To fakelvis's point, IT in finance could be fantastic if you get into a good area (I believe they are far and few). You will be working on cutting edge stuff and decommissioning legacy apps at every opportunity that presents itself for a re-ramp of the app. At my previous employer, I was lucky to join a team with tons of legacy that worked and was problematic. Mandates came down from management and the business users to rewrite and re-platform the old stuff to accomodate new requirements. We were given the green light to build the new platform in whatever way we saw fit. We were free to choose languages, design, and architecture of our liking to accomplish the task. The new platform was strategic in nature as well and was meant to be put in place for a long time. This was a great experience for me and gave me as a developer, the rare opportunity to work on an app from scratch. My user base was great and very knowledgeable in the finance space so I learned alot as well.
To staunch's point, the finance culture is broken and full of megalomania. Tons of developers and finance people with delusions of grandeur. The one thing I hate about the finance industry is how IT is treated and viewed by some parts of the business. We are viewed as nothing more than a utility. Too often I hear developers talking about 'moving up' and by this they mean leaving this creative craft of software development to be on the 'fun' side, i.e. the business end. This, to say the least, is demoralizing to the people that want to build systems for a living when you constantly have to hear this. Given this reality, I think the life of an developer in finance is short-lived. Burnout rates are high and job satisfaction is low. I have yet to meet developers that are excited about career prospects in finance.
When I first started in the sector I was confronted with this 'IT is a utility' mindset from 'the business'. It was demoralising.
Luckily, a new CEO came in following an acquisition and the first thing he said in a company-wide conference was how the company needed to value and respect IT more (as we knew more about the company and the systems than anyone else, he said). Overnight, almost everyone in the department came to love their job.
Saying that, three years later and people are starting to worry about their prospects (and rightly so, it seems).
I'm similarly interested in pursuing things on the side (as a serious project rather than a means to 'get out'). If you fancy it, reach out (email in profile).
As for your blog -- the first post is great, keep it up.
To fakelvis's point, IT in finance could be fantastic if you get into a good area (I believe they are far and few). You will be working on cutting edge stuff and decommissioning legacy apps at every opportunity that presents itself for a re-ramp of the app. At my previous employer, I was lucky to join a team with tons of legacy that worked and was problematic. Mandates came down from management and the business users to rewrite and re-platform the old stuff to accomodate new requirements. We were given the green light to build the new platform in whatever way we saw fit. We were free to choose languages, design, and architecture of our liking to accomplish the task. The new platform was strategic in nature as well and was meant to be put in place for a long time. This was a great experience for me and gave me as a developer, the rare opportunity to work on an app from scratch. My user base was great and very knowledgeable in the finance space so I learned alot as well.
To staunch's point, the finance culture is broken and full of megalomania. Tons of developers and finance people with delusions of grandeur. The one thing I hate about the finance industry is how IT is treated and viewed by some parts of the business. We are viewed as nothing more than a utility. Too often I hear developers talking about 'moving up' and by this they mean leaving this creative craft of software development to be on the 'fun' side, i.e. the business end. This, to say the least, is demoralizing to the people that want to build systems for a living when you constantly have to hear this. Given this reality, I think the life of an developer in finance is short-lived. Burnout rates are high and job satisfaction is low. I have yet to meet developers that are excited about career prospects in finance.
I created a blog that will start talking about this and other things I see here: http://techjobsspace.blogspot.com
Anyway, these are my 2-cents. I am also looking to start something up on the side and get out of this dungeon.