Of course you can find something else. There’s a 0% chance that you’re incapable of getting another job. That’s a lie you’re telling yourself so you can continue being miserable.
Start looking today — before you quit.
Ask HN: What do I do if a job is causing me to be depressed and demotivated?
11–20 of 38 posts
Re: Ask HN: What do I do if a job is causing me to be depressed and demotivated?
#12A ton of people are probably asking themselves if you wouldn’t be the new guy on their team.
What does this mean?
Sorry it was sort of joke, cause the problems that you describe are extremely common, and people running those teams really struggle to keep people on.
Anyways, you should try both to find a new job, and (since it could last a little bit), try to improve your situation internally.
Also, when you interview for your next job, make sure you ask the devs what it’s like to work there, what’s the general code quality, is there a bunch of “legacy” stuff. People generally open up when it’s bad…
Re: Ask HN: What do I do if a job is causing me to be depressed and demotivated?
#13Your job is now to find a new job. Push as hard as you can on job searching. Dial down the effort you are putting into your current job. You absolutely should not stay where you are. You are also extremely unlikely to be able to make any positive changes there, the company product and needs “are what they are.”
I will try this. I unfortunately don’t really know how to dial down since it makes me feel guilty.
Work on processing the feeling. No need to feel guilty, it’s just work. It won’t matter in the end anyway. If you quit tomorrow, they’d just put another human cog in the machine.
https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/how-to-stop-feelin...
Re: Ask HN: What do I do if a job is causing me to be depressed and demotivated?
#14How to turn a pit of misery and doom into an exciting challenge that makes you want to jump out of bed each morning? Talk to your bosses. Explain the situation (as above is perfect - keep it short and sweet) Suggest that if you leave they won't find a better replacement because the problem is structural. And that if you stay you'll probably burn out soon and that won't help anyone. Ergo: the project is doomed every w…
That is irresponsible advice.
What if it loses them their job and they struggle to get an equivalent job?
What if they have any financial responsibilities?
Great advice if you can change careers or easily slip into another position (which they've said they're worried they can't). Fine advice if you're a hippy hobo like me.
Hopefully they can find some other motivating force apart from the tech. Read https://www.kalzumeus.com/2011/10/28/dont-call-yourself-a-pr... Concentrate on other goals like learning how to influence the business, rather than technical goals.
Re: Ask HN: What do I do if a job is causing me to be depressed and demotivated?
#15The way to think about this is imagine someone from a 3d world country, living in poverty on the borderline of starvation, and how EXSTATIC they would be to be in your situation. Having a full stomach, roof over their head, disposable income, and a day job where you sit in a chair? Sounds like heaven.
But you don't feel the same, despite being in the that situation. So it naturally follows that your depression is either a frame of mind, or something intrinsic to you, i.e not job dependent. Switching jobs can possibly cause you to not be depressed, but this is a bet that you actually don't have a problem vs sweeping the problem under a rug with a chance of occurring later, which is not a safe bet to take. As such, you should first and foremost seek therapy and psychological evaluation to figure out why you feel that way. It could be stress related, or it could be something else.
For me, what I though was depression was actually a combination of ADHD and being on the spectrum and stress as a result of that.
Re: Ask HN: What do I do if a job is causing me to be depressed and demotivated?
#16[dead]
Re: Ask HN: What do I do if a job is causing me to be depressed and demotivated?
#17It is a challenge to deal with software that is not common, but that may be a sign that they trust you to handle it. You do not give a barely-competent junior tasks like that, you would trust it to someone who has what it takes to dig in.
Also, to add to the above, you would not want incompetent people maintaining legacy applications. Those typically exist because they are stable, because they work, and their owner expects that to continue.
All of this leads me to think that maybe you are actually more valued than you believe.
With that in mind, may I ask what exactly is it that you find frustrating about the job?
Re: Ask HN: What do I do if a job is causing me to be depressed and demotivated?
#18Try to find a new job before quitting. You could try awitching teams internally. Try being indifferent - you're getting paid anyways, who cares if the system is a piece of crap. Or try being angry - fuck those guys for pushing all that work on you.
I've hated my job for the past 6 or 7 years. It's not going to be much better anywhere else. Even bouncing from team to team internally doesn't really make it better since they all have problems.
Re: Ask HN: What do I do if a job is causing me to be depressed and demotivated?
#19Look for something better. The jobs like that can make you feel defeated but there is always something out there you can interview for. Then quit.
The fanciful suggestions about rewriting legacy apps in some fashionable new tool are fantasies. It never works other than for trivial apps
Re: Ask HN: What do I do if a job is causing me to be depressed and demotivated?
#20Find a new one. I was a FF/Paramedic for years. I was miserable after the initial awe wore off. Hurt my relationships and i was just a miserable person.
Find what males you happy, Don't just up and quit. Put your feelers out and see what you can find. Maybe schedule a 1on1 with you boss and express this (once you might have found a new position). Idk what your boss is like, but it doesn't hurt to be honest bro. Suffering through a job you hate is a torture unlike any. Best of luck man.