Crusader's Journal

Where are you and where are you going?
Crusader
Posts: 342
Joined: Wed Aug 19, 2020 11:16 pm
Location: Toronto, Canada

Re: Crusader's Journal

Post by Crusader »

October 2021 - $4484(month 12/60)
November 2021 - $2369(month 13/60)
December 2021 - $3222(month 14/60)


Well, these 3 months were marked by me trying to prepare for a job switch as much as I can, and more importantly, I visited the Bay Area for some exploration. This tends to be a recurring theme in my life where I set my mind to do something because "the grass is greener on the other side", and then back down and change my mind. Maybe it is about not having agency in my life and actually feeling that I am making decisions instead of just being reactive to whatever life throws at me. I don't know. But, I got to the Bay Area (Bulingame and San Francisco), and I couldn't help but feel that I would be making a huge mistake, because I don't know anyone there, and I have invested into my social circle here in Toronto over the past 10 years. Being a single guy, I can get lonely and social circle is important. I would effectively be moving for more money and better weather, but it would effectively be the same job that I don't like.

I liked the Californian people, though. Very nice and progressive. All the wealth inequality I saw in San Francisco, not so much. In either case, I am shelving the idea for now, and may revisit it in the future. If I got my "dream job", I would move.

However, even though I have not been nearly as frugal as I was hoping, I realized that I need to take more risks in life. Especially if I want early retirement in 3-5 years. I have been at the same job for 12 years now! And every day I dread starting to work. I just don't like work, it's as simple as that... I don't know how else to explain it. But... I might as well try to change something, if for nothing else, then for novelty's sake. The problem is that I don't really feel called to do anything. But, my boss is retiring in 2 months. Maybe I can change from being a software developer to being a release and people's manager. I don't know if stand a chance or if I would even like this job, but fuck it, I'll apply. It's more responsibility, but the work itself seems more bearable. Instead of debugging core dumps, I would have to communicate with different customers, make sure the projects are on track and have 1 on 1s with different people and help people succeed in their careers. I can do that, it sounds kind of interesting. I am probably going to respond to the Google recruiters that have been bugging me as well, just for shits and giggles.

In terms of ERE, I have a new MM project which is basically another round of decluttering. I have a lot of stuff that I thought I would use but didn't (like the electric piano I bought second hand... never touched it). I was also thinking about an ERE medium term goal, and I think I'll make it a goal of spending "only" $30k in 2022, no matter what. I think it's doable, but my expenses in 2021 were ~40k.

Scott 2
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Joined: Sun Feb 12, 2012 10:34 pm

Re: Crusader's Journal

Post by Scott 2 »

I spent the last 2 years of my career doing release management. Things I'd want to know:

1. Are you available or on call when releases are happening?
2. Are you the person who touches production when changes are happening? If not, how close to it are you?
3. What is the release window and/or downtime expectations?
4. What state is the build / deploy / monitor tooling in - for all applications you are accountable for?
5. How is the ancillary pipeline automation - unit tests, integration tests, static / dynamic analysis, third party libraries, etc.
6. What is your accountability for security, compliance and auditing?
7. How much influence to you have over the application lifecycle management process?

We had one guy whose team owned the hardware and network. I owned the stuff sitting on top of it and was ultimately accountable for being sure we left production working. I could pull in team members for support as needed, but they were looking to me for leadership.

At 5am on a Sunday morning, when Production is still down, the team started at midnight and the release window closes at 7... It's stressful. Much different than doing software development IMO. I earned more than our developers but felt they had much better quality of life. The long term career path didn't seem to get better either.

Crusader
Posts: 342
Joined: Wed Aug 19, 2020 11:16 pm
Location: Toronto, Canada

Re: Crusader's Journal

Post by Crusader »

Thank you, these are good questions to ask. I think I will have to have an informal talk with my boss and my boss's boss about all of this to see whether or not I would like to take a crack at it. I imagine it's a different kind of stress. When you are dealing with some bug and you have NO idea what's going on and not making progress for days, and there is nobody to help you because nobody is in that deep, or is busy, that overwhelms me tremendously.

I have a feeling that if I get this job and hate it after a year, I could always switch back to development.

Crusader
Posts: 342
Joined: Wed Aug 19, 2020 11:16 pm
Location: Toronto, Canada

Re: Crusader's Journal

Post by Crusader »

Ok, so I checked the actual job posting, it is "Software Development Manager". So, not a release manager, but I know that she does some of the release and product management stuff as well. I might not stand a chance to get it, but if nobody applies... I think the more important thing is that I *feel* I could do a good job... actually better than I am doing at my own job right now. My communication skills are above average for what I see around me, while my programming skills are average or below average for someone with the amount of experience I have, I would say. I like working with people and customers and making sure nobody is stuck, everything is flowing smoothly etc. This year I did some interviewing and hiring process help, and I enjoyed that as well.

Scott 2
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Joined: Sun Feb 12, 2012 10:34 pm

Re: Crusader's Journal

Post by Scott 2 »

Ah, that's a much better role IMO. Great career path, highly transferable skill set.

basuragomi
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Joined: Tue Oct 15, 2019 3:13 pm

Re: Crusader's Journal

Post by basuragomi »

Spending under $30k in Toronto is completely achievable, even without cohabitation. There's a huge Canadian ex-pat community in the Bay Area too (it sucks up most engineering grads these days) so it wouldn't take much to integrate into that.

zbigi
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Re: Crusader's Journal

Post by zbigi »

Crusader wrote:
Tue Jan 18, 2022 9:07 pm
Instead of debugging core dumps
Woah, you're debugging core dumps? :) I used to want a low-level job like that. I perceived it as freedom from all the arbitrary nonsense that the higher level abstractions bring in. But it looks like you're just as miserable working in it as I'm with my high-level stack (which is what I was afraid off, so I never pulled the trigger on this change).

Crusader
Posts: 342
Joined: Wed Aug 19, 2020 11:16 pm
Location: Toronto, Canada

Re: Crusader's Journal

Post by Crusader »

Some people seem to like it. Maybe I am not aware of my own privilege. But I've only ever had one job, so I owe it to myself to try something else. The problem is... "what else?". I have a lot of interests, but the moment I consider what a professional career in the interest would be, I don't want to do it any more.

Crusader
Posts: 342
Joined: Wed Aug 19, 2020 11:16 pm
Location: Toronto, Canada

Re: Crusader's Journal

Post by Crusader »

I must be dreaming. I just had an "Anyway, Peter, what we would like to do is put you into a position where you would have as many as four people working right underneath you." meeting.

It turns out that they want to break up my manager's job into different pieces (two, I think), and want to keep me doing/contributing technically, while also going into leadership and managing people. Some of these people are older than me and have been at the company for longer.

Western Red Cedar
Posts: 1200
Joined: Tue Sep 01, 2020 2:15 pm

Re: Crusader's Journal

Post by Western Red Cedar »

That is great! Way to channel your inner Peter Gibbons. Embracing the tao of Peter Gibbons is like magic in a professional environment. One of the cool things about taking on a leadership and management role after working for more than a decade, is that you can draw on all of the best examples you've seen previously, and cut out the bullshit that you know isn't necessary or effective.

Good luck!

mathiverse
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Joined: Fri Feb 01, 2019 8:40 pm

Re: Crusader's Journal

Post by mathiverse »

Exciting times! Sounds like you have a management gig in the bag here! I hope every flows smoothly from here.

Will you get the explicit title/role change even though you will continue to contribute technically? I'm curious how that works in a situation like you are in.

Crusader
Posts: 342
Joined: Wed Aug 19, 2020 11:16 pm
Location: Toronto, Canada

Re: Crusader's Journal

Post by Crusader »

I am not sure yet, but from my 1 on 1 with my manager's manager, I would would become a "technical manager". I would have to do some virtual (but live) courses/training on people management to get "certified" to be able to manage people. I would also need to provide technical guidance for my current team (and honestly... they need it, not necessarily becuase I am the God's gift to the team, but because there aren't enough people and I have been working on the product for years), especially for the new people we hire, but not for the other (1 or 2? not sure) teams I would be managing.

Scott 2
Posts: 2820
Joined: Sun Feb 12, 2012 10:34 pm

Re: Crusader's Journal

Post by Scott 2 »

A stepped path forward and training. Sounds like a good chance to grow. Congrats.
Crusader wrote:
Fri Jan 21, 2022 11:59 am
Some of these people are older than me and have been at the company for longer.
In my experience, this is common. A large minority of developers want nothing to do with leadership.

Crusader
Posts: 342
Joined: Wed Aug 19, 2020 11:16 pm
Location: Toronto, Canada

Re: Crusader's Journal

Post by Crusader »

Well, I am back again. I've been a part of one of ERE's MM groups, so ERE has been on my mind, but I feel like an imposter because I wasn't really able to bring my expenses down. I just looked at the numbers are they are quite embarrassing:

January 2022 - $2181 (month 15/60)
February 2022 - $2262 (month 16/60)
March 2022 - $3505 (month 17/60)
April 2022 - $3998 (month 18/60)
May 2022 - $3649 (month 19/60)
June 2022 - $6008 (month 20/60)
July 2022 - $4152 (month 21/60)
August 2022 - $5052 (month 22/60)
September 2022 - $4654 (month 23/60)
October 2022 - $2080 (month 24/60)


In October, I decided to get my act together and start tracking my expenses again. My goal is to try to spend <$2000 per month for the foreseeable future. The only excuse for the numbers above is that I needed/wanted a new phone with a good camera so that I don't have to drag my dSLR around on trips. So, I bought a brand new iPhone 13 Pro with accessories, but I am very happy with the purchase. The other thing that I kind of need is a personal laptop (my laptop is 10 years old, but I can use my company's laptop for personal stuff, although I am not supposed to), but I'll resist buying one for now. Oh yes, also, in the numbers above, my Christmas vacation return airline ticket to Serbia is included.

In terms of work, the new semi-management role has been great. I feel like I am a more integral part of the team, with colleagues below me, manager peers that I can learn from (I am the youngest/least experienced), and bosses above me that know who I am. Strangely I like more responsibility. I feel like I am learning a lot of skills: I get to be a bit of a boss/manager, a developer, a project manager, recruiter/interviewer and am encouraged to do extracurricular activities that I consider fun (e.g. analyzing survey data using AI tools to see how to make employees more happy). I also need to give a presentation every now and then, which scares me but I feel like it's good experience. I don't get paid as much as some of my other friends (I work for an "uncool" company that is not growing), but they gave me some 2 year retention cash (award?), which puts my total compensation over the next 2 years at a rate that makes me not want to look for another job (good on them). I also like my colleagues.

My biggest regrettable expenses have been travel (and everything that comes with it) and eating out. I went to Greece with some friends from Serbia and it has been great. I seem to put myself in "travel mode" and justify not caring too much about money. In terms of eating out, I just get disorganized and can't be bothered to cook or buy groceries.

Crusader
Posts: 342
Joined: Wed Aug 19, 2020 11:16 pm
Location: Toronto, Canada

Re: Crusader's Journal

Post by Crusader »

I began tracking all my expenses. My lowest hanging fruits are eating out, as well as drinking out when socializing. I am considering just quitting alcohol entirely, but it makes everything more fun. For eating out, I have no excuse, I am just lazy.

ertyu
Posts: 2885
Joined: Sun Nov 13, 2016 2:31 am

Re: Crusader's Journal

Post by ertyu »

Crusader wrote:
Wed Nov 16, 2022 9:38 pm
For eating out, I have no excuse, I am just lazy.
relatable. what solutions are you considering?

Crusader
Posts: 342
Joined: Wed Aug 19, 2020 11:16 pm
Location: Toronto, Canada

Re: Crusader's Journal

Post by Crusader »

ertyu wrote:
Wed Nov 16, 2022 10:39 pm
what solutions are you considering?
Thanks for making me think. I am a ritualistic animal. And I also hate cooking (at least when my time is limited, which is all the time). I think that realistically I want to get into a habit of doing some kind of meal prep once a week, as well as eat breakfast at home every day before leaving for work. I think that will get me 80% of the way there.

Western Red Cedar
Posts: 1200
Joined: Tue Sep 01, 2020 2:15 pm

Re: Crusader's Journal

Post by Western Red Cedar »

Crusader wrote:
Thu Nov 17, 2022 7:02 am
I am a ritualistic animal.
I think you can lean into this if you want to start cooking more. Making one or two large meals on the weekends can go a long way throughout the week. Freezing appropriate portion sizes helps if you want a little more variety.

I often pari cooking with a YouTube episode or a podcast. These are things I would probably be watching or listening to anyway, and it makes cooking a bit more enjoyable. It's a little hack that motivates me to get in the kitchen. If I'm halfway through a podcast by the time I'm done cooking I'm usually happy to do the dishes, clean the fridge, and sweep/mop the floor was well :lol:

Crusader
Posts: 342
Joined: Wed Aug 19, 2020 11:16 pm
Location: Toronto, Canada

Re: Crusader's Journal

Post by Crusader »

All right. Making a commitment to cook in bulk (while listening to podcasts) for the week this weekend.

ertyu
Posts: 2885
Joined: Sun Nov 13, 2016 2:31 am

Re: Crusader's Journal

Post by ertyu »

Crusader wrote:
Fri Nov 18, 2022 8:09 am
All right. Making a commitment to cook in bulk (while listening to podcasts) for the week this weekend.
:muscle:

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