Week : 57 ( Year 1 )

How is your weekend going?

If you were paid equally for all jobs, which job would you choose?

Previous Week : https://devrant.com/rants/11216312

Sleeping

I'd probably be a janitor or a stock moving person or something. sounds relaxing

I've considered being a security guard in the past for real. or like some receptionist at a motel middle of nowhere

I'm sure those jobs would have their own bullshit but in my head they currently don't. maybe they have their own bad parts though to a point I'd feel stressed even there due to dumb unnecessary shit

I chose tech over art cuz people said there's no money in art. I don't have the disposition for art I think though, like I never built the confidence. I think I run into the same issue with game development. I think what I like won't be what others like, so I just get discouraged. maybe the name of the game is something different? or maybe that's me wrapping myself up inappropriately somehow. to me art was always what I liked though, and especially the older I get people seem to be more numb to those finer things, kind of spiritual, human things. maybe it's the change in culture overall

@jestdotty @retoor

11 year security guard and bodyguard here.

What jestdotty says is mostly spot on. (Can even bring the laptop and actually code, but you probably need night shift on a remote place for that).

The fat guard, very much like the fat cop, is an American stereotype. You get fired if you are obese. We also have to pass regular fitness tests, which, mind you, aren't specially hard, but fat people wouldn't complete. We do not walk 8 times to the coffee machine. A round can easily be 2 km in some places, and we are required to do 8 at least.

As for not being afraid, well, let's save that until you actually are on the job. The first night shifts you do on your own are always a bit unnerving (there's a lot of darkness and noise in a shut down factory).

Also, better not have phobia to any kind of insect/arachnid/animal cuz you'll meet many.

As for math in programming, sure there's not much in systems programming, further that your typical DSA, but if you go into shit like graphics programming or rendering or what have you, you better have your algebra and geometry up to date.

Oh how many juniors I've had stuck because SM2 didn't have a library function to compute vector/plane reflection, and it's just a cross product, a dot product and a rotation...

@retoor

Tho I work as sysadmin, I'm actually an astrophysicist and lab technician.

I always had the "engineer mind" I guess, and I like to describe it as being born too late to be earth explorer, and too early to be space explorer, so I settled for "cyberexplorer" if you know what I mean.

Learned C with 7 years, and the rest is history.

I did my two degrees back to back, and during that time I worked as security guard. (Started as sec guard at 16 tho).

It was cool because as mentioned I got loads of "free" time just to think and play around with tech stuff.

I left the secguard job 9 years ago, worked for a VR company for the next 7 years, and then as freelancer for the last two.

Another potential perk of the job is that, if you get lucky with your post, you can learn a variety of skills.

In my case, for example, I learned mechanics from the group of on call mechanics at the factory. Just by watching and asking.

Worked wonders for me, and for them since from then on I could take care of 90% of mechanical issues and they wouldn't have to make the trip on site.

Same with electrical groundwork, from watching my colleagues do it at venues for events.

In the end, I guess all of those give you a set of skills and mindset that can make you a better, and definitely more hireable, dev.

For specific instances, things like saving an installation because the machine has some cables damaged when unloaded from the truck, and all it took was some soldering. Sure, it started one hour late, but started. Client was happy, we got paid and we were happy.

Why was I in that event if I'm a dev?

Because

- I was fit enough (thanks to sec guard) to actually being able to help load/unload/move the machinery.

- I have driving license (again sec guard) for semis and trucks.

- I had knowledge about electricity and electronics to do basic field repairs.

- Used to working complete shifts standing up or on uncommon hours.

And of course, if there was something tech related, could solve it on the go.

If you can do all that, you quickly become indispensable, and on top of that, you can easily leverage some of the money the company saves with you, into your own pocket.

@retoor

Nah, not really.

Considering most of my work is proprietary, can't really show examples.

I do have, however, a long list of successful events all around the world that I took part in.

And what that gives you is networking really.

Now that I'm freelance I get calls from people I've met in different events when they have trouble with something, because you built a rep for actually solving problems, and not causing them.

Farmer!!

@retoor

The small print is that for international trips, they must give you at least 2 days before and 2 days after the "working" days.

I exploited the shit out of that.

It was fun too because, usually, I'm rather frugal with money that's not mine, and would spend the bare minimum, and pay outta my own money for beers and such.

Until our CFO scolded me telling me that it was money that was already written off and paid by the client. As long as I could produce reasonable receipts, I could do as I wished.

When I was sent to Japan, it was for 7 days (3 working days), and we were given 3k euros for each, just for expenses (hotel and trip was already paid for).

I don't even know what to do with more than 400 euros a day.

Ended up abusing the shinkansen to use our free 3 days to go places (Kyoto, Tokyo, Osaka...)

Was a fun thing that trip too, because I was originally not slated to go, and the CEO comes by my desk one day like.

- "You must be excited, right?"
- "What for?"
- "Durr, you're going to Japan, and you've always wanted to go!"
- "I'm not in the manifesto for that event."
- "Why, wha-, hold on...".

I could hear the screams from the meetings room...

"Are we so retarded that we have an activation (event) in Japan and don't send the one person in the company that speaks Japanese?!!"

"But we already have everything tested and didn't want to add extra expenses, if something happens, he can assist remotely, besides, we have a translator"

"The translator is not with you 24/7, what if something happens at some other time? I don't care, he goes, if you need justification, just put 'just in case'."

And that's how I went to Japan.

Sure enough, the just in case worked because one day we had to set up a second venue while attending the first, and the translator couldn't be in two places...

@jestdotty

Well, what I said before, I don't know if it's Spanish, European union or international law (guessing the second).

Also (again I don't know if applicable) they are required to cover your food expenses. Drinks could fit there no prob if you just have them during dinner in the worst case...