Re: Advancing oneself personally and professionally as a programmer (discussion)

[OzzyOsbourne]

It doesn't seem like money is the issue, but if you are making $100K at 23, my congratulations. It seems like you are looking more for a challenge than money.

You could switch into a programming-related field like network administration. It would ease you into a new set of challenges, while allowing you to utilize your current skill set. There is also no upward limit to your progress with the amount of specialties inside networking. And don't forget: Like the kid behind the counter at Burger King, you have all the power.

Or you can drive a big rig accross country, or run heavy machinery, or work on an oil rig, or charter tours on a boat to Fantasy Island, or be a pilot, or become an electrition, or an FBI agent (they use programming a lot), or a nameless drifter, or a kissing bandit...or a sea captain...no, no, a PIRATE! Yea. Wait, no, a Viking! Yea! Oh, with your mighty axe and pilaging horde, work would not seem like work. There are tons of places to plunder. Heck, Vikings haven't attacked the Americas in nearly a thousand years. The field is wide open! You can define your own challenges and salary range. I rue the day when Deprecated becomes Deprecated the Red!

Sorry, got off track. Opportunity is all around you. There are a million jobs that you can take in a million fields, if pay is not the issue.

Unfortunately, this may not be enough for you. You seem to be leaning toward the sciences. If you want to be Stephen Hawking, you have to go back to school and get started (although Hawking didn't take a math course past the age of 17).

Please allow me to impart these 4 points, though:

1. Life is not your job. It is a means to pay for your life. You can have a very boring job, and do what you really love in your spare time. Einstein worked in a patent office, when coming up with his work.
2. There is dignity in all work. A carpenter is not less valuable than a scientist. The janitor is not worth less than the CEO. Without either of the two, garbage piles up. So, don't limit your choices of jobs based on what society appears to value.
3. Education is never a bad thing, but there are many types of education. Formal is not required, but it can be helpful. Sometimes the piece of paper can give you an edge, but informal education can be more rewarding, and should not be neglected.
4. Don't take advice from OzzyOsbourne. His interests are too wide, and pull him in too many directions at once. He will never really be successful, as barely any of his interests have anything to do with his job. He also thinks that when people ask for advice, they are merely looking for confirmation for the opinions that they already hold. He's nuts.

Good luck, and sorry for the tirade.

-OzzyOsbourne