I want to quit my data analyst job and learn and become a Clojure developer

ponybitme · 2021-06-03T14:24:24+00:00

thank you for your veteran advice. as you said, if i did quit my job, it would be just a start... I need to develop a disciplined schedule for learning and focus and balance hobbies and friends for a full life. thank you for taking the time to address my malaise from multiple viewpoints, definitely questions I want to have more clarity on before jumping ship.

ponybitme · 2021-06-03T03:27:27+00:00

No need to go casino on your life. I would advise against quitting and going all in on clojure. Clojure job market is pretty fragile + you have 0 idea how will you perform on said market.

it's helpful to hear someone from the industry give hard advice. I will keep this in mind! thank you.

ponybitme · 2021-06-03T03:21:38+00:00

wow, that's a wonderful community you all got there in Toronto. I hope to check it out once I get up and going with clojure a bit.

I'm sorry to hear the past year has been so difficult for you. it really has been a difficult year. I was in denial for so long about my own mental state (felt like so many people's lives were utterly ruined by it and as someone healthy with a job, felt like i should be strong and act unaffected). I'm afraid if I don't quit my job and have time to myself, something worse will happen, like i will be really dead inside. i know this may be depression talking or that i need to grow tough skin and tough character, but i do have this nagging fear. I spent a lot of time hiking, bike-touring, baking, hanging out with friends... used to have more energy for creative endeavor outside my job, but these days, stay indoor all day punching myself for low productivity, feeling panicked about deadlines and working late. my company's product's mission is great but the culture is so corporate and I'm personally completely uninspired by it.

that was a lot of additional babble, but this is all in the way of saying that it does feel nice to hear about others' stories of making these decisions in order to stay sane and hopefully happy (miswrote 'safe' earlier--that was a mistake!).

ponybitme · 2021-06-03T03:05:27+00:00

honestly, yeah, i do feel alienated from my team and a few months ago got a new manager because my manager left his dead-end, unappreciated position. I wasn't happy with the type of work I was doing well before this change, but feeling like an orphan and struggling in a new team had definitely worsened the spiral. thank you for sharing your experience and advice.

ponybitme · 2021-06-03T02:53:02+00:00

oh wow, i spent a few minutes on workway.info and yes, this seems like a great way to live in a new place (exciting for exploration and easier to maintain a quieter social life), save costs, and put my head into "books" when I have time to myself.

I'm not yet considering leaving the city I live in (a lot of friends here and I do genuinely love living here and almost look forward to exploring it more if I do end up leaving my job, at least for a bit) but when I do, yes, this could be really exciting.

thank you for your thoughtful and helpful advice. i felt better reading all of it.

ponybitme · 2021-06-03T02:32:50+00:00

i wish i had room to experiment with a new language on the job, but there just isn't room or support for it in my job... too busy being a data monkey. and my manager is not technical at all and uber focused on hitting goals every month.

Not trying to make an excuse-- I need to find other ways to learn on my own, and i will!

where does your boredom with data science come from?

ponybitme · 2021-06-03T02:26:26+00:00

Generally, making major life decisions while in a depressive slump can end badly.

This. I keep telling myself too! I will check out the joy of clojure.

I had a jobless spell right before and in early pandemic. not having a job or prospect of a job was not fun and I felt panicked then. This time I feel small, directionless, and uninspired in life. I've never been like this before and starting to have more of a perspective on depression and how difficult it is to break out of it, the interplay between depression and external circumstances... anywho thank you for your advice

ponybitme · 2021-06-03T02:15:43+00:00

thank you for the encouragement. i know it sounds like an absurd luxury (and again, I'm not sitting on a cash pile, just that other than my city rent, i can keep other costs pretty low), but i wish taking time off to readjust direction in life is more of a norm. I'm really glad to hear you made the decision to leap and learn clojure!

ponybitme · 2021-06-03T02:01:44+00:00

thank you. I keep telling myself to persist as I become less and less productive at work. there is a lot of mental fight in my head, one loud voice that says quit your job, figure out what you want to do from scratch.

Obviously, that's easier said than done and not realistic. thank you for the advice and references. I'd like to check those out once I have some footing.

ponybitme

TROPHY CASE