Where to go when you can't see the road ahead
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What do you do when you are a software developer and find yourself wondering if this is the right career path for you? Do you just grind through it or look for alternatives?
My 5 alternative options for you:
Start a company - whether full-time or part-time it will help bring focus and move forward.
Freelance - get some freedom to work on projects that excite you
Go into project or product management - it’s surprising how few actual PMs have technical knowledge of the processes they manage. Leverage those skills.
Technical success management - a lot more than technical support, if you enjoy working with customers and tackling real-world applications of your software, this is a good place to go.
Technical pre-sales - a lot under the hood that you don’t see until you dive in. It brings a bit of everything to the table and can help you find your passion and path forward.
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There comes a time in every software developer’s life where they contemplate their career choice and wonder whether there might have been a better alternative. Those who push through that are the true developers, destined to do that. Some choose to go out of the tech industry altogether. There is an abundance of such people. Others, like me, choose to stay albeit in a different type of role. This blog post is for exactly such people. People who love the industry they are in but want to see another aspect of it.
2 years ago, exactly when I decided SourceWeave will not continue to exist in the shape it was back then I found myself in a conundrum. Running the company, being a part time developer in it, managing our pipeline and day to day operations, I didn’t exactly know what I wanted to do.
I knew the job description, but not the title. I enjoyed working with customers to clear out requirements. I really liked presenting solutions and products. Wanted to help build ironclad processes and solution architectures.
At the time a position as a Product Manager in Progress seemed like the perfect fit. During the interview process they asked me what it was I imagined doing. I didn’t exactly get the response I was looking for though…
“Look, you might fit the PM role, but we are also opening a new position...
… take a look at this job post. Sounds exactly like the thing you are describing...”
And it was exactly what I was looking for. So... I fell into the world of technical Pre-Sales :D
While it’s one of the best jobs I have ever done, there were a plethora of other paths I could have taken, hadn’t someone pointed pre-sales out back then.
So… to summarize - you are a Software Developer and you are not sure that’s what you want to keep doing for the foreseeable future. What are your options?
I’ll go over some in order of popularity in my small circle of acquaintances and friends…
Start your own venture
Become a (co-)founder of your own company. I’ve been in those shoes as you might have guessed. Almost all developers I know have tried it at one time or another.
Photo by Startup Stock Photos from Pexels
The best thing with this one is that you don’t need to commit to it full time right of the bat. You can do it anywhere, anytime you want. How? Start drawing ideas… Don’t have ideas? Start networking. Meet people with ideas and start something together. That might even be the better option… Then? Validate those ideas. A great book to read is The mom test by Rob Fitzpatrick.
Once you have a valid idea worth committing to build out your vision. Create a financial plan and start executing.
I can spend a lot of time writing about this and what type of a company you can start, but that deserves a blog post of its own, so we’ll leave it for another time.
Freelance
For many developers, the source of the conundrum is that they lack the freedom of choice on what to work on. Here there are a couple of options. You can remain a developer and start taking side projects that gradually take up your time completely, or go a step beyond and become a high-level consultant. Usually, those two come one after the other. Taking that path can open many doors and opportunities and will doubtlessly elevate your knowledge immensely. It can also help you build out your company looping to the previous point.
Photo by Canva Studio from Pexels
But, as with everything - it comes at a risk. Going that route you give up security and predictability of your income. I’d say the biggest problem is finding customers. These days freelance platforms are a battlefield and you need to make a lot of compromises just to make a name for yourself. Once that is done - it gets easier. How to ease that period? Leverage your network. Check with your colleagues if they know someone who needs help. Check with your LinkedIn contacts. Knock on every door you can. You’d be surprised by the responses! That’s how SourceWeave actually began nearly 8 years ago…
It’s definitely a challenge to start out if you don’t have a public portfolio. But it’s worth pursuing if you find that freedom appealing.
Oh, and… Work from anywhere, if that’s your thing… Although that seems to become an option everywhere nowadays...
Manage products or projects
Being a product/project manager can give you a holistic perspective on the business and projects the company is developing. Seeing the whole process put together or the opportunity to eventually build one yourself can be extremely rewarding. Drawing the roadmap for a product or seeing a project through to completion is a feeling like no other. Not to mention all the people skills you will develop during such a time.
Jumping into such a career path is a bit tricky though. Usually, the transition isn’t as smooth as you might expect. I’d suggest checking if your company has a mentorship program. If so, being a mentee of a skilled project manager is a great way to open the doors. If you take full advantage of such a relationship, you will get to meet all kinds of people responsible for the business and products. Once you have the contacts and you have had some experience with it, it will be easier to move to the role and grow from there.
Technical success management
Photo by Startup Stock Photos from Pexels
This is a great path if you enjoy working with customers and not everyone is aware of it. Depending on what your company sells, your customers might need help after you close a deal. That process is called success management. When you sell highly technical products, you need to be able to provide the assistance needed for customers to stick around with you, instead of jumping to the competitors after the license expires. What’s the difference with Technical Support you might ask? I admit the lines blur a bit, but if I could put it in words it would be: “The personal touch”
Technical pre-sales
I have a personal attachment to this one, but I’ll try to be as objective as possible. This one is really hard to define as most companies have a bit of a different definition for it. In almost all cases though, it includes talking to potential customers, showcasing company products, running workshops, public speaking engagements, and high-level support. I’d say if you don’t know where to look, this is the place for you. Why? Because it involves a bit of everything. If you are lucky and ambitious, this can be a gateway to a plethora of opportunities for the future.
During my time in Progress in this role, I managed projects, spoke at various conferences all across Europe, delivered numerous workshops, learned the ropes of the sales processes in a big organization, and grew my network beyond my wildest imagination. Considering the main product I work with I got a taste of success management as well...
If nothing else, my time in this role gave me the perspective I needed to understand what I want to pursue and I’d say it’s the most interesting and elevating position I have been in so far. I’d say it might be a draw between this and running SourceWeave, but here I had mentors I could learn from so this would have to take the cake.
So… Are those all the paths you can take… Most certainly not. Those are just the ones I can give a perspective on.
If I wanted you to get anything out of this blog post it’s this:
List all the things you enjoy about your work. List all the things you enjoy doing that can extend your work. Look for a position that covers them. If it’s one of the 5 above - Great, I’ve given you my 2 cents. If not - Explore, then spread the word about your experience.
Software development is a great career that teaches you to think analytically and often outside the box. But by no means does it restrict you from using those skills outside of it!
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