Your Developer Job is Killing Your Inner Entrepreneur.

Summary

A software developer reflects on how their career has impacted their entrepreneurial aspirations, suggesting that a less demanding job might better fuel an entrepreneurial spirit.

Abstract

The author recounts their journey from a monotonous job to becoming a professional software developer, a path they initially hoped would lead to entrepreneurship and a four-hour workweek. Despite their passion for software development as a hobby, the demands of their university studies and later their professional responsibilities consumed their mental energy, leaving little for side projects. The author acknowledges the paradox of their situation: their developer job provides satisfaction and financial stability but also exhausts their creative capacity, hindering their entrepreneurial endeavors. They conclude that for those who prioritize entrepreneurship over a high developer salary, a less intellectually demanding job could provide the mental space necessary to nurture and execute business ideas.

Opinions

The author values the freedom and creativity associated with entrepreneurship, viewing their side projects as a pathway to this lifestyle.
There is a sense of disillusionment with the educational system, as the author found the curriculum less stimulating than real-world software development trends.
The author believes that a developer's job requires not just physical presence but also full mental engagement, which can be draining and detrimental to side projects.
Despite the author's contentment with their current job, they recognize the trade-off between a fulfilling developer role and the time and mental energy needed to pursue entrepreneurial ambitions.
The author suggests that a part-time, intellectually undemanding job could be beneficial for aspiring entrepreneurs, allowing them to use work hours for ideation and free time for execution.
The author has found a balance by having a side business approved by their employer, indicating a compromise between job security and personal entrepreneurial interests.
The author expresses a pragmatic view on age and change, implying that while the idea of shifting to a less demanding job to focus on entrepreneurship is appealing, they personally feel it's not a viable option at their stage in life.

A more boring job might not be a bad idea.

After working a “dead end” job for almost 10 years, it was time for a change. My application for university had been accepted and the spot was mine. I’m going to become a professional software developer. Software development had been my hobby since junior high-school, I wasn't going there to learn to write software, it was just a bridge, I was going to make it on my own, live off my side projects, 4 hour work week and life style design, here I come.

While working that job, I had tons of notes in my pockets. Not literally, I’m not the hulk, but there were lots of them. The notes where yellow stickies, folded on the middle, to prevent them from sticking to the inside of the pockets. Besides small to-do lists, there where ideas for the projects I was running on the side, and ideas for new projects to build. Also things I needed to learn and look more into. The source of these notes where not just from my own head, but also audio books and podcasts consumed while working. This work was not mentally stimulating, therefor the brain was mostly idling. I was a pick-n-place machine operator on a circuit board manufacturing plant.

During the school years I didn't get as much done as I hoped. Most of the things we did in school felt boring. As I followed the dev news, I wanted to use the same things as the cool kids. Not simulating UDP and TCP in Java or reading about discrete mathematics. This, together with me having very selective self-discipline, led me to drag my feet. Dragging my feet placed me in a dilemma. I couldn’t do what I wanted to do, because i hadn’t done what I needed to do. This resulted in me doing neither. Until the course was about to end and I had no choice but to do the boring school work. Stress was a constant due to this.

About this time, my thinking shifted. When I get a developer job, then I will make good money, continue learning on the job, and make projects on the side. To eventually make enough money to quit the job and live off my side hustles. Genius! 🤯

Today I am a software developer, I’ve been working professionally as a developer for almost 10 years, a situation that I am very happy with. I’m able to build, launch, and operate any application I can come up with. The urge to build side projects is still there, but something is lacking. When the evening comes and our three girls are all sleeping, I don’t hack away at my side projects. There is nothing to ignite the spark, there are no yellow M3s in my pockets. My mind has been with me all day, at work. When you work as a developer, it’s not just your body you are renting out, you are also renting out the completeness of your mind.

In conclusion: If you really want to be an entrepreneur and you can live on less salary than your developer job is gives you. Trying out a part-time boring job, where you are free to use your mind how ever you want, might be a good idea. Then you can use the time at work to come up with ideas and connect the dots. And your free time, will your execution time, you will hit the ground running every day. 🚀

Personally, I like my job. Great colleagues, challenging projects, freedom of time and location, and lots of perks. On the side of that, I have a side business (approved by my employer) where I run small projects and do content creation.

Will I quit my job, take something boring(part time) and focus on my own business.. nah, I’m too old for that sh*t. 😎

My journey here on Medium has just started, if you want to tag along, hit me up with a follow 🙃 clapping is also appreciated 👏😆

Be excellent to each other! ✌️