Speaking from a government contracting point of view: Nobody is going to pay you to rewrite existing code that's already working. Nobody. The customer doesn't give a flying shit about the implementation. He'd be happy with a box of diodes as an implementation, as long as it worked and came in on time and on budget.
When you're writing up your proposal for a contract or a grant, the theme should always be that you're "adding capabilities" (which should be well-defined and constrained) to the existing codebase. If you get the money, then you've got carte blanche to rewrite to your heart's content - just don't tell the customer that this is what you're doing. Just make sure that those new capabilities indeed make it into the re-write and that you introduce no regressions in the new code.
Depends on how similar the domains are. Stacks are vastly different in companies working in disparate domains -- I've worked as a software engineer in C4ISR, gaming, EDA, oil & gas, HFT, remote sensing, consumer electronics, and more. The stacks couldn't be more different & foreign from each other. Like living in different universes. Six months to learn all the moving parts is about right.
(I can't imagine a career in only one domain; how boring would that be? Hopefully will be getting a new job in HPC soon.)
Austin is a part of the following Congressional districts: TX-21, TX-25, TX-31, TX-17, TX-10, & TX-35. Of these districts, only one (TX-35) is Democratic.
On the other hand, Lamar Smith (TX-21) is one of the Representatives for the Bluest city in the state.
> Surely the most direct way of buying time is by taking a pay cut in exchange for more time off, or even taking unpaid time off.
We don't get those choices. I tried for YEARS to engineer a long-term part-time career in the software industry, and I couldn't get it to happen. I'm perfectly happy to trade more free time for less money, but there are just no takers out there. The industry isn't interested.
As far as taking unpaid time off -- usually, that happens after you've quit your previous job and before you've started the next one.
> You will work a lot more than you would if you just did things for yourself.
Nonsense. I would work no more nor no fewer hours in a given year regardless of whether I hired a plumber or mechanic. In fact, given that I won't adjust my work hours either way, then hiring people gives me more free time.
I may (or not) have a smaller bank balance, but that appears to be beside the point you're trying to make.
> You can't have more money, AND fewer hours/more vacation.
Here's the thing, though. We don't even get a choice. I tried for YEARS to engineer a long-term part-time career in the software industry, and I couldn't get it to happen. I'm perfectly happy to trade more free time for less money, but there are just no takers out there. The industry isn't interested.
I don't have the time to learn a new language that doesn't expose POSIX/Linux APIs. I may never use them, but I want them there in case I need them. You never know.
1. That removes all the joy of cooking for and hosting my guests. The point is to bring them into my home; to make them feel welcome and comfortable. Not to mention that picking up the tab for that many people would be prohibitively expensive.
2. That probably would work well in locations with a nice climate. In Texas, not so much. Maybe a couple of months out of the year. The 95ºF temperatures at 8pm don't bother me all that much because I grew up here, but a lot of people who recently moved here have a problem with it. Kind of a non-starter.
I really like the idea of tiny houses, but it's looking like, given my priorities, they're not for me.
When you're writing up your proposal for a contract or a grant, the theme should always be that you're "adding capabilities" (which should be well-defined and constrained) to the existing codebase. If you get the money, then you've got carte blanche to rewrite to your heart's content - just don't tell the customer that this is what you're doing. Just make sure that those new capabilities indeed make it into the re-write and that you introduce no regressions in the new code.