Don't let LeetCode get you down. Plenty of companies don't do those types of interviews and plenty of really good engineers would suck at it.
Ask HN: Burnt-out, directionless but want to turn it around
101–110 of 521 posts
Re: Ask HN: Burnt-out, directionless but want to turn it around
#102Man, forget about code. You're good on that. What you need is a wife.
Re: Ask HN: Burnt-out, directionless but want to turn it around
#103Anybody in EE or other engineering fields ? Is imposter a thing there too ? It's so strange to see so many programmers recently (including myself) feeling like shit on a daily basis (even taking psychology or emotional context into account). I wonder if it's the never ending lib/framework dance (as opposed to stabler physical laws) or something else ..
Re: Ask HN: Burnt-out, directionless but want to turn it around
#104I was in a similar situation around your age too. I've always suspected I had adhd (suffered in school, never finished a story, etc). I've been on vyvanse+adderall for the past 10 yrs and all I can say is I wish I knew about them before. Going to a doctor and getting checked/tested was the best decision I've made. It gives me focus, motivation, and my output has always been consistent ever since.
I am not saying you have adhd, just sharing my experience and recommending to visit the doctor and get yourself checked. Everyone is different.
P.S I've always maintained a healthy lifestyle, and workout 3 times a week, sleep early(pre/post meds). I've tried everything under the sun but adhd is adhd and the only way to find out is to visit the doctor.
Re: Ask HN: Burnt-out, directionless but want to turn it around
#1051. Take time off, like a month or more. [1] Use it to do anything other than coding. Hone a hobby, travel, volunteer, etc. No-one will care about a month or two gap on your resume. 2. You are worth more than you currently think you are. Internalize this, know this, that is key. "I am a sole developer for Mobile and Web platforms at this startup in a very small team" --> is a desirable skill in and of itself. 3. Stop…
Agree with #1.
HN is the social network for software engineers. Instead of teenage girls staring at a perfect looking tiktok influencer and feeling fat shamed, we are a bunch of typing idiots thinking we aren't good enough to be employed. Imposter syndrome is everywhere here.
Look. 99% people here are just pounding out CRUD apps too -- don't be so hard on yourself. There is a maddening amount of over engineering going on (AKA I am soo hot - look at me in Miami!).
Re: Ask HN: Burnt-out, directionless but want to turn it around
#106Anybody in EE or other engineering fields ? Is imposter a thing there too ? It's so strange to see so many programmers recently (including myself) feeling like shit on a daily basis (even taking psychology or emotional context into account). I wonder if it's the never ending lib/framework dance (as opposed to stabler physical laws) or something else ..
Yeah, it's the same thing with the engineers I know, only for less money, and an order of magnitude more responsibility.
Re: Ask HN: Burnt-out, directionless but want to turn it around
#107Earlier quoted context omitted.
OP didn’t state where they are from, but there are plenty of places where it is extremely hard to fire, even if an employee is consistently underperforming. Not saying that this is the case in this circumstance (I don’t know OP,) but the “you must be good because you lasted 4 years” heuristic doesn’t work that well outside of the US, or similar markets with at-will employment.
if they were sole dev in a startup for four years and couldn't ship software the startup probably wouldn't have lasted the last four years... Or they very quickly wouldn't be the sole full stack dev any more and relegated to some shit job
exactly. 'Shipping' is a very valuable skill not everybody has (and people who do have it undervalue it).
Re: Ask HN: Burnt-out, directionless but want to turn it around
#108Also checkout recurse centre.
https://www.recurse.com/about
Re: Ask HN: Burnt-out, directionless but want to turn it around
#109I'm 22, going through something similar. Been a tech nerd since I was a kid. I don't mind programming, but I can't do it outside my day job anymore. I basically spend all my free time writing, sketching, and going outside. Connecting with life in this way strengthens my mental battery for the challenge of coding.
Re: Ask HN: Burnt-out, directionless but want to turn it around
#110Study leetcode and system design. Interview elsewhere.
It's literally that simple. I'm being extremely honest.