I'd be satisfied with any job in the tech industry but I'm also reaching for one that aligns with my political values as an anti-capitalist. With this in mind, does anyone have any suggestions for the job search?

  • Shinji_Ikari [he/him]
    ·
    4 years ago

    I wish there were more left leaning tech jobs in the electrical and hardware realm. My mental health seems to be really tied to how much Im interested in my work. I feel like I'd poke my own eyes out working in web dev.

    • crime [she/her, any]
      ·
      4 years ago

      Web infrastructure work isn't that bad as long as you don't work somewhere with the "ok my shitty code is in prod, ops's problem now" mentality. At least you're mostly insulated from JavaScript at that point.

      • heqt1c [he/him]
        ·
        4 years ago

        Since you mention ops, Ops is a good place for socialists because:

        1. Webdevs are techbro libs, usually. There definitely exceptions, but by and large they are the lions share of devs I've worked with.
        2. You get to bully said webdev libs.
        3. You control the means of production.

        Serious answer though, I would say non-profit would be an ideal fit... some level of government too where you can use your skills to show that 'government is good and profit isnt necessary to drive innovation'.

        Couple more serious points:

        1. It can be grueling, but also very interesting as you adapt to new technologies, which you'll be exposed to moreso than as a dev.
        2. Get to learn things inside and out as you build up whatever org you're a part of.
        • TwilightLoki [he/him,any]
          ·
          4 years ago

          I don’t really know anything about DevOps. Are there certain personalities best suited for DevOps? I’m quite a social person

            • the_river_cass [she/her]
              ·
              4 years ago

              teaches organizing skills as well... you have to find what's wrong in sociotechnical systems, the contradictions at their heart, and work over long periods of time to resolve them. the most interesting and challenging problems are political (within the context of the org) in nature and seem completely intractable until you get some practice, but damn if you don't put Mao through his paces on the regular.

          • heqt1c [he/him]
            ·
            4 years ago

            Being social helps, a lot of DevOps is about communication, collaboration, sharing knowledge, and having frank and honest discussions between dev and ops teams.

            It also helps that it is very enjoyable work too, most of the time. You get exposure to a lot of tech and concepts.