# I want to quit teaching and become a programmer



## Where's my crown? (Jan 27, 2008)

I'm 43, and I want out of a career that no one with IBS-D should ever choose in the first place. (I don't know what I was thinking wishing.) I'm in the middle of my tenth year of teaching in a public school system here in the eastern US. My job was never friendly to someone with IBS, but now it's much harder. I'm expected to work collaboratively now and attend more meetings. My diarrhea flare-ups often cause me to be late for meetings or to leave them earlier. Due to the radically changing/devolving middle school where I teach, every year I'm working collaboratively with different people. I hate having to explain all over again to new people (whether or not I really convince them) that I have this chronic problem that makes me far less effective at my role as a collaborator.

I'm at the point where I want out. Teaching k-12 in 2014 and the years beyond will be overwhelming and emotionally draining even for people with no health problems at all. Remote posturing bureaucrats and reactionary people who call themselves reformers have made an already impossible job untenable.

Being a detail-oriented worker, I might be a great candidate to become a computer programmer. What programming language should I take a course in, and what's the cheapest option?


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## Kathleen M. (Nov 16, 1999)

Well programming is a constantly evolving job, so I might call the potential employers in your area to see what they are looking for right now or expect to be looking for over the next couple of years.

I dunno if programming is any more friendly to people with IBS other than you may be able to go to the bathroom a bit more often. There is still a lot of meetings and collabortive work and some companies at least awhile ago used to see programmers as disposable as there was always someone to fill the job when you finally worked someone into quitting. (I know a friend who worked at a company where you had to learn new languages on your own time with your own dime and still expect you to be working 60-80 hours a week).

The other way to go would be IT support or website/app building (and the website you can do more freelance so working from home) for the websites I would learn all the ins and outs of wordpress as that seems to be the site a lot of small businesses are using for business websites. I'm not sure what programming languages are used for apps, but that would be the other place I would look, unless you have a good company to work for in the area. There are some good companies for programmers to work at, but you may need some expereince working in the field before they will hire you.


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## Ege AvunÃ§ (Dec 1, 2013)

I am a web developer, and I have IBS-C. I've been avoiding full-time jobs for a long time and I must say that Kathleen is right.

Programming jobs still require collaboration (if not as much as your job of does), and it still can be very hard to fulfill people's expectations while having IBS at the same time. It still is really annoying trying to explain what you are going through to others.

A worker's most important asset is his productivity. What is challenging about the programming industry is that it's impossible to mask even a moderate amount of productivity. If you haven't written enough stuff & solved enough problems when time's up, you will most certainly be tagged as disposable. And god knows it's stressful when you go against time. And as an IBS guy, most of the time I find it very difficult to concentrate on the problem at hand when I'm stressed. The problem with IBS & programming combo is that programming requires concentration, but IBS very often causes interruption, and interruption kills concentration.

So I think the options are:

- to find a very understanding team sympathetic to your condition or to find a modest programming job which does not push workers too hard

- to work as a freelancer

- to consider technical support

- to consider SEO (Search Engine Optimization) / SEM (Search Engine Marketing)

- to forget about all the programming stuff and try to fix your ailment

- same as 5 but without forgetting about the programming stuff









About language options:

Speaking for web development; they say that PHP is the lingua franca of the web. So the most easy, cheap and fast way of getting in would be through PHP. And it's the language with which the most popular content management systems (eg Wordpress, Drupal) and e-commerce systems (eg Magento) are written. PHP, Wordpress, Magento jobs are everywhere. Another popular option in USA is Ruby, but some say that it's not for newcomers to programming.

Speaking for mobile development; I think that getting a Mac and learning about iOS programming would be a great option too. Maybe even better.

About working as a freelancer:

I believe that you will need a serious mentor and/or team member(s) to succeed with this plan. And it may be difficult to make enough money as a freelancer at first.

About considering technical support:

Technical support is 51% human relations, so you may consider it if you are a people person. It is also easier than programming.

About considering SEO/SEM:

Today most SEO / SEM specialists are getting paid better than many programmers, and I believe that it's less stressful, less technical, and requires less training than programming.

And lastly, about the forgetting-about-programming option:

Seriously, have you already tried hard enough? Have you been working with the right people? IBS will be a pain in the ass whatever you do. I don't know much about your situation, but if you haven't already done so, I think you should reconsider that the money, time and energy you will spend for changing careers may well be better spent trying to cure your IBS.


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## Where's my crown? (Jan 27, 2008)

Ege AvunÃ§ said:


> I am a web developer, and I have IBS-C. I've been avoiding full-time jobs for a long time and I must say that Kathleen is right.
> 
> Programming jobs still require collaboration (if not as much as your job of does), and it still can be very hard to fulfill people's expectations while having IBS at the same time. It still is really annoying trying to explain what you are going through to others.
> 
> ...


Thank you, Ege!

You're right to point out that quitting my current job to become a programmer doesn't mean entering an easier job. I consider what you said as valuable. The only assets I have are that I have a Mac and an iPhone. I appreciate that you're offering an array of options for someone in my situation. I'm glad as well that you're giving me the insider's glimpse at what the average employer demands of a programmer.


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## Where's my crown? (Jan 27, 2008)

Kathleen M. said:


> Well programming is a constantly evolving job, so I might call the potential employers in your area to see what they are looking for right now or expect to be looking for over the next couple of years.
> 
> I dunno if programming is any more friendly to people with IBS other than you may be able to go to the bathroom a bit more often. There is still a lot of meetings and collabortive work and some companies at least awhile ago used to see programmers as disposable as there was always someone to fill the job when you finally worked someone into quitting. (I know a friend who worked at a company where you had to learn new languages on your own time with your own dime and still expect you to be working 60-80 hours a week).
> 
> The other way to go would be IT support or website/app building (and the website you can do more freelance so working from home) for the websites I would learn all the ins and outs of wordpress as that seems to be the site a lot of small businesses are using for business websites. I'm not sure what programming languages are used for apps, but that would be the other place I would look, unless you have a good company to work for in the area. There are some good companies for programmers to work at, but you may need some expereince working in the field before they will hire you.


Thanks, Kathleen! I'm glad you're calling attention to the hardships of the job. This is valuable to know. The idea of freelancing definitely appeals. Nothing beats being self-employed if you have IBS.


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## IBS2 (Feb 7, 1999)

As a programmer with IBS I never had too many problems. That said, my job was to pump out code from within my cubicle. Yes there were meetings to attend, but you usually had time to prepare for them and to some extent they were a relief from the coding grind. I would say if your IBS is very problematic I would take the advice of Ege and look at free lancing, which would allow you to work from home. As for what languages to learn you'll find your going to have to learn a variety and much of that will be customer driven. Just take a stroll down to Barnes and Noble and go down the computer book row to see just how many languages there are to learn. One thing you could do is to look at monster.com and see what skill sets employers are looking for. I would also agree with Ege that PHP is probably the most common, but for web work you're also going to have to learn javascript, html, css and at least one database language such as mysql. At any rate, good luck I hope it works out for you.


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## IndianRopeTrick (Jul 25, 2013)

The question you ask is not simple and cannot be answered in one post. There is a LOT to it. But, i'll share my 2 cents with you.

If you have "good logical thinking", you can try computer programming. But, do realize that your AGE will be a critical factor in your employment

into the IT industry. But, I don't want to discourage you. You can try some of my suggestions along with your current profession and see how things go.

I know a bit or two about programming, so i'll tell you some things that might help you -

There are several fields in programming - web-front end, web-back end, phone, database/data warehousing, systems programming (drivers,

kernels etc). You need to know which one you are interested in.

Ideally, you should do some basic courses in CS (or read books about them) in order to be ready for any of the above jobs.

To just start with programming - Try Java as your first language instead of C, C++ because it is "easier" (eg. no manual memory management).

Then, learn data structures and algorithms (using java of course). You'll find a lot of people telling you that DS-A is VERY important for ANY

kind of programming.

I'll suggest some books which are good for self-study -

Java - Head first Java (funny and interesting), Java - How to program by Deitel (big, but good too), Java by walter savitch (hand holding)

Data Structures and Algorithms (in Java) - Robert Lafore (Old, but gold and still relevant)

When you have doubts - google or join stackoverflow.com . Its an awesome forum ! Unless you are asking for the moon, you get answers in

5-10 minutes.

For affordable and self-paced courses - go to Stanford univ "open" courses (free), udemy (low cost/free), coursera, lynda (paid), learnitnow

(paid) etc.

If telecommute/work from home is important to you, then I guess web-dev might be worth looking at. I see more web dev jobs with tele option

than others. Maybe its not the case.

Again, as @Ege AvunÃ§ mentioned, IBS will be a pain in the A$$ no matter what you do. So, if your IBS is in a somewhat manageable state

like mine, you can still work. Otherwise, I hate to break this to you, you might not be able to keep a developer job for long. BUT, I disagree

with his statement that you might be better off spending money on IBS cures instead of learning. Ideally, you should go to college. But, for

"programming", you don't need to. There are plenty of books, forums, videos for that. If you wanted to do mechanical engineering, electronics

or biomedical, then I would ask you to rethink carefully, perhaps even discourage you.

I don't socialize much and often, I have to work a bit on weekends and learn new things too (once i catch up on my sleep). I am in my early 20s, I

have never dated and not sure If I can/should. People think I am unusual. But, they don't know how difficult it is to manage my life and my health.

So, if you can put up with this kind of life, then go for it, otherwise, you'll be burnt within no time.

Cout << "Hope that helps a bit !\n"

System.out.println("Good luck !");


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## IndianRopeTrick (Jul 25, 2013)

Ege AvunÃ§ said:


> About considering SEO/SEM:
> 
> Today most SEO / SEM specialists are getting paid better than many programmers, and I believe that it's less stressful, less technical, and requires less training than programming.


Thanks for the great points. I am not sure about the one you made for SEO. Would that not make it a very competitive field, unless people don't know that it is easy ?

I was aware of SEO/SEM, but never followed the salaries. I guess that everyone will reach out for the low hanging fruit, right ?

Am I missing something here ?

As an aside, also look into the competition with workers in countries with a low cost of living. I read some articles and it seems that SEO might not be an easily

"offshore-able job", primarily due to differences in ethical standards, cultural and time differences.

Example - http://www.seohermit.com/articles/is-offshore-india-or-philippines-seo-a-scam/


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## wigglesmom (Dec 12, 2002)

I left teaching last March because the stress and schedule was simply impossible to deal with given my IBS. I only wish I had left sooner. Best of luck to you.


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## Where's my crown? (Jan 27, 2008)

IBS2 said:


> As a programmer with IBS I never had too many problems. That said, my job was to pump out code from within my cubicle. Yes there were meetings to attend, but you usually had time to prepare for them and to some extent they were a relief from the coding grind. I would say if your IBS is very problematic I would take the advice of Ege and look at free lancing, which would allow you to work from home. As for what languages to learn you'll find your going to have to learn a variety and much of that will be customer driven. Just take a stroll down to Barnes and Noble and go down the computer book row to see just how many languages there are to learn. One thing you could do is to look at monster.com and see what skill sets employers are looking for. I would also agree with Ege that PHP is probably the most common, but for web work you're also going to have to learn javascript, html, css and at least one database language such as mysql. At any rate, good luck I hope it works out for you.


I appreciate your different perspective, one surely based on a different experience. Thanks for the advice.


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## Where's my crown? (Jan 27, 2008)

IndianRopeTrick said:


> The question you ask is not simple and cannot be answered in one post. There is a LOT to it. But, i'll share my 2 cents with you.
> 
> If you have "good logical thinking", you can try computer programming. But, do realize that your AGE will be a critical factor in your employment
> 
> ...


You've given me a lot to think about. I certainly appreciate your valuable reflection based on your own background. This insight might really help me. Thank you.


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