Ask HN: What jobs have a fair amount of programming, but aren't “career” jobs?
I like to program for a living, but I'd like to do it without facing the pressures of moving up the ranks to management, or to lead this project, or mentor people, or initiate an important business move.
What kind of programming jobs should I look for, that are not anchored to a career mindset of growth?
I'm fine just programming in the trenches to solve technical challenges, and am into learning new tools and languages over time. I go from job to job, at smallish companies, feel out the company (which doesn't take long once I find similarities with past jobs), stay for about 1.5 to 2 years and then move on to the next job.
I just have this other requirement: I want to keep working for companies/institutions, and have a boss. I am NOT interested in going freelance. My understanding is that this can be had at large well-established companies that don’t see tech as their differentiator.