I think I do like CS, but dislike the domain I'm in. I think webdev is pretty boring, both frontend and backend. So this recent shift in the job market makes me think "So I have to go through the applying/interview grind again, this time with much fiercer competition, all for a job I won't even like?"
I have always found game development more appealing (tools programming, game design and gameplay programming in particular), but chose to not go for that path, fearing that I wouldn't be able to handle such a notoriously cutthroat industry. I know that it sounds like I threw in the towel there without even trying, but for a long time I had a terrible, painful chronic condition, and it was only recently that I became closer to normal after years of trial and error with different treatments. This condition made me always strive for the "easier" path (webdev), which was a big mistake in retrospect.
To be completely honest, CS is definitely not my biggest passion, but it's the next best thing. From early on in my childhood dream was music and storytelling, always. My dad was strongly opposed to me pursuing it as anything other than a hobby. I think he was right, and I'm still glad he stopped me from enrolling in music school (twice...).
Sorry, I'm just kind of rambling about personal stuff here, but your comment made me think a lot. Thanks for the reply.
You remind me a bit of myself. I work in web development now, but took some games classes in college and thought I might go that route for a time. My true passion has always been poetry. Here's my advice. Don't look for fulfillment from your job. It pays the bills, and if you don't hate it, consider that a blessing. Find something that occupies you only from 9 to 5 (plenty of web dev jobs like that), and use your free time to pursue the the music and storytelling that you really love. You would stop loving them if you had to do them for money. Might actually be better to do something that you don't love for money. I know this is the opposite of what they say at school, but it's what I find in my own career. You can't hate it, but it may be better not to love it too much. Best of luck.
Have you considered doing webdev for a business in the entertainment industry? Anything from small organizations You' to large like Disney. You wouldn't get paid the big FAANG bucks but you'd be able to make a living off your education while remaining connected to your other passion.
>Also you sounds like you are a bit burned out. Translating sounds even much more AI-replacable than CS -- don't do that if you fear CS.
Sorry, I accidentally removed the last part of that sentence. It was supposed to say this:
So far, I've thought about translating (I'm bilingual) and technical writing. AI is already quite good at both of those, and Duolingo just replaced most of its translation staff with AI.
Just to reinforce what you and others said: Translation work has indeed been impacted significantly by AI and will be even more so as LLMs, tooling, and workflows improve further.
That said, translation is also like programming in that it seems to be the junior translators who are most impacted. Newbie translators’ job is often just to take any text they are given and render it into another language, with little or no control about the choice of text or its content and with little or no interaction with the client. AI can do that pretty well now, and much more quickly and cheaply than any human.
The human translators who are surviving are those who spend less time translating words on a screen than they do learning their clients’ needs, helping their clients navigate the subtleties of interlingual and intercultural communication, and advising their clients on how to adapt their content to meet the needs of their target readership. I don’t know if there are many entry-level jobs available now with such responsibilities, but that’s what I would be looking for, not for what has traditionally been called “translation.”
My thoughts on this topic from a year ago can be found on my website, linked from my profile.
Btw, totally unsolicited advice, but please take care of yourself. You sound like you have quite some decisions to dwell on, and correct decisions are much harder in moments of hopelessness.
If you feel hopeless, we (at least me, and HN in general) are here to help besides other resources.
I'm in similar boat. But I love CS and it seems easy for me.
But I butchered myself (meaning no substantial skills on paper) so I am unhireable. People don't even look at my resume. Deactivated LinkedIn because it was causing harm than good.
I have always found game development more appealing (tools programming, game design and gameplay programming in particular), but chose to not go for that path, fearing that I wouldn't be able to handle such a notoriously cutthroat industry. I know that it sounds like I threw in the towel there without even trying, but for a long time I had a terrible, painful chronic condition, and it was only recently that I became closer to normal after years of trial and error with different treatments. This condition made me always strive for the "easier" path (webdev), which was a big mistake in retrospect.
To be completely honest, CS is definitely not my biggest passion, but it's the next best thing. From early on in my childhood dream was music and storytelling, always. My dad was strongly opposed to me pursuing it as anything other than a hobby. I think he was right, and I'm still glad he stopped me from enrolling in music school (twice...).
Sorry, I'm just kind of rambling about personal stuff here, but your comment made me think a lot. Thanks for the reply.