Under: Career/By: Will Veic

Having a career that pays well is a great start, but sometimes that isn’t enough. And many software developers are waking up to this fact.

Lower-income careers might sometimes be more enjoyable, but struggling with every bill makes your entire life miserable.

A higher-paid career that you don’t enjoy is even worse. Because you can quit a low-paying career without blinking an eye.

However, when you have a lot to lose (golden handcuffs), then you’re willing to endure longer, which is a mistake.

So what do you do in this situation?

What Are You Good At?

Do you know what comes easy for you? Everyone has something:

  • Do you enjoy reading or writing?
  • Are you good with your hands?
  • Maybe you’re a really good listener?

Whatever it is – you are definitely much better at something than 99% of the people.

The trick is to identify what that talent/skill is and look for careers that require a lot of that specific skill.

Usually, what we’re good at – we enjoy doing. And then we become even better and get paid proportionally.

Sometimes Being Good Is Not Enough

Personally, I was very good at software development. But as time went on, I felt worse and worse about continuing this career.

And one day, I could no longer do it – so I quit.

Not my job – my entire career.

And this is my final (and most important) tip – if you can’t stand the thought of doing one more day in your current career, you need to change something.

Yes, it is difficult, and yes, it requires courage, but you’re literally dying inside whenever you go to work – how much more can you really lose?

Check out this article if you want to hear my story of how I managed to escape and change career from software engineer to something I really enjoy.