Ask HN: Have you ever considered leaving tech because you didn’t feel fulfilled?

Posting here because I’m worried about personal burnout leading to an increase in OP’s sentiments. I welcome any advice from experienced folk on how to avoid taking on too much responsibility or otherwise setting myself up for burnout. So far I’ve had a very nice time as a programmer, and I find the work fulfilling and fun (based on feeling like I’m truly generating value that gets consumed to the benefit of others’ wellbeing).

I don't think it's a coincidence I run into so many software engineers turn woodworker.

You may find that you don't have to leave tech in order to find more fulfilling work. "Tech" spans so many industries that you can likely find a position at a company that's more aligned with your interests than whatever it is you're working on now.

In other words, I think you can have it both ways—fulfilling job while utilizing the technical skillset you've built up over years of professional life.

That being said, if you want to leave by all means go for it. One of the benefits of cushy jobs is that you can try something else for a while and come back if it doesn't suite you.

I did, but then I realize it isn't technology that fulfills me. It's my sense of accomplishment because I build (at least a few) things and I like to learn new things. Even if those things have no day-to-day value in my work. That taught me that if I want to have a job that's fulfilling, it needs to have impact.

I had my lowest sense of fulfillment working for contracting companies where my work was as likely shelved due to whole programs being cancelled and I'm just one of many projects. No matter what I did, it did not feel like I had an impact in the world. I also felt like I had little agency to change things, after a while. Months of wasted effort, weekends in the office, etc. go up in smoke.

I considered ditching software development because it was fun, but brought me no sense of accomplishment. I looked at opening a store, going back to school to get a Masters in Tax Accounting (I used to be an accountant), or even law school. My sense of accomplishment came from actually doing side projects. It took me 10 or 15 years to connect those dots.

For the last 5 years I've been working for a cloud/product company where I do feel my work directly impacts people. And that is fulfilling. I've watched the result of my efforts unblock numerous lines of revenue. I wasn't some kind of sole hero, but part of a team. But my contribution had a real, positive impact. The difference is my work actually had an impact.

I currently program in bare metal C - a language I've known for the better part of 30 years. I live in an environment no more sophisticated than Visual Studio Code, CMake, and C. It is enjoyable. More than when I worked on cutting edge frameworks with all the 'best' tools. So it's obviously not the technology - it's the job.

I could probably find that same sense of fulfillment doing any one of a dozen things. It's just that I'm probably undiagnosed something or other and I'm pathologically obsessed about all things related to computers. So probably a good alignment between my interest and my job. What I've learned is that I think I could go dig ditches, and as long as it had an impact, I would have a sense of accomplishment.