was smart/dedicated enough. In hindsight I'm glad I was stupid/uncapabl to learn it.hotroddy
- good wkmans comp too i supposebklyndroobeki