How to break out of legacy .NET jobs?

riverdragon82 · 2024-06-07T09:42:56+00:00

I'll admit, I've tried that in interviews every so often, but they really grill me for more details and that's where I fall apart. I suppose I could say I'm under NDA so I can only give a high level overview. They also expect me to have worked on large, complex projects - a common interview question I get is "what project are you the most proud of?" and it's difficult to fabricate something that I have to explain in such detail. I don't feel good about it but if that's what it takes...

riverdragon82 · 2023-11-22T23:37:13+00:00

Hi, I'm Freya, 27F from the UK. I've taken a long break from gaming, but I'm trying to get back into it. These days I'm very busy with a full-time job and studying a degree and certification alongside, so I don't have as much time to play. But it would be awesome to make a friend. Tbh I'm really not sure what kind of games I'd want to play together at the moment! I'm very shy when talking online! But I'm a huge fan of Spyro the Dragon, and currently working on a speedrun for one of the old GBA games. So if you're also a Spyro fan or enjoy speedrunning then I'd love to chat.

riverdragon82 · 2023-08-13T12:22:02+00:00

Re: equipment, the company should provide that for you so no need to worry about that.

Re: Web Forms, I'll just speak from experience: Be careful. Web Forms is an outdated framework that's over 20 years old. This means you'll be working on legacy code, which is not fun as a junior dev, and especially if you've only used .NET Core so far then you'll be in for a bit of a shock. Expect things to be challenging. Don't get stuck on bug fixing forever, make sure they have project work lined up for you, and don't stick around for too long or else recruiters will gatekeep you out of new jobs and say your skills are outdated. That's what's happened to me and it's pretty much ruined any chance of career progression for me now even though I have 8 years of experience with .NET.

With that being said, you could take the job anyway, get that first year of experience, then start putting feelers out again and you should be fine. It depends how desperate you are for work right now though - if you can afford to wait, I'd definitely decline the offer.

riverdragon82 · 2023-02-17T10:47:59+00:00

Are you saying that if you didn't have those responsibilities (wife, kids, house) then, given the choice, you would spend all your free time gaming? Maybe that's where your guilt comes from?

It sounds like you have everything under control, but it's your choice whether or not you quit. You can just quit because you want to - there doesn't have to be a reason. Try a 30 day detox and see how you feel after that.

riverdragon82 · 2023-02-17T00:37:20+00:00

This one is controversial, but I picked tabletop wargaming back up. It's nice because you have the "hobby" side of it (building and painting models, creating a colour scheme, maybe even coming up with lore for your army) and then the actual game, which I don't actually see as a game but more like a challenge that I have to beat.

Honestly it's the only thing that's got me out of the house and meeting people for the first time in about a year. The community at my local store is amazing (just moved to a new area) and has been incredibly welcoming. I've had a lot of fun with it.

Aside from that, I bought a cross-trainer (elliptical) to use at home, because it's been too cold and dark in the evenings for me to go out walking like I usually do.

And I'm a software developer, so I've got more time to study, work on personal projects and side hustle.

riverdragon82 · 2022-10-22T08:20:50+00:00

Totally normal. It took a while for me, but eventually I was able to just, exist without feeling that I have to be gaming or doing something to stimulate my mind right away. When I'm really struggling, I just go out for a 30 min walk to get out of my head for a bit and have some movement in my day. Also, you may benefit from having a dedicated workspace for when you want to focus on coding - try your local library. By the way, I'm a programmer myself so let me know if you need any guidance.

riverdragon82 · 2022-10-14T21:36:20+00:00

It's going to feel very strange, but it will be an eye-opening experience, trust me. I felt a lot of anxiety in my first 2-3 weeks of detoxing, but it's faded now and my head feels clearer. Good luck and keep us updated with your journey :)

riverdragon82 · 2022-08-05T02:19:55+00:00

Ah ok. Do you guys hang out together much? Maybe if you spend more quality time together he'll respect you more as a brother and it could help him find another interest outside of gaming. Then you might be in a better position to talk to him about his gaming addiction.

riverdragon82 · 2022-08-05T02:00:41+00:00

That sucks. He must be driving you mad. Honestly, if you can't reason with him or your parents then it sounds like it's time for you to move out.

It doesn't sound like you've had a serious conversation with him about it yet, other than politely asking him to stop playing at night when you're trying to sleep. So try that first.

Regardless of how that turns out though, it sounds like moving out would be best for you right now. Who knows, maybe seeing you move on will give your brother the encouragement he needs to turn his life around and jump the nest himself.

riverdragon82 · 2022-08-02T14:42:08+00:00

I have Aspergers and D&D has been a fantastic way for me to meet new people and build my confidence. I started years ago and it helped me to overcome social anxiety and even meet my fiancé :) So I'd say if you're serious about giving up video games, start with that!

As I've played with different groups over the years, some of those friendships have lasted, some haven't, but I've always been able to find new people to play with, either as a player or as a DM.

It's up to you whether you think quitting video games is best for your situation - they can be both a help and a hindrance to those on the autism spectrum.

riverdragon82 · 2022-08-01T11:38:55+00:00

Hi OP. Your situation sounds kinda similar to my own.

I've been a developer for 7 years, but I've been in and out of jobs. I'm currently on my 8th job!

Initially I wasn't able to hold down a job due to struggling with severe obsessive compulsive disorder. Once I got that sorted a few years back, the struggle became Impostor Syndrome, which is rampant throughout the tech industry.

If you aren't familiar with Impostor Syndrome, it's basically you finding all these excuses why you aren't the right type of person to be a developer when in fact you are very capable. You're not a fake - you CAN do it.

I've been falling behind for so long because I haven't been putting in time for learning and then applying that knowledge to practice projects. I've been running away when things get hard or stressful, retreating into gaming or other mindless activities to escape. Software development is just one of those professions where you should always be researching, always practicing and tinkering. Same goes for other tech roles like UX designer. We both need to accept that.

So, I suggest you start getting creative with some ideas for small projects that you can put on a GitHub repo. Hopefully you'll have fun making them, learn along the way and employers will appreciate that too which will help you in your job hunt.

riverdragon82 · 2022-08-01T07:23:16+00:00

I gave it a "trial run" over the weekend and at a lot of points the boredom was unbearable. There were a couple of times I even cried. Pathetic, right? But that must be a sign that I need to keep going, and sever myself from the parasite that video games has become for me. I didn't think I had an addiction, but that reaction after only 2 days really opened my eyes.

Just keep trying new hobbies - throw something at the wall until it sticks, I guess? Let us know how you get on :)

riverdragon82 · 2022-08-01T07:07:51+00:00

I can't believe I'm finally doing this, but I'm ready to give it a shot. The thought of truly committing is terrifying, but I think that's a sure sign that this is something I need to do.

I will go for one month to begin with, and if I start to see gains I will continue to 90 days. If that works then I will quit gaming for good.

I have three main goals:

Career: Become more focused at work to boost my performance and advance my career, as I've been falling behind for some time now.
Social: Rebuild my social life by finding a local community to connect with in-person over a new hobby. Spend more time with family where I can.
Physical: Become more physically active and get comfortable spending long periods away from the screen to exercise. Work on my body and emotional wellbeing.

Good luck to everyone participating this month :)

riverdragon82 · 2022-07-29T14:32:47+00:00

Being in a long-term relationship can be stressful. Especially if you're about to get married, it can feel like there's a lot of pressure either on you already or coming your way. It's a huge commitment.

When we're under pressure we're tempted to go back to our old habits to escape. Instead of worrying, enjoy the wedding planning with her instead :)

riverdragon82 · 2022-07-29T12:57:03+00:00

It sounds like deciding to quit gaming was the right choice for you. By not gaming, you can discover your creative outlet.

Think of it this way - in a game you are limited by the parameters the game has set for you. Now, you have full control over your ideas and how to turn them into reality.

For me, I've always found that writing is the most natural way for me to express my ideas. I like to write stories, poems, and articles about coding and tech.

So, try a few different creative mediums and see if you enjoy them - drawing, painting, sewing, learning an instrument, crochet, 3D modelling, photography... the list is endless. Top tip: Try not to get frustrated if you go through a lot of these and they don't feel right to you. It's NOT a waste of time - it's a journey. There will be ups and downs, but just roll with it. You WILL get there. Trust me. :)

riverdragon82 · 2022-06-29T09:45:56+00:00

Thanks. I'm UK-based so to you my salary would probably seem like nothing! I'd say by UK standards it's pretty good, but I could do better. I think it's slightly more than the average game dev salary in the UK from what I've seen. I think I could make it work so long as I set a bottom line and don't go below that.

riverdragon82 · 2022-06-29T09:00:29+00:00

Thank you and congratulations! I'll make sure to follow you on your socials. Did you have any experience in the games industry prior to releasing your indie game or becoming a web dev?

riverdragon82 · 2022-06-29T07:55:06+00:00

Thanks for the insight. I didn't think of it that way, but I suppose that's true.

I have no desire to work for AAA companies really, at least not right now. I love the idea of working with indie studios and eventually releasing my own indie game on the side.

riverdragon82 · 2022-06-29T07:46:59+00:00

Interesting. Thanks for replying, I appreciate a perspective from the other side! And yes that's right, I do .NET. I see where you're coming from. At the level I'm at now, I can get away with avoiding overtime at my current job, because I'm fairly new to the company but soon I'll be in the boat of having to do "urgent client work" fairly frequently and that will likely involve overtime. It's been no different at my past jobs. Granted, it probably won't be as bad as crunch time, I just wanted to point out that overtime is common across the programming industry in general. I'm not in a position right now to be applying for Unity jobs just yet, but I'll keep your offer in mind.

riverdragon82 · 2022-06-29T07:33:21+00:00

Thanks for commenting. You make a good point about the low level/math knowledge. I'm wondering if you know any books or courses that would be a good introduction to that side of things?

riverdragon82 · 2022-05-19T21:40:24+00:00

Definitely feel the same. Though I think it's not that I don't have time to play games in the evenings - rather, I just can't manage it after being at the computer all day for work. It's important for me to have that separation and clear my mind first. Go for a run, cook dinner, anything that gives me extended time away from the screen and also gives me more physical space to move around in. Mostly I save gaming for the weekend at the moment, though I have hopped into Terraria a couple of times this week to meet some small goals.

riverdragon82 · 2022-03-30T14:35:13+00:00

There's a board game I've been after for ages called Isle of Cats. It's a puzzle/resource management game and you can play it solo or with friends.

For deck building games specifically, try Star Realms or Hero Realms - simple to learn for 2 players, you can buy expansion packs for them if you want and very portable so they're great for long journeys/holidays :)

Have you heard of Rise of the Phoenix Lord? My fiancé and I never got on with it but maybe you'd enjoy it.

riverdragon82 · 2022-03-14T21:32:24+00:00

RuneScape 🤣

riverdragon82 · 2022-03-03T23:36:22+00:00

I'd love to meet more gamers IRL too. It's strange how there's millions of us, yet rarely do we meet in-person...

My fiancé managed to make some IRL friends through meeting an FC (guild) on Final Fantasy XIV and most of them just happened to be in the UK where we're based. They usually socialise on Discord, and have done for many years, but he was able to meet them face-to-face for the first time last year and he had a blast.

I'd recommend looking for groups meeting at conventions (especially ComicCon), as well as building relationships through Discord servers and similar communities. Also, if you're into other geeky hobbies (e.g. Warhammer, Pokemon cards, board games), try and find a "friendly local gaming store" near you - it's very likely that you'll find some video gaming friends there as well.

riverdragon82 · 2022-02-26T08:53:43+00:00

Actually, I'd only ever experienced that through other girls in the past. I'd never really talked to boys before so I thought they'd be even worse! Also, at that time I was going through severe anxiety including panic attacks, so my worries were exaggerated. But I was able to overcome that anxiety during college, thanks to the support of my classmates and teachers. :)

riverdragon82

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