Hi, I’m 27 years old and I’m a software developer at a particularly toxic family-run software company, and I absolutely want to make a change.

I’m also trying to graduate. I’m halfway through and I think it’ll take me several more years.

My goals, which are mutually exclusive, are to earn enough to move out on my own, graduate, and travel the world since I’ve barely left my hometown and I’m almost 30. My past life choices have led me to not being the person I wish I was

My concerns are:

  • Should I look for a part-time job so I can have more time to study even though I’m close to being 30?

  • Should I look for a remote job so I can travel in the meantime?

  • Should I join a consulting firm (e.g. Accenture) to expand my skills since they’re very demanding, or should I join a firm focused on a single product to continue on the knowledge I have (.Net) even if it’s not very specialized?

I’d be very grateful to anyone who can guide me…

  • MagicShel@lemmy.zipEnglish
    4·
    2 months ago

    I have spent most of my career in consulting and contracting. You get exposure to a bunch of environments and leads and different ways of doing things. It has mostly been a boon to my career and knowledge. I recommend it for anything for whom west coast big tech isn’t in their future. It builds a solid foundation of knowledge — though often in the form of object lessons.

    That said, they rarely invest in your education, the benefits are garbage, and management is often… uneven. Pay is decent but job security is utter shit.

    Remote jobs can be conducive to travel domestically, but most positions I’ve had barred taking devices overseas. I wouldn’t recommend part time work unless you intend to put your career on hold while you finish school.

    That said, I never got a 4-year degree so I can’t really comment on school. I wouldn’t recommend going my route. You need a lot of experience and big names under your belt before anyone will overlook lack of education — consulting is actually a good way to work for big companies that would never hire you based on resume. I was a rock star when I worked at automaker, but they auto-rejected my resume when one contact closed down and I tried to get direct hired. I got back in on another contract easy, though. Same story with home improvement store. But having those on my resume 100% helped me land my current role.