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Ask HN: Career Burnout Looking for Options

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Re: Ask HN: Career Burnout Looking for Options

#21

Post by amerkhalid »

leakycap wrote: post #5

If you only had 1 year left to live, what would you do? Do that. If it gets old, switch gears immediately. As far as we all know, today could be the last for any of us. Less planning, more living/doing/going.

Another question to ask is what you’d do when you retire. This really helped me figure out what to focus on now.

Questions like “what would you do if you won the lottery” feel too unrealistic, so I would just dream about wild startup ideas.

The “one year left to live” question is better than the lottery question, but thinking about retirement may provide another perspective.

Re: Ask HN: Career Burnout Looking for Options

#24

Post by moomoo11 »

Do a lifestyle startup? Your terms, one man shop type shit.

Or become a consultant?

I’m sure there are things you’re passionate about (doesn’t have to be tech only, maybe you’re a hobbyist carpenter) and know deeply that you can share (for a price) with others.

Re: Ask HN: Career Burnout Looking for Options

#25

Post by pixelready »

I think Hashimoto has the right idea with Ghostty. If you have the financial / time freedom (and the spousal support) to tinker with a passion project, that seems like a great way to spend your time and skills without commercial pressures contributing to burnout.

I always like Neal Stephenson’s approach with his Sci-Fi novels too. Most of them have a central conceit based around a topic he wanted to learn more about (linguistics, nanotech, cryptography, etc…), so in essence writing the novel was just an excuse to obsess about that topic for a while.

Re: Ask HN: Career Burnout Looking for Options

#27

Post by sph »

leakycap wrote: post #19
ultrasounder wrote: post #17

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Thanks for the book recommendation. Seems like an interesting book. Have seen it recommended a few times here in HN already

Be aware it is extremely god-based in an unnerving way if you're not into religion. There are many alternatives if you don't want to go through a faith-based reboot.

Care to share these non-religious alternatives?

Re: Ask HN: Career Burnout Looking for Options

#28

Post by sph »

moomoo11 wrote: post #24

Do a lifestyle startup? Your terms, one man shop type shit. Or become a consultant? I’m sure there are things you’re passionate about (doesn’t have to be tech only, maybe you’re a hobbyist carpenter) and know deeply that you can share (for a price) with others.

I did for a while, then I burned out of that, too.

A one man software business is very unlike being a craftsman; the work becomes a small part compared to having to do marketing, public relations, accounting, management (of external contractors to whom you hopefully delegate some work load). The problem also is that software never ends.

I figured I like being a craftsman, an artisan on well-defined projects that have a start and a natural end; not a salesman that also needs to find time to work on their eternally-growing product.

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