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Ask HN: About to have a child, completely burnt out at my job, what do I do?

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51–60 of 110 posts

Re: Ask HN: About to have a child, completely burnt out at my job, what do I do?

#51
This is a hot take from another new parent.

Let them fire you and collect unemployment while you recover. Go get a survival job that’s covers insurance and rent if needed. Sell stuff, get rid of your extra car etc. Your goal is to survive the next year with your baby and partner.

You need to forget about work, the most important thing will be helping your partner. It’s easy for fathers to conveniently choose to work (or stress over work- be present, fuck work!) while the mother bears the burden. Having a job is not an excuse to be lazy or to avoid responsibility for the child. My brother’s both took the easy way out, letting their wife’s become the childcare leader, shouldering the emotional burden, and their wives have to plan/delegate everything. That has fostered resentment and eroded their relationships.

The next year is going to be super challenging but you will grow new muscles, the baby will settle into a rhythm and you’ll be able to poke your head up to find a better job. In the grand scheme, you can write code and you’ll be middle class (or better). A 1 year gap is not going to break you.

Re: Ask HN: About to have a child, completely burnt out at my job, what do I do?

#52
post #3

Relax, you will be fine. Everyone is scared before they have kids and then it all works out, there are a couple of billion kids on this world, how hard can it be.

Right? People make it seem like having a child is THE trial of life. Chill out and enjoy, folks. They are much more resilient than we think and our ability to mold them into something we consider positive is veeeery limited. They are going to be whatever they are going to be; your style of parenting doesn't really matter much.

Re: Ask HN: About to have a child, completely burnt out at my job, what do I do?

#53
Congratulations! Allow yourself to be excited about your baby. All they need at first is food, sleep, and clean diapers. They will fill you with joy that you've never experienced before.

Work will seem ever more trivial. Allow that as well, it is trivial. Now that you have a baby to take care of, you can worry less about taking care of your boss, and the wealth they need you to create for them, and the vacations they need you to pay for them, and the big house they need you to build for them, etc. Let them sucker some other young engineer into building their dreams.

You are the result of an unbroken line of millions of years of successful reproduction. You are the product of an uncountable quantity of computation and evolution. The power and intelligence behind you is infinitely greater than the obstacles that lay before you.

Re: Ask HN: About to have a child, completely burnt out at my job, what do I do?

#54

Send me your resume and I will help you polish it up. There are also free training courses you can take that I can point you to. w.a.barnhill@gmail.com and put GiftedZebra in the subject. FWIW, I've got 20+ years as a software engineer working for large consulting companies. If it's not clear, this is free, no strings attached. This is also a thing for you, as an expectant parent so hopefully I won't get flooded with…

May I email you a few resume questions too? I am in a pickle myself as a SE, and struggling to get out. (I won't email you without your permission, and if you are not interested, I will take no offense.)

Re: Ask HN: About to have a child, completely burnt out at my job, what do I do?

#55

Dude! Congrats! This is a magical time. Don't waste it by worrying. Stay at your job. Milk them for whatever paternity leave they will give you. And if you announce you are going on a long paternity leave, they are not going to fire you right before you leave. DO NOT SWITCH JOBS NOW. When the hospital sends you the bill - argue, argue, argue. They did stupid stuff to us like bill both my wife and the child for all th…

Just to add another data point. This last year due to the shortage, we’re spending 200/mo on formula alone.

Re: Ask HN: About to have a child, completely burnt out at my job, what do I do?

#56
Try to worry a little less. You obviously cannot and will not stop worrying (welcome to parenthood!). But remember that far less well equipped people than you have been figuring it all out for thousands of years. You will too.

Ask for paternity and flexible hours. Work less, and care less about work. If you lose your job, you will get another one. Ask family and friends for help if you really need it. Do not worry about the future. One step at a time, one bridge at a time. It will all work out.

Re: Ask HN: About to have a child, completely burnt out at my job, what do I do?

#59
post #4

It's OK, just pull your strap, man. A happy childhood will not buy itself. Having children ought to be hard, otherwise population of Earth would grow much faster.

While true in itself I find that it is mean to say this to someone who is going through a crisis. Having children is not easy but not super hard either if as a parent you have things in order. However, sometimes without doing anything wrong things go off track. I burned out in the past and while at it , it felt like a place of no return. I now look at it from a place of insight, I learnt to never go down that path ag…

> Having children is not easy but not super hard either if as a parent you have things in order.

I wish it to be super hard and not cool tbh. If you want to get that kind of coolness then go 996 and stop complaining, please. Somebody might be disgusted about overpopulation of the Earth, btw.

Re: Ask HN: About to have a child, completely burnt out at my job, what do I do?

#60
After being a long time lurker on this forum , I felt compelled to leave a comment as I found myself in a very similar situation.

Background : Was burnt out having spent ten years working in a FAANG company, father was undergoing treatment for cancer and my wife was due with twin boys!

Couple of thoughts:

Talk to friends: Two months before the boys were due - I sent a text to three of closest friends to say that I was feeling overwhelmed by life and needed to chat to someone. This was by far the best thing I did . They had great advice but more importantly I was able to get my concerns out in the air and examine them in the cold light of day. If you are not comfortable talking to a friend , reach out to a therapist or even a helpline. It really is good to talk.

Take to mgmt in another department or in your industry: Taking a step back and thinking about your scenario from the company's perspective. Talk to managers in other departments or outside your company to discuss how best to manage this situation. They will give you a steer on how best to navigate this scenario for your mutual benefit. For example if you know you are expecting a child - have a plan in place for how you will ensure your work can be completed in your absence , who could take over etc. Have a plan and communicate that plan on a regular basis.

Priorities your family / depriortise work : For me I made the decision to move horizontal and to put off making a significant career move for a year. Making the decision not to make a change freed me from the background stress of feeling I was stuck. If you can - take what ever time is available for you to be with your family.

Cut yourself some slack - Before the boys arrived I trained everyday, went to the theatre , did self study and had a number of commitments outside of the house. I decided to depriortise a number of things and dial down the pressure I was putting on myself.

Surf the wave: By nature I am a problem solver but something's can't be solved in the short term or require trade offs in the long term. During the most stressful periods I visualised myself surfing the wave ! If I tried to fight it , I would be crushed - but by going with the flow and enjoying the ride - it helped me cope.

Finally - here is the secret no one tells you. We are all laughably under prepared ! I was worried about not being the type of father I had but what you realises is Parenthood is a journey not a destination . You learn on the job.

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