Some advice on making software
Jim Grey shares some advice after 35 years of making software:
Chase adventure and interestingness, not salary and title. This might be controversial with some, for whom salary and title are critical. So be it. We’re ridiculously well paid in this industry, even at the entry level. I’ve had a varied career, from technical writing to QA to engineering. I’ve said yes to, or chased after, things that sounded like would be challenging and interesting, and therefore fun. The money and positions have come to me in time. I might have gotten them a lot faster had I chased after them instead. What I got was a fascinating career and a great deal of personal and professional growth. I regret a couple choices, and a couple other choices totally didn’t work out for me. But there’s so much opportunity in this industry (even though the downturn we’re living through has tightened that up for now) that you can recover from that.