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Ask HN: Why can't I learn anymore?

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

#61

Post by curuinor »

rawoke083600 wrote: post #35

I know exactly what you mean. As a counter point to the many "burnout answers" here which I completely agree with by the way. It could also be an example of "neuroplasticity" (hear me out). I'm 40 and been coding like it feels forever, I find it "relatively easy" to learn new frameworks or languages. What is much harder are new paradigms; example OOP vs functional. The last few months I've started to learn Clojure. M…

I write clojure all day every day for my job. Here's my tips:

1. Get on an nrepl. Not like, the non-text-editor repl, hook your text editor (or Cursive) up to the network repl and start evaluating sexprs from the text editor. doesn't have to be emacs, I do it on vim with conjure all day every day

2. Don't write too many macros

3. Use a lotta let-statements and threading macros (->, ->>, as->, cond->, etc), that's the idiomatic way to be composing a buncha stuff

4. All the async stuff is real good (with perhaps the exception of agents) but it's like a spice, not the main meat, you know?

Clojure is actually a pretty bad language if you write it like Java. You gotta write it like it's the lisp that it is

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

#62

Post by karxxm »

For me, it's not "how" you do it (e.g. which framework). Important is "what" you are doing.

If your new gig is e.g. a random e-commerce software that contributes to the laziness of people or their consumerism, maybe you are the type of person that just don't care for the product, therefore won't put any effort in learning things for that?

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

#63

Post by bennyp101 »

lmarcos wrote: post #59
bennyp101 wrote: post #56

I'm pretty much in the same boat. Mid to late 30s, professional for 15+ years. I've noticed recently that I just don't care about work and technology anymore. I have things that I need to get done, but I'm pulling on that starter cord and the engine is just not firing - no motivation to really do it. I've been chatting to some friends about this, and I've come to the conclusion that I need to make a Dr's appointment…

Not caring about work and just getting things done is what 90% of the population does. Do you really think they all need to check it with the doctor?

No? But I think I do.

I loved coding, I loved my job, I loved technology. Now I don't. I did care about my job, and I wanted to get the projects done, Im just saying that now I find it hard to care about it and actually get those things done.

I was just relaying my experience to OP - I think you might have taken that part of my comment the wrong way.

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

#64

Post by a_c »

It seems to me your career had been focusing on how to get things build. Would you entertain the idea of becoming the guy to come up with ideas "what" to build? Put it other way, to identify "problem" in a more general sense

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

#65

Post by kossTKR »

omnicognate wrote: post #51

Down in the commments [1], OP has said they had COVID earlier this year. There's a strong possibility that the symptom OP is experiencing is "brain fog" due to post-viral syndrome. As a PSA: People are recommending exercise in the comments. If you are experiencing symptoms like OP's, do not start vigorous exercise unless you're sure that post-viral syndrome is not the cause. If you have post-viral syndrome, return to…

I suffer from Post Exertional Malaise but from before Covid. Though Covid has made it worse.

Really a horrible predicament because the more you try, the more you get punished.

Currently thinking about taking a break from running and lifting which is incredibly hard because well, i'm a white collar worker that's already too sedentary.

If you or others have tips to get out of the cycle of crashes please share your tips or sources!

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

#66

Post by fifticon »

I agree with what others say - it sounds like you are running a burn-out schedule, and your body has just informed you it is not designed to function that way. You must get more physical exercise, more rest, and more switching between 'running and not running'. You cannot persist only on 'running/sprinting' activity, it is like teaching a horse not to eat. It will work for a week, then the horse dies of hunger. The rest periods is the 'price' for it being possible to do the sprints. This is why europeans do things like 37h working weeks. It is because if you want to work a human body for 40-50 years (ie 20 to 70), you cannot operate it in a way that ruins it in one or two decades.

Companies like amazon might find it amazing to run people like F1 race cars, where the body stops working after 15 years, but you are not amazon, you a a human ape with needs.

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

#67

Post by mikeruiz »

lmarcos wrote: post #59
bennyp101 wrote: post #56

I'm pretty much in the same boat. Mid to late 30s, professional for 15+ years. I've noticed recently that I just don't care about work and technology anymore. I have things that I need to get done, but I'm pulling on that starter cord and the engine is just not firing - no motivation to really do it. I've been chatting to some friends about this, and I've come to the conclusion that I need to make a Dr's appointment…

Not caring about work and just getting things done is what 90% of the population does. Do you really think they all need to check it with the doctor?

I’ve had useful conversations with my doctor about similar topics. I’ve been perhaps lucky to have exceptional care, but in my case my doctor was able to identify (and help treat) clinical depression.

Misery may be common, but seeking help shouldn’t be discouraged.

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

#68

Post by bruteForeBilly »

I would advise telman17 to immediately go on vacation, at least for three weeks. Don't play a hero, the quicker you address this issue, the less damage you will do to yourself. Don't wait until it's too late. The brain is very fragile, and your livelihood.

Burnout is an awful thing. If your whole life is built around intellectual work, becoming something that has a cognitive ability south of a vegetable is a terrible thing. You lose your identity. The way back from there is long, my friend.

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

#69

Post by bigDinosaur »

This really does sound like burnout. One of the most helpful explanations I found was that burnout isn't just (or even in an individual case, at all) caused by 'working too much'. Instead, it's a mismatch between your values and your work. A classic example is wanting to make a positive change in the world but instead having to wrangle JavaScript frameworks for some incredibly dull (although potentially still valuable to others) business application. Or, alternatively, you know your intelligence could simply be put to better use, or you're simply intensely curious about truly different things for which there is no real current market.

You must take an extended break to reflect on what exactly you want to be doing, where your career needs to go, and so on. I say must because the only alternative is extended burnout and very possibly health and psychological issues. Don't ignore the signs! Doing so always ends badly. If you can't yet due to financial reasons, you simply have to start devising a strategy to do so. Otherwise you're making the best of a bad situation and you'll have to move to coping strategies instead which others have explained in this thread. Such coping strategies can mostly only attenuate the burnout, they probably can't solve it on their own.

Personally I got burnt out from caring too much about something which ultimately was literally the opposite of all my values. I didn't become burned out from working too many hours.

The crucial thing with the 'burnout isn't exclusively from hours worked' realisation is that you can burn out working only 10 hours a week on something if you've come to truly despise it and all it represents.

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

#70

Post by bennysomething »

Yes went through this. Early 30s my dad died, completely changed my view on what I was doing. He was self employed and successful. I started to hate working for someone else. I really started to dislike being a developer. Kept trying to find a way out. Was depressed that being a Dev eats my life, all free time I felt I should be learning technologies Anyway fast forward nearly a decade and I'm really happy in my job. I really appreciate being a developer. It's interesting work. No clock watching waiting to go home etc.

Not sure what changed, maybe I just got older. Maybe I just had a kid. Maybe seeing how crap so many people in the world have it while I sit here and earn good money and have nice co workers. It felt like I went through a mid life crisis in my 30s.

Sorry this isn't an answer, just what I experienced.

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