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Ask HN: Burned out 21 year old software developer, what's next?

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Re: Ask HN: Burned out 21 year old software developer, what's next?

#81

Post by richardknop »

Burned out at 21? Too your for that. Most engineers burn out in 30s/40s.

I'd suggest one of:

1) Stop working for startups. Get a job at some boring enterprise company. This might give you a) pay rise (big boring corps pay more than startups) and b) better work life balance

2) college - no reason not to go to college, you are still very young so this is ideal time, it will get harder and harder the older you get

3) travel - I assume you have saved some cash before you have burned out. Take few months off, go travel to some interesting countries, explore the world.

Or any combination of these three would probably work out well for you. Probably best order would be 3), then 2), then 1).

Re: Ask HN: Burned out 21 year old software developer, what's next?

#82

Post by totalZero »

I had something similar.

What I was recommended, which worked for me, was this.

Go do something that has no connection with your career expectations, which can't be justified by any means other than to say, "I did it because I wanted to."

Once you take a moment for yourself, and it soaks in, you will have a better frame of reference to understand the best next step.

Re: Ask HN: Burned out 21 year old software developer, what's next?

#83

Post by Hendrixer »

anko wrote: post #71
HiroshiSan wrote: post #50

Earlier quoted context omitted.

As others have pointed out it's a very expensive place to figure out what you want in life. I feel like figuring out what you want in life is just a product of growing up and being open to different experiences. College is probably a very good bubble to experience a lot of things in a safe environment where room for error is high (and I don't mean not passing your courses). But you could probably replicate this in ot…

dude turn up to random classes! nobody will notice. The chicks doing psychology are amazing.

> dude turn up to random classes! nobody will notice. The chicks doing psychology are amazing.

Re: Ask HN: Burned out 21 year old software developer, what's next?

#85

Post by sekh60 »

Not a dev myself, but my wife is. My wife finds it hard to feel fulfilled and motivated at work unless it involves some sort of cause she believes in. Have you considered working at a Non-Profit based around something important to you? From what I've read at reddit non-profit/charity work can be really fulfilling, but you do have things like shoestring budgets to deal with.

Re: Ask HN: Burned out 21 year old software developer, what's next?

#86

Post by LansanaCamara »

I'm in a similar boat as you. I just turned 22 and have been working as a software developer for the past 3 years as well (interesting coincidence).

I noticed that I get the feeling of "burnout" when I'm doing things I don't enjoy. For instance, I can spend a couple months straight working on fun personal projects of mine all day every day, like the Medium.com clone I built, but if I'm spending two weeks straight fixing other peoples bugs at work I get extremely bored and am always watching the clock, looking forward to going home. I don't enjoy programming in those moments.

I would err on the side of caution when calling this burnout, though, to be honest. I think we are too young and haven't been at it long enough (no matter how dedicated we are) to really feel true burnout. We're just fatigued, demotivated, unexcited and a little annoyed (in my case).

I think a change of pace might help you, as it always helps me. Try doing something really challenging and thought-provoking. Entrepreneurship might be for you! Have you ever considered making your own startup? Got any ideas you've been neglecting? Take one of them on! You never know what might come of it. :)

Lastly, if you think programming in general just isn't for you anymore, but you love technology and would still like to be in the space, another thing you may want to consider is creating content of value for others to use and learn from. For instance, you could start a YouTube channel and talk about tech, crypto, AI, startups, etc.

Good luck!

Re: Ask HN: Burned out 21 year old software developer, what's next?

#88

Post by LansanaCamara »

iopuy wrote: post #46
HiroshiSan wrote: post #41

Here is my advice: Email Derek Sivers. He's helped me in the past, though I didn't listen, deep down in my heart of hearts I know he is right.

For the unenlightened, who is Derek Sivers and what does he do?

Here's a bit of an intro to Derek. This article has helped me go from a hopeless teen to a 22 year old with years of industry experience making 6 figures in tech: https://sivers.org/kimo

Re: Ask HN: Burned out 21 year old software developer, what's next?

#89

Post by 0x4f3759df »

Read some biographies. See what other people have done with their lives, at 21 you have skills and your life is a blank canvas - get excited.

One thing that always seemed neat is to teach English in a foreign country maybe that would be a worthwhile diversion for you.

In terms of tech, the really exiting stuff happens at the edges, which right now is AI, blockchain, web assembly, decentralized systems - find a way to inject yourself into the new and exciting frontiers of tech -- if you are just debugging some enterprise CRUD app, don't blame tech, blame corporate.

Re: Ask HN: Burned out 21 year old software developer, what's next?

#90

Post by skylark »

relyio wrote: post #78
funfunfunction wrote: post #5

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Interesting you mention Berkeley. I was visiting my sister there just this last weekend and have since considered applying. It seemed like a great place with lots of happy young people!

Are you talking about UCB? Nearly all my friends doing EECS or the likes are depressed, swamped with work and borderline suicidal. It has taken such proportions that it has become a meme on the facebook meme page UCBMFET. From what they have told me, their administration has no interest in student satisfaction or mental health. The gruesome workload and collective depression is perhaps only topped by Waterloo. Yeah,…

I went to Cal and saw many of my friends go through the same thing. EECS is one of the most impacted majors, so the weeder introductory classes are brutal by design. For those who made it into the major, it didn't seem nearly as bad.
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