Ask HN: How did you move from IT/software to something unrelated?
I stated my career early - while I was still in high school. I went from bagging groceries and doing checkouts at a grocery store to programming for a local company my senior year of high school. I continued doing this for my first couple years of college.<p>But then dot-bomb happened and it looked like the party was over. I looked down at the job opportunities after graduation. I didn&#x27;t really want to spend the rest of my life wearing a tie, writing bank software and sitting in a cubicle every day, so I decided to try something different.<p>I became a seasonal park ranger. And it was <i>awesome.</i><p>Like most jobs, I got it through knowing someone. My grandparents had volunteered for the NPS and were able to connect me with the right people. I became a seasonal park ranger at Yellowstone.<p>It&#x27;s not for everyone. The pay is not great, but you do get lots of good benefits because it&#x27;s a government job. And you&#x27;re often living in remote areas (the nearest grocery store was an hour and a half drive from where I was stationed). It&#x27;s also not conducive to family life if that&#x27;s your thing (again, the closest school was 1.5 hours away and everyone around me was my coworkers). And the days are long, helping tourists, checking permits, etc. Permanent jobs are also incredibly hard to get - you usually have to do years of seasonal work to accrue enough seniority to get considered for a permanent position.<p>But the benefits? Being able to crack open a drink after a long day and look up at more stars than I <i>ever thought existed</i> - I spent many nights on the front porch of my cabin looking up at the Milky Way. Hiking, camping, boating on the weekends are easy because I was right there in the park. Clean air, clean water. A good group of coworkers (for me) who legit really care about protecting these astounding natural resources. And a feeling that you&#x27;re really making a difference and reaching people.<p>I did this for a few years and they were among my happiest years prior to my marriage. Ultimately, I ended up going back into tech after things recovered. But there are days that I really miss the outdoors and wearing the uniform.<p>So I guess my advice would be to forget about skills and whatnot and ask yourself, outside of tech, what do you like to do? I mean really like to do? And can you turn that into a job? Can anyone you know network you into a job?