Live data from Hacker News

Ask HN: Burnt-out, directionless but want to turn it around

news.ycombinator.com

331–340 of 521 posts

Re: Ask HN: Burnt-out, directionless but want to turn it around

#331
post #258

> I've always failed to come up with a solution from scratch of my own and provide any value. I've always wondered how other smart people are able to come up with libraries, services and various solutions from scratch. Nobody does. Everybody builds on stuff that existed before. Even Tim Berners-Lee's idea for the Web was based on lots of previous ideas. > I've already wasted my entire teens and 20s, current 28 years…

Another thing to add to your excellent advice is that when you're young, failing is easier. You don't suffer as many negative consequences and they're less severe than later in life, people are more understanding (jr. devs are supposed to fail) and it's just generally much easier to bounce back.

Re: Ask HN: Burnt-out, directionless but want to turn it around

#332

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I would agree for small gaps. But I think it's at least somewhat understandable why a significant gap would be a concern. With the pace technology moves at, if you have not been working for an extended period of time, it's reasonable that you might have fallen behind. Certainly this shouldn't be reason in itself to reject a candidate and it at least somewhat depends on what you were doing during that time, but I find…

I worked a corporate job for several years where I pretty much learned nothing. As far as my skills go, the end result was almost no different to not working at all.

I'd second that. "Classical companies" are rarely-ever at the forefront of technology, even if they are technology companies themselves.

It's a broad statement, so keep it in context. Examples: Think, Apple has had the iPhone out since 2008 now. Working there on the iPhone 16 HW / SW specs or the M3 processor design may well be cutting-edge stuff, but working there as SRE for the App Store infrastructure is likely "an SRE job with some legacy in it". And working on their developer infrastructure, devtools / CI etc, very very likely is full of "proprietary dead ends" (i.e. tech noone outside the AAPL orchard will use or have use for). A Wall Street bank, once above a certain size, is going to adopt tech more slowly - much of their proprietary software stack is likely still in C++ / Java where a five-year-old small trading house may have written all that in Rust.

I've had jobs at such "S&P 500" corporates in the past; I wouldn't say "I learned nothing" - I learned how to navigate companies. Call it "coping strategies" if you like. It still helps to get stuff done knowing how-to-do-it on a procedural level - or via human-interaction. Tech-wise ... regretted some of these. My experience, though, is that one can "come back".

"Just" keep the ambition under control that you need to know everything, and need to be able to do everything. Today's "tech stacks" have so many parts in it that are out of your control and that you cannot inspect - the sheer will to "rule them all" will burn you. It's easier said then done, but: know your limits. Everyone has them. You'll recognize the "boasters" soon enough, those that claim they can rule it all.

Re: Ask HN: Burnt-out, directionless but want to turn it around

#333

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> No-one will care about a month or two gap on your resume. On a related note, this "gap in resume" thing needs to stop being a thing at all. I don't know when it became a thing, but it feels distinctively like forcing a wage slave class to keep their head down and continue wageslaving. Why would an employer care whether I took time off to pursue other things otherwise?

I've taken multiple six month stints off, and in the UK no one has ever asked about it.

And if you feel self-concious about it, just write „freelance projects“ and in the ultra slim case someone still inquires about that telling them point blank you‘d love to divulge it because it was a very interesting project, but you‘re bound by an NDA.

Re: Ask HN: Burnt-out, directionless but want to turn it around

#334
Whenever in doubt of knowing what the next step is, work on yourself.

Work less at work and more on you.

Do less with friends/family and more with yourself.

There is more to life than just being good at programming. Start finding those things and making them a regular thing in your life.

Whatever you’re going through, just know that you’re enough and always will be.

Re: Ask HN: Burnt-out, directionless but want to turn it around

#335

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Trust me they don't. I've had all sorts of gaps in my career. 6 months, 1 year and more, to explore different domains. I'm in computer graphics/front end, pretty fast paced. Nobody ever asked. Please, never feel guilty about taking a single month off. If your body needs rest, you need to listen to it.

Yeah, all you have to do is say "I took a year off to tend to personal family matters," and they should hear "none of your damn business" loud and clear or they don't understand boundaries, in which case they're disqualified from employing you.

You have to be careful with this one. "Family matters" can raise a flag if it's an ongoing issue. You're trying not to look like you're going to be a problem employee, as much as that should or shouldn't be a thing.

I think the proper answer is "I just took some time off between jobs." Sounds fine, sounds like you took advantage of an opportunity, and doesn't sound like you're somebody that had a hard time finding a job.

Re: Ask HN: Burnt-out, directionless but want to turn it around

#336
post #263

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Quick question, if I may... Of the horrible devs that you can think of, how many of them would reach out and say that they're horrible (or make a post like this) vs how many of them think they're great/superstars? :) Certainly makes me think of the Dunning-Kruger effect!

I think many "great" programmers also have plenty of flaws. Nobody is perfect. As long as you can make stuff that works, that's good. Some people will be better at some things, some will be worse. Focus on the stuff you're good at. Work on the stuff you want to be better at. But stop trying to be a superstar. We're all stuck between Dunning-Kruger and the Impostor Syndrome, but we make it work.

[deleted]

Re: Ask HN: Burnt-out, directionless but want to turn it around

#338
post #263

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Quick question, if I may... Of the horrible devs that you can think of, how many of them would reach out and say that they're horrible (or make a post like this) vs how many of them think they're great/superstars? :) Certainly makes me think of the Dunning-Kruger effect!

I think many "great" programmers also have plenty of flaws. Nobody is perfect. As long as you can make stuff that works, that's good. Some people will be better at some things, some will be worse. Focus on the stuff you're good at. Work on the stuff you want to be better at. But stop trying to be a superstar. We're all stuck between Dunning-Kruger and the Impostor Syndrome, but we make it work.

Completely agree :)

Re: Ask HN: Burnt-out, directionless but want to turn it around

#339
post #268

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> No-one will care about a month or two gap on your resume. On a related note, this "gap in resume" thing needs to stop being a thing at all. I don't know when it became a thing, but it feels distinctively like forcing a wage slave class to keep their head down and continue wageslaving. Why would an employer care whether I took time off to pursue other things otherwise?

> On a related note, this "gap in resume" thing needs to stop being a thing at all. I think that at least in tech it was only ever a thing in companies that didn't know better. I mean, I throughout my career I was fired multiple times and at least twice that resulted in a 3-month gap, only one of them being voluntarily that long. I now take them on purpose and collected a total of five over the course of 10+ years. I…

My last job search it came up a lot. I took about 8 months then started looking. Because I could at that time. Since it was the current thing I was doing it came up a decent amount.

Took probably double the amount of time to get a job. I finally asked someone why they cared? They said it looks like others were passing me up for some reason and they did not want to pick someone up who everyone else was passing up.

Hiring in many ways is a guess if you can stand to work with someone or not. Being in any way undesirable hurts you.

Re: Ask HN: Burnt-out, directionless but want to turn it around

#340

1. Take time off, like a month or more. [1] Use it to do anything other than coding. Hone a hobby, travel, volunteer, etc. No-one will care about a month or two gap on your resume. 2. You are worth more than you currently think you are. Internalize this, know this, that is key. "I am a sole developer for Mobile and Web platforms at this startup in a very small team" --> is a desirable skill in and of itself. 3. Stop…

> No-one will care about a month or two gap on your resume. On a related note, this "gap in resume" thing needs to stop being a thing at all. I don't know when it became a thing, but it feels distinctively like forcing a wage slave class to keep their head down and continue wageslaving. Why would an employer care whether I took time off to pursue other things otherwise?

>Why would an employer care whether I took time off to pursue other things otherwise?

I agree, and if they do?

I'm not telling you to lie on your resume, but...have a good story to tell about what you during that time off. If that doesn't cut it, you're probably not dealing with a company with a good culture.

Post reply on HN