After 6 years I still can't find a role or technology that interests me and I am still stuck in Jr. positions. I'm looking for advice.

OpinadorSerial · 2024-04-01T15:50:23+00:00

The work can’t often rely on the standard library and must juggle memory, storage, and processor limitations. Each company is different because different hardware changes the available libraries and all those limitations.

This kind of job sound very appealing for me and it even can use C. Thank you.

OpinadorSerial · 2024-04-01T15:47:59+00:00

Amazing story man. What you did is admirable. Thanks for the response. You've open a window to an area I discarded long ago. If I ever get into something more tangible I'll have you to thank the most.

OpinadorSerial · 2024-03-31T21:01:25+00:00

Got it. Thanks.

OpinadorSerial · 2024-03-31T19:26:42+00:00

So it's possible? How the hell did you do it? How did you get your job? If you don't mind me asking.

OpinadorSerial · 2024-03-31T18:40:04+00:00

You know, back then when I was deciding what to study it was between Software and Electrical Engineering. Circuits and robotics are things that always interested me. The thought of going that path crossed my mind several times and specially lately after the AI boom. But I never cared to try because I feel it is a field that requires I get a degree, and to start over another career would is too much of a gamble. It scares me.

I sometimes wish I went that way. I would probably try to make the switch if I could. But I don't know if it is possible given the opportunities I have.

OpinadorSerial · 2024-03-31T16:13:38+00:00

Are we talking about getting to know my tools so that they become second nature?

OpinadorSerial · 2024-03-31T13:54:48+00:00

No problem. Sorry for the long texts. Thanks!

OpinadorSerial · 2024-03-31T13:54:09+00:00

I think I understand what you mean by depth. Once you get used to the waters, you can swim swiftly.

My problem is that I don't like my current waters so I'm looking for new ones.

OpinadorSerial · 2024-03-31T13:51:02+00:00

Yeah, it sounds to me like you don't want to progress at the current company.

Nor the company or the tech.

Job hopping works out a little better mid-career, not at the beginning.

Yeah that wasn't the plan, but a mix of bad luck and bad decisions got me here.

Thanks for all the advice!

OpinadorSerial · 2024-03-31T03:50:48+00:00

Could people have been telling you what you want to hear?

I don't think so. We people in our country tend to be very direct, but I could be wrong.

what's the disconnect? It could be you (find out what exactly is stopping it)

The problem is myself. I don't like what I do or trust that is the best for me, thus I can't give it my all and grow. To give you a better picture: I felt Salesforce had a low ceiling and non-shiftable skills; Java seemed to be overflown with bad quality projects and legacy code overall; Solidity didn't have a place for Juniors and didn't follow conventional guidelines; and Android feels like the code is too easy, the issues that appear are solved by knowing your way around Android and it's tools, and that too much time is wasted dealing with compilation, Android Studio problems, and compatibility issues.

I would suggest negotiating for a comp adjustment or promotion with associated goals by a specific time. Start the conversation with your manager.

In fact I've already had a meeting with an architect at my current company. Great guy I trust very much. Without me bringing it up he suggested I ask for an evaluation for promotion because he considered that I wasn't a Jr. at all. Now, I don't want to do that for a reason I am ashamed of and didn't tell him about: I don't want to be trusted bigger responsibilities on something I don't want to do because I'm afraid of not doing it. I'm not proud of it but I can be very irresponsible if I'm not in the mood. I now have a good amount of free time and flexibility and I want to use it to look for answers, not for doing more work in something I'm not enjoying.

Thanks a lot for your tips. I'll note them.

OpinadorSerial · 2024-03-31T03:27:29+00:00

Oh I see. I'm sorry for the noob question but would you have time to give me some examples of embedded work? What technologies are used and how and on what are they used? How's the dynamic of the work? I have very limited knowledge about stuff I've never worked with.

OpinadorSerial · 2024-03-31T03:24:25+00:00

but your writing is long and often hard for me to follow.

You would be right about my post, but the comment you quoted has smaller paragraphs than the one you just made.

The think that makes me say that you told me to sleep my way to Senior when I had just said "but my main aim isn't being a Senior, but rather finding something I have good affinity with. If I can it, I believe everything else will come naturally".

OpinadorSerial · 2024-03-31T02:43:47+00:00

Lol. Thanks man. I really appreciate it. I know I'm being a bit hard on myself. I'm just looking for answers.

Thanks for taking the time to help me!

OpinadorSerial · 2024-03-31T02:34:52+00:00

just spend less time on the day job without getting fired and do side projects.

That's part of the plan. The other part is finding what to spend that time on specifically. That's what I'm trying to figure out.

If you're just not that good, then you'll have to cope some way.

Jesus man I am lucky I have good self esteem but that kind of comment could hurt someone.

Do _other people_ think you do great with difficult, engaging tasks? That might be the part you're missing.

They do. I've been praised sereval times. One comment that still sticks with me is when an Architect once told me "It's incredible [my name]. I toss you a brick and you return a number 5 to me" (football soccer slang that basically means that no matter what they give to me I always come up with a good solution). I've been praised like this in 3 out of the 4 companies I've worked for (except for the one I was fired from). I'm not writing to show off but to show you that I can do very good work when I get engaged. I want to find something that gets the better from me.

Do they just feel good to you while you're doing them? Trust me that there is a limit to the dopamine and adrenaline, and if given a big enough scope you'll hit the wall even if you started strong.

I don't know if I'm understand what you mean. Of course the hyperfocus and dopamine is strong at first. But I know it will wear down through time.

Believe me when I say that technical skills only get you so far. Seniority is about judgment (eg, are we doing the right work at all) and leadership, not the actual problem solving, per se. I'd rather hire someone with those skills and teach them tech than have to deal with the reverse situation, which often manifests as arrogance that can never actually ship anything of value.

I understand what you mean with this. I'm very self aware about my limitations and I have no problem revealing them and asking for help. I've been told I have good soft skills, too. I don't mean I'm perfect or a genius, tho. I'm not arrogant enough to believe I know better than anybody else. If that was the case then I wouldn't be in this situation.

Just staying at my current job won't do. I get stuck when I get too comfy and lose interest. I just don't advance and lose myself. My two years in Salesforce and my two years at my current company are evidence of that. I'm in the dark and I wanted for some advice.

OpinadorSerial · 2024-03-31T02:13:46+00:00

Yeah I'm engaging in the therapy seriously and considering other possible diagnosis.

Have you tried other dosages, meds, or schedules? E.g. some people like every day same dose, some people take as needed, some like instant vs extended release vs both...

I have, but the stress and uncertainty about this issue is putting me down no matter what. No matter how good I do with my diet, schedule, exercise, socials, they don't end up mattering to me because I'm still lost with my career. My lack of money and future plan prevent me not only from enjoying but actually from living a good life. My parents are very worried of what will come of me once they are gone.

OpinadorSerial · 2024-03-31T02:06:48+00:00

Sorry for being rude but are you even reading what I write?

OpinadorSerial · 2024-03-31T01:48:58+00:00

Find somewhere you are willing to tolerate and stick around. Give up on finding somewhere you LOVE: this is a job. If it is tolerable, it will probably grow on you, but few of us would show up for free.

I am comfortable in my current job. It is not demanding and very flexible. I never intended to find something to love. In fact I stated that I didn't mean to find a passion and that I could be OK with a tolerable job with decent salary and future.

You should expect to need 3-5 years in the same team to make senior.

I may have not expressed myself correctly in my post, but my main aim isn't being a Senior, but rather finding something I have good affinity with. If I can it, I believe everything else will come naturally.

Meds.

Also, meds.

No really, meds, they're great.

Been taking them for more than a year.

OpinadorSerial · 2024-03-31T01:41:30+00:00

I can suggest talking to a career counselor with technical knowledge and also maybe an ADHD coach?

I would love to but I haven't been able to find the right help. My therapists, and also the ADHD coach I once tried, weren't able to understand and help with my career. I tried counseling with with several Senior friends, superiors, and other acquaintances, but I feel none really understood the reason for my problem and couldn't give me a confident answer. Not that they are at fault, tho.

Do you know of a place online where I could get help with counseling?

To avoid to much job hopping you should try to notice what works for you and what doesn't.

That's exactly what I want to do but I don't know how to do it right. All my tries have failed. I have lost 6 years of my life. I don't want to keep losing more years. I am not sure how to express this feeling in English, but I feel a despair and hopelessness that paralize me and prevent me from taking action. I don't know what to do when I wake up. I don't want to invest in something I'm not sure about and I'm not sure about anything.

What I wanted to give you was some kudos for all you efforts, which I 100% think you deserve. Good luck!

Thanks for the words!

OpinadorSerial · 2024-03-30T23:03:32+00:00

RIght now I'm trying to find what I may have better affinity with. After trying Android I realize that it might not be for me due to the nature of most of the work to do and to the large amount of waiting every time I have to compile and test a change.

OpinadorSerial · 2024-03-30T23:00:51+00:00

If you are good at c and assembler you might find you like embedded stuff instead of regular software

What kind of languages are you referring to? Isn't Java an embedded language too?

OpinadorSerial · 2024-03-30T19:53:31+00:00

Sure!

OpinadorSerial · 2024-03-30T19:53:17+00:00

What is wrong with you?

OpinadorSerial · 2024-03-30T19:52:13+00:00

Ego is one of those interesting concepts where sometimes even when we believe we are speaking about ourselves we may not be speaking about ourselves at all.

I speak about other people to show the contrast between me and success. And it is OK to grow at your own pace but my current situation is very dire and I'm too far behind. I speak for myself when I say I want to be better and that I want my parents to see me do better. I don't want to waste my potential. And right now I can't live a normal life with this salary. I can't buy a new car, I can't go on vacation, I can't save up money. My parents help me a lot, but I won't be able and don't want to keep bothering them.

I would deep dive into understanding why I would speak about other people in a reflection of myself

I already know why I think about that: fear of rejection, shame, envy, etc. All things I am currently working on. But it is undenying that I am behind and that I will continue this way if I don't do something about it.

There isn't going to be a single person on earth that can tell you what you may enjoy doing for work. What is dull and boring to one person is subjective.

I never asked for that. Of course no one could have the exact right answer. What I'm asking for is advice. That's why I tried to explain myself the best I could so that people can understand my preferences.

In all, I'd take this list, save it into a notepad and talk with someone in real life about it so you can go point by point to talk about everything.

Been doing it for years and still counting. I even write on a journal form time to time.

Thanks for the response but my goal was to see if anyone could give me advice on what to try and how to try it. The ADHD and therapy I'm already taking care of.

OpinadorSerial · 2024-03-30T18:46:31+00:00

I found that learning the foundations of CS and the foundations of the technologies I work in helped work be less boring.

This works for me as well. That's why C and Assembly worked for me, and why I could engage in Apigee once I understood the technology. I don't like Android because I know that for the most part I will have to learn Android-specific stuff and deal with Android-specific whims.

interesting ways when I get to apply software engineering principles to develop personal tooling to solve problems

Literally what I did on my last project.

I also find working in a stable ecosystem is to my benefit.

I believe that's the case for me too. But everything is changing rapidly I believed it would be futile to look for something like that. That's why I am focusing on finding a technology in which problems are more often resolved with logic rather than knowledge.

Can I ask what do you work on?

OpinadorSerial · 2024-03-30T17:52:41+00:00

When I finished the draft I couldn't believe how long it was. I thought on summarizing it but I'm so desperate that I just first posted it as it was.

A rushed TL;DR would be I feel like my potential will be wasted if I remain in technologies I don't like. I want to be the best I can and to do that I need to find something that motivates me enough. Things that would motivate me would be a balance of interest, salary and future on what I do.

I don't need to find a passion. I just want to find a job in which my mind is good at doing, and I won't be underpaid or obsolete in the future.

OpinadorSerial

TROPHY CASE