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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?

#11
post #3

Take some time off. You should sit down and work out what you really value. The definition of burnout is when you force yourself to work on something that you don’t see the value in. When you know what you really value then make steps toward experiencing those values in your every day life. This doesn’t just go for work but every part of your life.

That’s not the definition of burnout, that’s just being uninspired. Burnout is a combination of cynicism, depression, and lethargy that can come from failing to maintain a healthy life/work balance. (I’ve experienced burnout at a job I loved.)

Can you go into more detail on your experience with burnout? I’d like to understand how it came about for you.

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

#13
I was in your position a few years ago. A year older than you, I left my job completely, moved to a new city (SF) and live a fantastic new life. What you need is to find your people, be among peers who you respect and feel good about what you do.

The Bay Area is the place to be, if you're not there.

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

#14
Hey there. I'd like to make two suggestions: find a therapist, and go to a meditation retreat. As for the later, I can strongly recommend a 10-day Vipassana retreat - I believe the nearest center to you is in North Fork, CA. Check it out at dhamma.org. It won't be relaxing, but it will help you practice putting things down.

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

#15
College college college college. Your 20s are when you figure out what you want to do. College is expensive but a great way to dabble in tons of stuff, socialize, and get ready for the next step. Being 21 isn't too late, plenty of people go to college at 21-22 after stints in the military. You'll be popular as you'll be able to buy your friends beer (legal disclaimer: don't do that).

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

#16
post #13

I was in your position a few years ago. A year older than you, I left my job completely, moved to a new city (SF) and live a fantastic new life. What you need is to find your people, be among peers who you respect and feel good about what you do. The Bay Area is the place to be, if you're not there.

Wow. I also live in a city where tech is not popular. How many people here have found the same thing when moving to SF?

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

#17
I have had this experience many times in my life. I noticed that I feel burned out only when I am doing something that I don't enjoy. If I work on something that I am extremely passionate about, I can withstand stress and work long hours without feeling burned out.

I think most people underestimate the value of doing nothing. Seriously do nothing for sometime. It maybe a week or a month. Just travel, eat, drink, sleep, etc., You will start feeling yourself back in no time. Once you feel normal, realize that you need frequent breaks to maintain that state of mind. Now that you have an experience of burnout, you have an opportunity to not repeat that again.

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

#18
A big thing not mentioned yet in the comments is to figure out exactly what's burning you out.

Is it the work?

Is it the people?

Is it the office?

Is it the commute?

Is it the structure of the day?

Find out exactly what it is that's actually burning you out.

Some of these can be solved by becoming a remote worker (which comes with its own cast of problems). If you can snag a remote job you can do things like remote year (remoteyear.com (I think)), which sounds like something perfect for a 21 year old interested in experiencing new things (while making money instead of taking loans!).

On the other hand if it's the work in general then college may be a good step. That being said, I'm not as certain how to combat long term dissatisfaction with work. At the end of the day a lot of our job is doing the same sort of shit of over and over again. Wire this up here, move this button there, get this data heah, color this that there ova hea.

It's kind of a grind for a lot of us I think but it's still pretty interesting stuff to be doing with decent amounts of satisfaction to be found through out our projects.

Finally, if you're filled with emotions you'd like to get out, don't be afraid to go see a therapist. Having someone to talk to, who can get to know you, and work with you overtime isn't necessarily always just for the depressed.

Burnout sucks, it's real, there's no pill for it. Use all the tools available to you to combat it. Don't make rash decisions. Do write in a notebook and sit quietly for introspection. Do spend time figuring out the what, where, why, when, and how. Do consider all available options.

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

#19
Contrarian advice:

- do not analyze why you burned out, as it is because you feel ontologically 'incomplete', or insecure. you can't make meaning of a lack of meaning from the same position of a lack of meaning. so, you will need to bounce this off of/through others acting as nonjudgmental conversationalists

- if you do feel incomplete in this way, seeking internal answers/finding your "real self"/learning who you "really are" will only become a Sisyphean task/disaster

- don't wait for your desire to come back, it's an unobtainable, by design - see Lacan, or if that's unreasonable, just listen to the rolling stones: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nrIPxlFzDi0

- don't care too much about others over yourself: this is what leads to burnout

- if you get rid of your phantasies, you won't get reality: you'll get something worse than reality. so retain your dreams, and keep looking for new ones, as dreams and fantasies are really the only way to get into reality..

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

#20
post #10
post #7

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I do not think you can apply now as a freshman. That day came and went 3+ years ago. Your route would be through junior college. It's a fine route. Dunno where you live but go to JC. Consider moving to where there's a good JC. Kill it. Start slow, take a couple of classes and slaughter them. You need a minimum number of credits to transfer and there's a maximum as well. Berkeley has one application per year, in the F…

This is absolutely wrong, you can definitely apply to any college you want at any age you want, I went to an Ivy League school and had classmates that were in their mid 20s/30s. I agree that going to college is absolutely the right advice -- but since you already have technical skills, I would study something other than CS, depending on your interests. You have the skills, and the breadth of a more diverse education…

Programming skills is not the same as CS degree
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