Introduction, or "I just wanted to code"
Remember that moment when you were just starting to learn programming? Then it seemed that the main question was "Vue or React?". Ha. Ha-ha. And then it turned out that the real question is: "Where am I going to code all this and why am I not getting paid as much as I thought?"
🏢 Office: your personal Squid Game, but with cookies
Pros (they exist, seriously)
Money arrives on time
Every month, like clockwork. Even if you spent half a day on Reddit and Habr, your salary still drips. This is the magic of an employment contract.
You are taught by senior comrades
When a team lead shows you in 5 minutes what you've been working on for 3 hours, it's both humiliating and helpful. A code review from a real person is not the same as googling "why my code is shit."
Socialization (for those who like it)
Friday pizzas
Office memes
The girl from the marketing department you never talked to in 2 years
Cons (there are more of them than we would like)
Road = lost life
2 hours a day for travel × 250 working days = 500 hours a year. That's almost month of life, held in a subway car with a sweaty guy who breathes on the back of your neck.
Dress code and other nonsense
"We are a creative IT company, but put on a shirt." Bro, I write in TypeScript, but I don't perform in TypeScript.
Fixed schedule
It doesn't matter if you're a lark or an owl. 10:00 — everyone is in place. And what about your peak productivity at 11:00 p.m.? That's your problem, kitty.
Salary cap
You can become a senior, a team lead, even a CTO. But the salary grows according to the schedule "asymptote to a reasonable limit". And you want an exponent, right?
🏠 Remote work: freedom or a procrastination trap?
Pros (and they are wonderful)
Work from anywhere in the world
If you want, from Bali. If you want, from the village at your grandmother's. The main thing is that the Internet is not "like at Maria Ivanovna's".
Savings on everything
No road, no business lunches for 500₽, no "I have to go to the coffee shop". You don't even have to wear pants (but it's better to wear them, respect yourself).
Flexible schedule
Owl? Work at night. Do you have a child? Adjust. Do you want lunch at 15:00? Welcome.
Projects can be combined
Official work + freelance on the side = ✨ magic ✨. The main thing is not to fall asleep on calls from fatigue.
Cons (hello, depression)
The boundaries between work and life have blurred
"Can you quickly look at the bug?" at 10:00 p.m. "Urgent letter" on Saturday. You are always in touch because you are already at home.
Loneliness is not a meme
You get high the first week. After a month, you start talking to houseplants. After six months, you realize that the last person you saw alive was a courier from Yandex.Eats.
Procrastination level 80
"I'll start working after the series." The series turns into a season. At 6:00 p.m. you realize that you have done exactly 0 for the day.
Career growth - hardcore quest
They don't see you. You're not in sight. "Oh, yeah, there's also Sasha the remote worker." Promotions go to those who are more often seen in the office.
💼 Freelance: hardcore mode for those who are not afraid
Pros (for the brave)
Income ceiling = sky
Want to earn 3 times more? Take 3 times more projects. Or find one fat client. No "increase once a year based on the results of the assessment."
You are your own king
You choose clients, projects, technologies. Don't want to work with legacy code on PHP 5.6? You don't take it. You only want Vue? Please.
Experience is growing like a mushroom
In a year of freelancing, you will level up more than in 3 years in the office on one project. Because every new client is a new rake.
Cons (there are many of them and they hurt)
Instability is your best friend
This month — 300k. Next month - 0. In a month - again 200k. Planning a budget is more difficult than debugging asynchronous code.
You are an accountant, lawyer, manager, marketer
Just wanted to code? Sorry, but now you're also:
Negotiating with clients
You draw up contracts
You issue invoices
You catch the debtor
Customers are... different
"You can do it like Uber, but for 20 thousand and for a week?"
"Why is it so expensive? My friend's son will do it for 2 thousand."
“Do it first, and then we'll see if I'll pay.”
No vacation and sick leave
Got sick? You don't earn. Vacation? You don't earn. Holidays? Right — you don't earn.
🎯 So where's the money?
Office:
Salary: stable but limited
Reality: 80-250k in the regions, 150-400k+ in Moscow/St. Petersburg (depending on the level)
Perfect for: junons, those who value stability, people without self-discipline
Remote work:
Salary: as in the office, but +20-30% (employer's savings on the office)
Reality: 100-500k+ (depends on the company and level)
Perfect for: middles and above, self-organized people, those who have a family/hobby
Freelance:
Salary: from 0 to the moon
Reality: 0-1M+ (seriously, that's the range)
Perfect for: seniors, entrepreneurs in spirit, those who are not afraid of risks
🚀 How to level up and become more expensive on any of the paths?
Regardless of whether you choose an office, remote work or freelance, your skills are the main currency. The cooler you are, the more you get paid. It's logical, isn't it?
But here's the problem: after work, there is no energy left for training. And you want to spend the weekend on life, not on another Vue 3 course with Udemy, which you will abandon in the third lesson.
Life hack: study in a convenient format.
For example, through Kodik app - there the whole theory is divided into short lessons with practice. You can study right in the subway on your way to work, or during your lunch break, or before going to bed. Python, JavaScript, HTML, CSS - all with clear explanations and real tasks. No filler, just the point.
And also go to our Telegram channel - there are regular useful posts about development, life hacks, technology reviews. This is a great way to repeat and learn programming in a convenient place when you have 5 free minutes. Plus, there is a community of live developers who will always help and share their experience.
In short, instead of scrolling memes in Telegram, it's better to level up your skills. Your future self will thank you.
P.S.: If you have read to the end, then you are one of those who really want to understand the topic. Good boy. Now go code (or study at Codice, if you haven't started yet).
P.P.S.: Share in the comments where you work and why you haven't run away yet. It's interesting to count how many of us sufferers there are 😄