What happens if you leave IT?

I often come across the opinion that work in IT is increasingly turning into slavery with a mandatory ticket to the land of “Burnout”. Salaries are falling, managers are tense, and tasks leave much to be desired. And how do you think this should work?

Reflecting on the topic of IT disadvantages, I remembered the story of my friend Sergei, who worked as a Senior Java Developer in a Russian bank. At some point, he was so fed up that he decided to quit IT. “Goodbye, unwashed IT! Country of slaves, country of masters!” he repeated bravely when he quit. What do you think came of this?

Start

At first, Sergei experienced euphoria. It seemed to him that his past life was a prison where he was a prisoner. Just imagine: no managers, no tasks, no code reviews and other bullshit. Freedom!

Three months passed like this. Sergei improved significantly, because he did not have to sit for eight hours at a monitor. A walk in the morning, a gym at lunch, and a TV series or movie in the evening. True, he did not calculate that the financial cushion would end so quickly. He didn’t have rich parents, but he had a mortgage. Therefore, Sergei had to look for work.

IT-teacher

Sergey did not want to return to dirty IT, so he considered something else. Once in his youth, he dreamed of sharing knowledge with others. Considering the staff shortage in schools, Sergei was sure that it would not be difficult for him to become a computer science teacher. He opened the website of the Employment Center and… discovered that the average teacher’s salary is 25 thousand rubles. Of course, if you tried, you could earn 35 thousand, but then you had to work for two times.

Tests do not frighten the brave, so Sergei called the indicated number and found out that he could not work without a certificate. And in order to receive a certificate, he had to undergo professional retraining in four months and 36 thousand rubles. Alas, the failed teacher had to give up the dream of his youth.

Administrator in a hookah bar

A little sad, but still proud, Sergey responded to the vacancy of an administrator in a hookah bar. And it seemed that this was it! Why build a server for vile capitalists, if you can work in the company of interesting people, whose lives are filled with fascinating conversations and languid evenings in pleasant company? Encouraged, he passed the interview without any problems and started his shift literally the same day. And then… it turned out that reality was different from what he imagined. For example, for some reason all the employees hated the owner, and the clients communicated quite rudely with the administrator. Sergei believed that he did not deserve such treatment, but the clients thought differently.

By the end of the shift, a fight broke out, resulting in a loss of ten thousand rubles. And everything would have been fine, but only the owner blamed Sergei and imposed a debt on him. Enraged, our hero tore off the badge, cursed the owner and left. Alas, the administrator’s career ended that same day.

Wood master

Being in a philosophical mood, Sergei looked at the black monitor at home for a long time until an idea was born in his head. It turned out that he was once fond of woodworking and even made a little money from it as a student. Imbued with the spirit of entrepreneurship, Sergey purchased tools and posted an ad about his services on a well-known marketplace. And yes, it worked! Literally a few days later the first client called and placed an order with a total receipt of 50 thousand rubles. Our hero felt dizzy with success, literally with shaking hands, bought the necessary material from suppliers and got to work.

The next two weeks passed in hellish labor, but the newly minted wood craftsman completed the order on time. Satisfied with himself, Sergey called the client, and then heard: “The subscriber is turned off or is out of network coverage.” Refusing to believe in fate, he called the client all evening, but there was still the same treacherous answering machine speech.

The final

Being morally broken, Sergei vegetated on a bench in the city park. It seemed to him that life had come to an end. I don’t know how long he sat like that, but I know that at some point he received a message from a former product manager: “Seryoga, hello! We are opening a new direction and we urgently need backing. I agreed that they will give you 300k. What do you say?”

Sergei smiled. A year later he was made technical lead.

PS If you are a beginner IT specialist, I invite you to my channel for beginners. There I write about “entering IT”, create training programs and show success stories.