Ask HN: Why can't I learn anymore?

#1

Post by telman17 » Fri, May 06, 2022, 6:25 AM UTC

I've been a software dev for 15~ years professionally and over the course of my career have moved from front end to full stack and back to front end depending on the project. I make multiple 6 figures and by all accounts could be considered "successful".

My most recent gig after working for years in React and Angular I've had to move to a new framework (Vue) due to project requirements that I did not write. As a senior contributor I'm expected to handle the complex stuff but after five months on the project I feel fatigued - like I just don't care enough to work on this project. I don't know if it's JS framework fatigue or the project itself or even depression. But I feel like after 15 years of doing this I'm getting "dumber" to the point where I question the most basic things in coding. It's rather discouraging.

My boss is pretty cool and has kept an open door to let them know if I want to switch projects but I'm worried (without evidence) that if I say anything I'll be put on something even "harder" when I can't bring myself to write some simple JS these days.

Anyone ever experience this? I'm in my mid 30s.

Re: Ask HN: Why can't I learn anymore?

#2

Post by paktek123 » Fri, May 06, 2022, 6:33 AM UTC

Ive experienced this a few times over my career. Everyone has different reasons but try to find the root reason, is it because the work is not challenging enough? Maybe Project is something you've done many times before or maybe you are simply burnt out. Maybe it's time to try something new?

There are always new things to learn and you've shown that over the years. Once you have the reason you can try to address. It might not be clear, the reason and everything might feel like a drag but try to narrow it down, sharing with a friend/relative/mentor helps.

Re: Ask HN: Why can't I learn anymore?

#3

Post by 5350-uiop-1130 » Fri, May 06, 2022, 6:55 AM UTC

Also 15 years as web/front-end, feel similar. Everything just feels tedious, get irritated by the smallest annoyances.

Think it's time for a career change, no idea what to do. This field has become tediously complex and saturated, no longer have the desire to keep up.

Re: Ask HN: Why can't I learn anymore?

#4

Post by jasfi » Fri, May 06, 2022, 6:56 AM UTC

Try mental math, it gives your brain a good workout. There are apps available for iPhone and Android.

Re: Ask HN: Why can't I learn anymore?

#5

Post by reikonomusha » Fri, May 06, 2022, 6:58 AM UTC

Do you think this is about being unable to learn, or just that you lack incentive? 15 years ago, I presume you weren't getting "multiple 6 figures".

Re: Ask HN: Why can't I learn anymore?

#6

Post by reidrac » Fri, May 06, 2022, 7:00 AM UTC

I haven't been on that exact situation, but close. It has happened to me when I was hired to do X (as an specialist) and that changed substantially when the project got binned after 4 months and was asked to change language and stack. I wasn't as proficient as I would have liked and wasn't really excited about it.

I don't know if this applies to you, so please remember this is an stranger on the Internet sharing an experience and not advice.

In my case if is just a project, I get on with it because when is done I can move to something more exciting or inspiring and that's my motivation to move forward. If it is just what I can expect of that role from that point on, I look for a change (move to a different team perhaps, or just change jobs).

It also helps me if I can do something different at home, in my free time. It has to be challenging and exciting, because otherwise the negative mood from work can take over and nothing will happen (and may make things worse; e.g. guilt for not working on that personal project).

Re: Ask HN: Why can't I learn anymore?

#7

Post by pacifika » Fri, May 06, 2022, 7:00 AM UTC

In my experience it’s that I tend to forget the first half of the learning curve and bring expectations and assumptions to the subject which I didn’t have when I first started my career.

Just like when learning a new spoken language resulted in me having two worlds of understanding and only later built the mappings between the two, which is why jargon is such a challenge.

So I try and learn without productivity and external expectations and by using curiousity.

Re: Ask HN: Why can't I learn anymore?

#8

Post by philgnou » Fri, May 06, 2022, 7:02 AM UTC

this may be the first sign of a burn out or depression - stop for a while and dream, look at other languages

Re: Ask HN: Why can't I learn anymore?

#9

Post by dm319 » Fri, May 06, 2022, 7:05 AM UTC

I find if my work doesnt fascinate me, it becomes hard to be good at it.

Re: Ask HN: Why can't I learn anymore?

#10

Post by kossTKR » Fri, May 06, 2022, 7:09 AM UTC

This must be very common right now?

I'm at the exact same point with Vue3. 10+ years of experience, created two fulls stacks sass'es as a Tech Lead but i feel so slow learning this new stuff.

Just installed a starter kit and been endlessly fiddling with a simple test frontend and couldn't get basic reactivity to work. I feel the documentation is riddled with advanced concepts and everything is way, WAY more complex than it has to be and there's no diagrams of the lifecycles and dataflow or what actually happens from user interaction to screen print - it's like theres a million steps now in a black box both in the build and on the user end. So many concepts, tools and atomisations to do rather simple things.

Hope its just lockdown-world fatigue that will heal or that these new conventions will "click" soon.