Attn Software Engineers

11 Comments

1. AnonymousMarch 5,2023 at 5:56PM UTC

   Software engineering is a good field and can have a good work balance if you find the right company but you will need more than a bit of JavaScript to make it a go.

   Before making the plunge, I would suggest doing a trial run by committing to JavaScript or another programming language for a period of time. If you truly love the problem solving of learning a new language and consistently can do it for a few hours a day, that is a sign this might be a career choice for you.

   Then, try to build things. How do you feel about that? Half of being a software developer is getting frustrated and finding a solution. Is that something you enjoy?

   Once you have done that, you will have a better idea if software engineering is for you.

   It can be great IF you love the problem solving aspect of it but I knowing HTML and CSS won't prepare you for that alone.

   I personally think that I have had a great work/life balance but I also will spend 12 hours a day solving a problem because I love it. If I didn't love it, it would be torture.

   So, take some time to build stuff and then think about how your life may look. Also, be aware that right now, this is not a strong beginner's market. There have been a lot of layoffs and even for entry level roles you will be competing with CS grads, bootcamp grads, and seasoned coders. This is not to dissuade you, but to prepare you for what it really takes to be a software engineer and be successful once you get a job.

2. Joan Williams, Senior Talent Acquisition SpecialistMarch 5,2023 at 8:26PM UTC

   I do not personally recruit in that space but I do see a lot of posts on LinkedIn from people who have gone through boot camp and are still desperately trying to find a job a year or more later.

   I'm not trying to discourage you but I would suggest that before you put your concern on work/life balance, you think about your chances of being hired. It's extremely competitive.

   I'm connected to a guy on LinkedIn - Raymond Gan - who posts about working in this space and gives advice to people trying to break into it. You might want to consider connecting with him or following him.

3. AnonymousMarch 5,2023 at 10:27PM UTC

   Thank you. However, the reason I’m specifically asking about work-life balance is because I have an autoimmune disease, so being able to not work excessive hours is important to me. I’ve enjoyed some of the Python and JS I’ve done, but I also realize I like dogs, but don’t want to be a veterinarian. So that’s why I’m just trying to get a sense of work-life balance before jumping into a new career.

4. AnonymousMarch 7,2023 at 3:43PM UTC

   My spouse recently worked as a Senior Software Developer/Engineer for a veterinary company. He loved being able to code to support animals. I'm not sure they would have any entry roles or internships but it could be worth a look - Veterinary Emergency Group (VEG)

5. G-E. Runge/#opentoworkMarch 5,2023 at 11:55PM UTC

   You got this!! Working as a software engineer can provide a good work-life balance, depending on the specific job and organization. Generally, software engineering jobs involve working on complex programming tasks and projects, often with tight deadlines. However, many software engineering teams also strive to make sure that their employees have a healthy work-life balance, with flexible hours, remote work options, and team activities to help foster a balanced lifestyle.

6. Bonnie CoventryMarch 6,2023 at 12:50PM UTC

   Well, I learned how to make an 'H' once, and well I can now make an "H". Good luck.

7. AnonymousMarch 7,2023 at 3:53PM UTC

   From direct and second-hand experience, it's not specific to software engineering. The individual company's work/life balance, sometimes even which team you're on or which industry the company provides the service are what will effect the stress level/hours.

   Ex. You could work in tech for real estate (time sensitive), insurance (generally more planned deadlines throughout the year), marketing (due date = its probably already late), etc.

   The worst industry I've heard (and this is broad strokes) is gaming. I've heard being a software dev for a company like Blizzard will be long hours, a lot of work, and high pressure. I think I've heard somewhat negative things with Google, Amazon, and Facebook as well but I've heard that through the grapevine so my guess is it's team dependent.

   I say go for it! Just be sure to really ask questions during an interview. Personally I find it helpful to do an additional talk with someone currently on the team that I'd directly work with (manager or colleague).

8. AnonymousMarch 7,2023 at 5:17PM UTC

   Software engineers generally always have work even when the economy is bad. Also women in tech generally have a good reception since there are so few as compared to the male population. Go for it.

9. AnonymousMarch 7,2023 at 6:18PM UTC

   I’m a software engineer. It’s all company dependent, but tech is an industry generally known for being well paid with a good work/life balance. I suppose one thing to know is many positions have “on call”, where you are responsible to respond to emergencies after hours or on weekends, and how obtrusive this is is also company-dependent. But, otherwise, I rarely work long hours - it’s pretty 9-5 most of the time with a lot of flexibility.

   But, the entry level market is oversaturated right now and you’ll be competing with people with 4 year CS degrees. HTML/CSS with a little JavaScript isn’t gonna do it. So, you’ll need to learn a whole lot more. It’s not impossible, I personally don’t have a CS degree, but it’s not easy to break into.

10. Joanna PoeMarch 7,2023 at 10:22PM UTC

    It definitely varies. All the engineers I know love it and do occasionally have to pull long hours, but they all feel that the compensation and relative freedom at other times makes up for it.
    Example: A friend of mine just had to beg off trivia night because his company moved up a big release that he'll have to support to tomorrow, so he needs to be up at 5 am. But he normally gets more autonomy than he's experienced in other industries, works 100% from home, and the pay is excellent. Mind you, he's a senior engineer - I would expect it's less flexible when you first start out, as with most jobs.

11. Alexandria WagnerMarch 8,2023 at 2:57AM UTC

    It really depends on the team you join. I work hard to keep my team's work/life balance to a reasonable level. You may have to work a release or two but if you join a progressive enough organization, releases may be streamlined to minimum or zero downtime.