'How Do I Get a Good Tech Job?'

I answer this question within 1 second of video playtime.

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[gnulectures]

After 5 seconds, I'm already making plans to move into the middle of nowhere.

As a freelancer, you have to be very proactive, look for projects, negotiate prices. In a company, there is division of labour, you just code and your manager finds you projects and customers and pushes you to complete it. Of course, there are obvious downsides to working at a company, but things are also easier in many ways. I think, however, it is important to figure out how to be able to quit at any time and find the next job easily. In other words, not be too dependant on your current job.

[ytmorgen]

I contracted and was self-employed as a full-time developer for 5 years. I agree with pretty much everything with this video. The only thing I'll say is running your own business is a lot of work, usually much more than 40 hours punching a clock at some soul sucking corporation. Sure, the returns can be much higher running your own business, but that often means a lot more of your time.

I took an offer from a large company because I like the stability being an employee has to offer (and yes, obviously the money, benefits, etc). I'm getting married next year and trying to start a family, so I feel like this makes more sense for those goals than being a freelancer or running my own business.

[MrEdrftgyuji]

I will say that this is something to strive towards. My advice would be to get the job and save up as much as possible. Also get credit / mortgage as it is so much easier to do when you are employed.
As soon as you have a bit of savings, then make the jump to being self employed.
View work as something you do to make money, and view money as something that can be acquired to buy freedom. Don't buy into the globohomo "corporate culture" nonsense, but don't be afraid to have pride in your profession. Your employer is not your friend.

[maciejziaja]

The view on IT jobs and jobs in general presented in the video is simply not true IMO. Sure you can be self-employed and create websites as a freelancer, but there are more complex and crucial implementations that require actual team within an organization/company. You can't just create a complex banking payment system or an industrial robot controller in your house just because you have a computer. You need several hardware, software, and testing teams to create many embedded systems applications. And the products created by engineers in those big evil companies are actually useful (PLCs/cars/CNC machines/medical apparatus). Apart from FANG companies there are other big structures that create real-world stuff, like Siemens, Bosch, teleco companies, computer HW companies etc. The same goes with PhD in CS, you don't have to hold a degree to be a great developer, but lots of important work in CS history have been done at universities (BSD, Brian Kernighan is a CS professor, many basic algorithms were created at academia). The same way you can't create a railway station, power plant control system, oil rig, cathedral, and a medice/medical service system by tinkering in your house.

There are some ok pieces of advice in these videos, but they get closer and closer to be "big societal structures bad, cottage in the countryside good" in 8 minutes without even trying not to be absurdly reductive.

[Tarik]

I'm 8+ months into my software job and I see it basically as a cash cow where I grow my savings and may leave for greener pastures some day.

[kk]

some points about you idea
1. When you are freelancer you must find clients
2. Every client is basically a boss
3. A company provides security, some times your work might worth less but you get paid the same
4. taxes (In the country I live taxes are complicate and no matter how match you make you have to pay an amount that is worth some peoples monthly income)

[Ganerrr]

Can I just point out how good this dude's thumbnails are lol

[ar]

Not sure I agree with you on this bro. I tried going out on my own as a programmer. I'm a damn good one too. Now I get paid to "work from home" doing two gigs making well north of 200k. Being employed has its perks.

[nicfpvnicolas]

Studying English in France I always thought that "that's all I have to say" was a bullshit thing that teachers had made up for us to say at the end of presentations but that no one actually used.

To this day Luke is the only native English speaker that I have heard that phrase from

[EricMurphyxyz]

Wagies in the comments are seething. Yes, it can be harder to work for yourself, you have more responsibilities, maybe you even get paid less, but the freedom it grants you makes it all worth it. Self-employed for over 5 years and the best part is I can live wherever I want and make my own schedule.

[bobzeepl]

my dude, I work for G****e, and I am so sick of all that shit that I will be a farmer starting next year (I do have experience)

[jakubbartczuk]

Well I got into tech because I didn't want to work with people. I worked as a freelancer for a while and there were tons of cringe or downright stupid clients. You don't have to deal with this as much in tech companies because there are people who specialize in that.

I don't think most people would like to do sales if they could avoid this, which is a big part of freelancing/running a business

[danielmytens]

I literally watched 1 second of the video and got the answer to the question that pulled me in. Thank you for being forthright. Liked and subbed.

[Doomsdayparade]

Who would want to work in the hell hole that is the current tech industry? Do work solo, with friends, groups with purpose, etc

[SloanStewart]

Book recommendation: "Surviving Off Off-Grid: Decolonizing the Industrial Mind"

[Doomsdayparade]

Great advice, wish I had this years ago. Had to come to this realization on my own, along with there's no reason why you can't have multiple sources of income.

[ezforsaken]

I realized this on my own last year, I used to care for my tech jobs and career, I got to the 'senior' status and everything, but it's very dumb.
I changed jobs to one where I can do fine with just 2 hours of work a day from home, the other 6 hours are free for me to work in whatever in my pc.
Now I'm with a couple of friends trying to get easy contractor jobs to get started with being independent, with my full time job being considered as a side job.
This is absolutely possible to do, don't try to create an innovate app, just take small contracts of companies that need crap done (like a website, an api, etc), there are plenty of those!

[porky]

I'm pretty satisfied with my job.
I like the people there, I get paid and don't have to worry about anything.
It's a small company, I have a lot of freedom since I'm the only programmer, except for some interns.
I only work 28 hours a week, I work a lot on my own creative projects besides that.

[AB-nsix]

Luke, can you do a follow up on how to get started with this mentality? We can't stop working to get a minute to get creative with our skills. Every John and Jane Smith has the same skills and going into tech for yourself in an oversaturated market is killer.