Gian Fabien
Aug 23, 2017 · 2 min read

If it is any consolation, your experience in working for a variety of companies is not unusual. It is very basic principle of business, in order to make a profit they need the workers to only cost a small proportion of their total costs. The multiple layers of management are a huge cost as are the fancy offices, perks, etc. You don’t need an MBA to know that revenue has to exceed costs substantially in order for the shareholders to get a good return on their investment. Effectively the dividends are another cost of doing business.

So having cleared up that point. You are probably asking whether you want to work as a programmer. Well that is your choice. You can choose other forms of employment and accept that trade-off, i.e. better working conditions, optimal work-life balance, etc.

The trap of being in a well paid industry is that you spend to the level permitted by your income and then you take that level of lifestyle for granted. This trap has kept many people working in IT and hating it. What’s worst about this, is that in many cases you don’t even get the chance to spend your money of quality holidays, etc.

You are in your teens, so you have a variety of options ahead of you. Perhaps you should finish your education and then take a year or more off and do things outside of IT. That will give you a broader perspective which in turn will help you make a decision that makes you happy and meets with your goals.

A final comment … the idea of being locked into a single career for 40 years is so yesteryear! These days, you can pivot several times in your personal life as well.

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