Plans for getting back in the game

[TheDude]

Whilst we are in the middle of such a poor market I thought it might be interesting to compare people plans for getting back in the game and see if maybe we can pool wisdom.

I have worked as a Scala developer for the past 15 years mainly for investment banks. Rates were great and roles were easy to find with very few hoops to jump through. Most roles were pure Scala/functional programming but I have also a fair amount of expertise with Apache Spark which has a widely used Scala API. Like many I thought the gigs would keep coming and have maybe been a bit complacent in future proofing my career.

Whilst the market for everyone is poor Scala developers face additional headwinds. The people who manage Scala have decided to prioritise 'cool' language features over providing support and stability for commercial users. The result is Scala 3 which outside of a few niche startups is not only being ignored by existing users but is also making them reconsider the wisdom of using Scala in the first place.

There are very few pure Scala roles out there and a handful of poorly paying data roles using Apache Spark. I don't really want to walk away from Scala because I love the language and have invested a lot of time over the years however I need to be pragmatic about the future.

At 52 I need to be working for at least the next decade and feel I have two options available.

1. Jump on the bandwagon of technologies that are in the ascendency. I am thinking Rust, Golang and AI.

2. Leverage my 'secondary' skills which are Java and Python neither of which are really at the level to earn top rates ATM - I left Java back in 2010 and my python skills are mostly based around ad hoc scripts and Jupyter notebooks.

My current thinking is to take a punt on option 1 whilst using the exploration of AI to up my Python skills. I am going to take this week off to do a bit of research, create a study schedule and get on it from next Monday after the playoff final.

I would be genuinely interested in what others think and hopefully read some of their thoughts for getting back in the game.

[SussexSeagull]

If you are going to try and get another ten years out of your career you probably need to work out which horse to back technology wise.

Even then you need to combat a shrinking market and ageism.

[Protagoras]

Or find a new game ...

[ladymuck]

You could always move into management...

[SussexSeagull]

You could always move into management...

No, it sounds like he actually wants to work.

[oliverson]

Whilst we are in the middle of such a poor market I thought it might be interesting to compare people plans for getting back in the game and see if maybe we can pool wisdom.

I have worked as a Scala developer for the past 15 years mainly for investment banks. Rates were great and roles were easy to find with very few hoops to jump through. Most roles were pure Scala/functional programming but I have also a fair amount of expertise with Apache Spark which has a widely used Scala API. Like many I thought the gigs would keep coming and have maybe been a bit complacent in future proofing my career.

Whilst the market for everyone is poor Scala developers face additional headwinds. The people who manage Scala have decided to prioritise 'cool' language features over providing support and stability for commercial users. The result is Scala 3 which outside of a few niche startups is not only being ignored by existing users but is also making them reconsider the wisdom of using Scala in the first place.

There are very few pure Scala roles out there and a handful of poorly paying data roles using Apache Spark. I don't really want to walk away from Scala because I love the language and have invested a lot of time over the years however I need to be pragmatic about the future.

At 52 I need to be working for at least the next decade and feel I have two options available.

1. Jump on the bandwagon of technologies that are in the ascendency. I am thinking Rust, Golang and AI.

2. Leverage my 'secondary' skills which are Java and Python neither of which are really at the level to earn top rates ATM - I left Java back in 2010 and my python skills are mostly based around ad hoc scripts and Jupyter notebooks.

My current thinking is to take a punt on option 1 whilst using the exploration of AI to up my Python skills. I am going to take this week off to do a bit of research, create a study schedule and get on it from next Monday after the playoff final.

I would be genuinely interested in what others think and hopefully read some of their thoughts for getting back in the game.

In your shoes I would be looking to up my Python skills in the context of AI, but what do I know?

At 57 (just about), having retired early in February, but realising that was too early and now frantically trying to get back in the game, I just don't know. I sit here daily, monitoring the market (or what's left of it), networking, trying to make something happen, and sometimes there's a flurry of activity but more often than not, nothing. Tumbleweed blowing down the high street. Very frustrating.

The reason I want to get back in the game is not wanting to 'lose anything'. I don't really want to sell the holiday home, sell the main home, lose the Tesla, etc. My pension always was the holiday home, but now that push has come to shove, I just can't let go. 20 years of memories in that place. But then again, how do you let go of your main home? 25 years in that. So, the only answer I see is getting back in the game, even if just for a few more years, 2-3, certainly not 10. But there's only so long you can keep going in markets like this. As you get older, your resolve goes and you do question how many more billable days you have left. Or how many 'days' you have left on earth, as opposed to IN it.

[t0bytoo]

I'm seeing quite a bit of kotlin in use in govt projects at the moment. Don't do it myself, and don't want to, but if I was coming from Scala, it might be a good direction?

[northernladuk]

Just apply for a PM gig. Looking around the last few clients it certainly looks like any eejit can blag a PM job and stay long enough to make some decent money before the merry go round starts and another one joins as the current one leaves. Looks like a piece of P1ss job for the money as well. Can't be bleedin hard organising a few experts and messing about on MS Project. Easy life.

[willendure]

Been following the AI market for a while, and I would definitely say there are many more contract roles in AI now than even a year ago. However, its a tough area to get into I believe, and you've got competition from a younger crowd that are coming into the jobs market with the skills to do it.

Can't go wrong with learning more python, demand for that remains strong and likely will for the foreseable, and it is the way in to building stuff with AI.

AWS/Azure cloud architecture? They have qualifications that are not too hard to get and that are generally required. I was able to pass them just from reading study guides in the evening for a few weeks. Seems to be a good amount of work around for that kind of thing, and you probably know much of it already. AWS tech architect outside role is what I am currently doing.

Never hurts to know Java. I don't code it any more but do need to read a lot of it currently.

Scala was always too big a language and the compiler too slow for me, and not pure enough FP to be really elegant.

I still think Rust is quite niche, Go less so, I would still lean more towards python if its just about having the best change of finding a contract.

The problem I have is that getting an interview is getting harder, I see plenty things I am well qualified to do and apply and nothing... there is a need to apply for lots of things, try to make phone contact, try to optimize your CV to get through AI screening and so on. Whole thing is a PITA and I am convinced to the detriment of hirers who are missing good candidates that get screened out for bad/random reasons. I was literaly taking job descriptions and making every single keyword (100%) is on my CV and so on when searching for my current gig.

[Smartie]

Just apply for a PM gig. Looking around the last few clients it certainly looks like any eejit can blag a PM job and stay long enough to make some decent money before the merry go round starts and another one joins as the current one leaves. Looks like a piece of P1ss job for the money as well. Can't be bleedin hard organising a few experts and messing about on MS Project. Easy life.

My current client is about to undertake a fairly complex migration project of 50+ integrated applications.
The Programme Manager does not have a gantt chart; just Excel with milestones where delivery dates have been guessed.
Spent a few hours estimating the dependencies, uncertainties and timescales for my applications - bit of an eye-opener for those responsible for the transition.
How can big companies not know how to manage a project?