"Now he smokes meat. He doesn't suffer, he's happy." Aitovites tell Threads where they went from IT

Tire fitting, psychology, furniture business

"I have a friend who left IT after 15+ years. Java developer. Now he smokes meat. He's not poor, he's happy," wrote @anna.polishchuk.

Another user, @katya_8_8_, also shared stories of familiar programmers with over 15 years of experience: "One doesn't work at all (volunteers), the other is engaged in apiary."

"I left IT in 14 (front-end), I was 27, I felt like I didn't belong, I didn't know where to go. I tried different options to realize what I wanted. Marketing, copywriting, worked in a bear shelter, 1 day in a bakery), and then I went to preparatory courses for entering UCU for psychology and there I immediately felt excitement and interest. Since 19, it's still interesting and difficult, I'm constantly learning. At the same time, I don't set myself rigid boundaries - I fantasize that someday this too may burn out, and then I'll come up with a new activity," @artukate shared their own story.

A user under the nickname @climbing_onsight left IT for the furniture business. According to him, his income has grown and he has more free time. “But at first it wasn’t so fun, of course. We started with sales, then we learned from our mistakes, which is logical. Now both development, sales, and production are small. True, the latter is almost not working for obvious reasons. But it’s okay, and it will pass. Who has it easy these days?”

@mariia_koroliuk went into academic research, and is very happy with her decision. "Yes, there is less money, but there is bread, butter and sausage :) (I will clarify that not in Ukraine). But the topic is relevant to me; I know that I will be able to return, moreover, with new useful knowledge), and here my previous experience really came in handy. I still sit all day writing code, but this university vibe is cool."

@roman_yakymchuk_ became a business mentor after 14 years in QA: "I developed businesses in parallel and in 2021 I started to engage in strategizing and study to become a business consultant."

"Tire fitting. If it's time to change shoes, I'll shovel the old man's feet. The entry threshold is low - in a week all the basic movements will be mastered, all that remains is to hone your skills," shared @spiulkowski.

Construction

In the comments, IT professionals also joke about switching to the construction industry, especially from their own experience after renovations.

For example, an IT professional under the nickname forest_home.diaries jokes that she started thinking about it: "Where you have to work with your hands, because AI will soon replace us all. I'm considering the construction industry, because I've been in this process for a year and a half, and I've gained a lot of experience."

"Take a closer look at the painters/plasters. I thought tilers were rich until they billed me for the painting... PS Work for a month," said @servitpol, sharing a screenshot of the calculation for $8,563.

Front-end developer @maskyss_hassliebe shared her thoughts on this topic: "We were waiting for a crew to lay the baseboard. One arrived, has been living with us for the third day and has done little, because something is always wrong. I'm already thinking that we can retrain for something like this, there aren't many repairmen now, because they've all been taken away, but as always - where to get practice."

To this, the author of the thread suggested uniting and creating a team: "For some reason, I'm also actively thinking about repairs, because my IT salary wasn't enough to cover repairs month after month, and we barely managed to hire a technician."

Against the backdrop of thoughts about moving into the construction industry, @zereffable told the opposite story: he switched from a tiler to IT: "Advice, do what you like, what you love, because work is hard labor for which you get candy, so it's better to have less, but at least have a good time, and I've liked IT since childhood."

Armed Forces of Ukraine — "instant transfer"

Also in the comments are stories of IT specialists who are currently in the ranks of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

"I worked as a web developer for 7 years, and then quickly retrained as a communications specialist. I didn't retrain for long — 2 months of BZVP," — @lazzar_art.

"ASU Transfer 24 hours, BZVP something like 49 days, then I studied every day, because while I was dodging, they came up with so many things here... Don't be afraid to ask, the most stupid question is the one that wasn't asked," — @sn0wpers0n1.

"I joined the army, training took 33 days, I got in in 5 minutes one interesting morning," — @imvpdev.

"The transfer didn't take long. 4 weeks in school + 3 days to get to the unit's PPD," — @smartemius.

In addition, experienced IT specialists shared that they often think about switching because "IT is already at their throats." But they don't dare, some because of money, and some because of a lack of understanding of where to go.

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