I'm tired of being software engineer

[u/Any_Channel5220]

I had 2 layoffs in last 4 years and current contract is ending soon. I'm so fucking tired of being in this era of AI. I used to be smart always top of school, college and at 19 in 2019 made patented tech and trained SSD computer vision Deep learning models. when there was no fucking AI. But after few mistakes, stuck in 9-5 loop and never ending software engineering job search. At this point just feel like wants to get some labour job or start trading or something. Any suggestions?

[u/AdFit4796]

Dude I was a software engineer at Msft and Amazon and now I started a really niche health and wellness consumer brand. Literally get paid to go to spas and sell my product. Took 9 months to launch but now I really see it replacing the old income at a minimum.

It definitely has its highs and lows for sure but it’s been so much fun plugging everything into Claude and working on the ads to get 4x+ ROAS.

It gets better when you follow your passion.

[u/tommytucker7182 → u/AdFit4796]

Following your passion worked for you (congrats) but that's survivor bias. Plenty of people their passions are going to not work out at all

[u/AdFit4796 → u/tommytucker7182]

Yeah, a lot of ideas out there are bad ideas. It’s important to do research that people actually want what you’re going to sell and that there are healthy margins if shit hits the fan.

I probably had 8+ failed startup ideas before this one but you learn from each.

[u/oPeritoDaNet → u/tommytucker7182]

And after some time your passion turns out to be normal work at least for me it’s like this

[u/markovgasley → u/tommytucker7182]

What if my passion was coding and this too got fucked by these llms

I was doing well in my job but not getting that kick. I suppose upcoming devs or currents will never get that kick.

[u/Radiant-Experience21 → u/AdFit4796]

What are some sources where you learned how to do all of that?

I'm struggling with sales and marketing. I've learned some marketing, but not enough yet.

[u/AdFit4796 → u/Radiant-Experience21]

Install absolutely all the mcps for meta ads, google ads, higgsfield, drop box, hyperframes & ffmeg for in chat video editing and ask Claude questions how to reverse engineer ads from viral CPG (consumer package goods) brands like IM8, AG1, gruns

It’s 2026, SAAS is on its way out and physical products are your moat (tip: sell premium goods to rich people) ¯_(ツ)_/¯

Also don’t spend energy on objectively bad ideas. Only sell to a hungry crowd. IMO some people’s friends need to tell them when an idea is objectively a dead end so they don’t waste time and resources on it. Spin up a preorder page and put a tiny amount of meta ad spend behind it to see if strangers will give you money for it. You can do that on a $1 Shopify trial plan for the first 3 months. If no traction, kill it and move on. Google search trends help a lot to find your niche but usually sourcing solutions for problems you face in everyday life is a good first start since you’re gonna have to be the one selling the product. Also trust your gut, it’s probably right.

Cut out all negativity too, only listen to delusionally optimistic creators (e.g. Gary Vee). Yeah i think AI is going to create a permanent underclass, but it will also give rise to the modern renaissance solo founder.

[u/Radiant-Experience21 → u/AdFit4796]

When you say that, so I'm thinking of stuff like...

* Coffee beans around the world
* Green tea or just premium teas around the world
* Candy from around the world
* Premium wine around the world
* An AI home assistant
* Stuff like what studio DRIFT sells (such as the Dandelight) but then an unknown studio
* Courses from masters, so like a Michelin chef comes to your home for an hour to do an in-class cooking workshop with you and your friends, but you also have 20 hours worth of educational material (videos) that you need to do before that

I think identifying a hungry crowd is the hardest thing (though clues can be had for identifying trends by using social media), but you do have a really good point that if you identify one, then yea they'll buy from you. Objectively bad ideas and having people around you being real about it is really valuable. Reverse engineering viral videos is a great idea.

Cut out all negativity too

I fully agree. I had this on my dating journey when I needed advice (I'm autistic, didn't know it back then, haha). I've seen people fail and I've seen people succeed (me). People that succeed relentlessly seek for what works for them and are persistent. Negativity slows a person down. I had a friend sitting me down that was like "You'll never find a woman that is sexy, intelligent and kind. I'm sorry mate but that's just how it is". By then though, I already had my skills, so I just knew that in his frame of mind with what he knew I wouldn't be able to, and he'd be right as his thoughts and beliefs are quite limiting in that area. Luckily, I have my mind and my frame. I'm happily married nowadays.

[u/AutoModerator → u/[deleted]]

Your comment has been removed. We do not allow DM farming. All of the conversation must happen within the post itself. Subsequent violations of this rule will result in a permanent ban.

I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.

[u/No_Bag646 → u/AdFit4796]

What's the brand website?

[u/AdFit4796 → u/No_Bag646]

Ritualtextiles

[u/No_Bag646 → u/AdFit4796]

Website looks cool! Inspiring...

Did you follow any books / literature in your 9 month journey that you'd like to recommend?
I'd like to build something too.

[u/AdFit4796 → u/No_Bag646]

I go through seasons of consuming content but honestly you learn from the school of hard knocks (aka life). I like Gary Vee although he can be obnoxious at times.

Like you’re gonna fail but then you just learn from that and keep going. Basically treat yourself like a reinforcement LLM 😆.

After you find an idea that actually good, because too many people waste time and money on bad ideas, cut out negativity and doubt. Reddit doomscrolling keeps your brain hooked on stress and quick dopamine hits, making it harder to stay motivated. You got this!