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Ask HN: Burnt out from big tech. What's next?

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Re: Ask HN: Burnt out from big tech. What's next?

#161

Post by chii »

LewisVerstappen wrote: post #158
chii wrote: post #40

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> But I think an even better strategy would be to start a cryptocurrency hedge fund and later start an associated exchange. > ??? > profit > This will allow us to maximize the amount of money we earn So if you could fill in the ??? on how to profit, then yes, this is a good way too. Note that it needs to be legal.

I'm joking around. What you said is very similar to the "Effective Altruist" mindset and so I'm referencing FTX & Alameda.

oh it's not altruistic. The life and longevity research investment will make a good return, considering that almost everyone would want to live longer and thus the demand would be insatiable. It's an investment.

Re: Ask HN: Burnt out from big tech. What's next?

#162

Post by b20000 »

to be honest i don't understand what the problem is. I never worked at a FAANG so maybe i don't get it or i'm insensitive. you made a shit ton of money. you probably have so much money you can retire. what is your problem? i worked on a startup for 15 years and never got funding despite products an revenue. i'm tired too and i have nothing saved up for retirement and i'm in my 40s. problems are relative ... there are people much worse off than i am. sure you might have to figure out what's next but if you have $ in the bank is that really a big deal?

i see googlers on linkedin making a big drama they are fired. really? you made all this money, who cares? you can go do something else or retire. how many people have been waiting for years to get a FAANG job? as a googler you need to wait a year and you call that a problem? people are so far of from reality it is mind boggling. and they think because they worked at google they are entitled to a job tomorrow pronto.

Re: Ask HN: Burnt out from big tech. What's next?

#163

Post by uadhikari »

Since you have done some ML and have math background, you can perhaps look into 'Distributed Machine Learning'. The recent development such as ChatGPI required huge resources for training and data. Perhaps, distributed ML has a potential to democratize ML space.

I suggest lookin the following page

https://michaelkamp.org

Re: Ask HN: Burnt out from big tech. What's next?

#164

Post by publicsector »

Try public service. The knowledge and experience you would bring to the table would be extremely valuable. The sector may not move as fast as big tech but everyday you go home, you will know that you made an impact on your community. It will be gratifying at a deeper level.

Re: Ask HN: Burnt out from big tech. What's next?

#165

Post by yosefk »

shortcake27 wrote: post #160
lovich wrote: post #157

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There’s a presumption in this conversation that taking time off work from burnout isn’t going to be solved by becoming homeless. If you were going to go that route then you could just claim it would only be a few hundred in supplies for you to live in the woods off foraged game and plants. On top of that it’s illegal to live out of your car in many jurisdictions in the US.

No, the comment you responded to and agreed with was referring to my “privileged” position of being able quit my job and live out of my car. Whether or not it would solve burnout and whether it’s legal in the US are different and new arguments. I’m justifying my original position that living within meager means isn’t “insane” or “privileged”. If you are only able to take off 8 months after saving for years, that has…

I think the notion of "privilege" and the habit of accusing people of being "privileged" are so off that if someone "uses the word against you", you might as well give up since the chances for a reasonable discussion are very low. This whole comment tree is quite typical for how it usually plays out.

(Obviously the great-grandparent comment that first used "privilege" is completely off, as are most statements involving the word in the wild)

Re: Ask HN: Burnt out from big tech. What's next?

#166

Post by anonreeeeplor »

inimino wrote: post #7
janussunaj wrote: post #2

(OP here) I wanted to avoid a wall of text, so I'll elaborate here on where I'm coming from. My complaints with FAANG have to do with perverse incentives that reward nonsensical decisions, poorly thought-out and over-engineered projects, grandiose documents, duplication of work, selective reporting of metrics, etc. The few times I had a really good manager, a sane environment, and fulfilling work only lasted until th…

The passionate people that started all these companies wouldn't take most jobs in them today. The bureaucrats have taken over, even surprisingly in "startup" culture, not just FAANG. I don't think programming will retain value as a profession without being actively defended.

Exactly right.

These companies are bad news, completely random management, dead end projects.

Worse yet, if you work there, you are dramatically disconnected from the startup market. And prevented from getting modern skills.

At least in startups in theory skills are mor transferable because the market is larger.

I found large companies deeply unfulfilling and do not see myself going back: they are recipes for total frustration.

Re: Ask HN: Burnt out from big tech. What's next?

#167

Post by anonreeeeplor »

Jeema101 wrote: post #129
janussunaj wrote: post #2

(OP here) I wanted to avoid a wall of text, so I'll elaborate here on where I'm coming from. My complaints with FAANG have to do with perverse incentives that reward nonsensical decisions, poorly thought-out and over-engineered projects, grandiose documents, duplication of work, selective reporting of metrics, etc. The few times I had a really good manager, a sane environment, and fulfilling work only lasted until th…

I don't share your experience that work politics have to be a fact of life, but I've worked at mostly smaller companies (non start ups). I think it's probably harder to form cliques at a smaller company where there's less people and everyone kind of knows each other. Maybe something to consider.

I switched from large to small and wish I had done it years ago.

I don’t know if I will ever retire, but I’d rather be poor and retire by voluntary means then have to work at big companies doing hateful work dealing with hateful politics in exchange for my only remaining time on earth.

Re: Ask HN: Burnt out from big tech. What's next?

#168

Post by anonreeeeplor »

2-718-281-828 wrote: post #133
wrechen wrote: post #92

If you are able to, I'd recommend to take a sabbatical. I took 6 months off 9 years ago and I'm still super glad I did. Give your mind some rest and peace, disconnect and everything will follow. If that's not an option, why not join a smaller company where you can work fully remote and only 4 days a week? I have yet to meet somebody that went from 5 to 4 days/week and regretted it. There are so many profitable compan…

I'm on months 10 of my "sabbatical" (deliberate unemployment) and it neither recharged my professional ambitions nor did I manage to come up with any alternative ideas. Feels more like I lost the thread. Not all is bad, though. Learned a lot and matured but jobwise it didn't help much.

Hey, I had a stretch for almost 2 1/2 years where my work and field really no longer interested me.

I had really enjoyed it and then just felt like I had done it all.

It took a completely new market arriving with new technology and a new culture in the environment to finally snap me out of it.

The doldrums were f*cking awful. Eventually I realized I had to quit because I was so chronically unhappy and bored and underutilized.

my curiosity is the only thing that let me know when it was time. I simply couldn’t find anything better until I started fiddling around and fell deep into my side activities and finally had enough and quit.

If you are like me, you may literally have to leave behind an entire career in one market or skillset and plan on another ten year arc in some new growth market where all the fun is.

Financially this has been a heavy burden. I may or may not make it.

Re: Ask HN: Burnt out from big tech. What's next?

#169

Post by anonreeeeplor »

shortcake27 wrote: post #150
sieabahlpark wrote: post #42

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yeah I'm sure everyone can be unemployed for a year straight and live out of their car. That sounds completely reasonable and not absolutely, in any way, privileged or insane.

It is unfathomable to me that you believe living out of a car is privileged. I sleep on a camping mat that’s hard as a rock. I pissed in a bottle last night. My car cost under $3k and campsites are virtually free using DOC pass. Which part exactly of this is privileged?

LOL

Not sure if sophisticated troll but either way it’s hilarious.

Owning things really sucks. I would love to live in a camper van. That would be awesome.

Re: Ask HN: Burnt out from big tech. What's next?

#170

Post by anonreeeeplor »

b20000 wrote: post #162

to be honest i don't understand what the problem is. I never worked at a FAANG so maybe i don't get it or i'm insensitive. you made a shit ton of money. you probably have so much money you can retire. what is your problem? i worked on a startup for 15 years and never got funding despite products an revenue. i'm tired too and i have nothing saved up for retirement and i'm in my 40s. problems are relative ... there are…

I am in similar position. I am half so wealthy I never need to care and half completely broke.

Don’t know which one it is. It’s not liquid.

Depending on if the economy improves could go either way.

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