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Ask HN: Burnt-out, directionless but want to turn it around

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Re: Ask HN: Burnt-out, directionless but want to turn it around

#311

Post by dpwm »

bosquero wrote: post #287
dpwm wrote: post #282

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> 1. Take time off, like a month or more. [1] Use it to do anything other than coding. Hone a hobby, travel, volunteer, etc. I really recommend the volunteering, especially if in a field unrelated to your career and more aligned with your values. Not only is it a great way to get to know people, it can really give you a better sense of what skills you can bring. You will make even more of an impact if you do bring a…

Making some assumptions here but I feel that you (and people in the US in general) downplay the benefits of travel. To me, volunteering in this case would just be..more work?

I'm actually in France, but I agree with travel being great. I haven't traveled as much as I'd have liked to, and I have committments that make travel more difficult than when I was in my twenties.

For me, personally, volunteering in a small association has had a life-changing impact to me in a month.

Re: Ask HN: Burnt-out, directionless but want to turn it around

#312

Post by swiftcoder »

qkls wrote: post #303
AlecSchueler wrote: post #283

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Curious what you would consider an illegitimate career break?

Substance abuse related career breaks. At least recent.

Hang on, you are going to penalise someone for taking time off to get clean... presumably on the basis that it's better they come to work hiding the fact that they are high, than that they get help?

Re: Ask HN: Burnt-out, directionless but want to turn it around

#313

Post by dougabug »

throw2022bbb wrote: post #124

Your brain fog issue could be medically caused. I certainly had that problem in my 20s. Coming from a poorer background I was infected with Helicobacter Pylori (like 70% of world population). For years I couldn't beat brain fog no matter what I did (special diets, exercise, meditation etc.). Doctors kept telling me I'm having these issues cause I stressed a lot and I believed them and went through college and first j…

Good point. Persistent brain fog shouldn’t be taken lightly, it might result from underlying (treatable) health issues. Regardless of what career I chose, the ability to focus and think clearly are fundamental to my personal quality of life. I would search for answers if I found myself struggling to concentrate effectively. Must agree with the people saying, “Look after your health first.”

To the OP, sounds like you need a new job, the current one is not meeting your needs. Don’t be afraid of change, sounds like your compensation is unlikely to be significantly lower, and there’s meaningful possibility of upside in terms of job satisfaction and career development. You need quality mentorship, which appears to be lacking at your current employment. Your manager’s role is to help you get better at your job.

Without focus and confidence, it’s hard to imagine becoming highly skilled at anything. At the same time, realistic assessment of where you currently stand in your skills is vital to improvement. That’s where solid mentorship can make a major difference.

Re: Ask HN: Burnt-out, directionless but want to turn it around

#316

Post by swiftcoder »

feanaro wrote: post #200
colanderman wrote: post #9

1. 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…

> No-one will care about a month or two gap on your resume. On a related note, this "gap in resume" thing needs to stop being a thing at all. I don't know when it became a thing, but it feels distinctively like forcing a wage slave class to keep their head down and continue wageslaving. Why would an employer care whether I took time off to pursue other things otherwise?

> Why would an employer care whether I took time off to pursue other things otherwise?

Many (questionable) reasons, but among other things, it's a convenient way to exclude women trying to return to the workforce after they took time off to have kids, without overtly appearing to discriminate.

Re: Ask HN: Burnt-out, directionless but want to turn it around

#317

Post by nurettin »

finikytou wrote: post #224
feanaro wrote: post #200

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> No-one will care about a month or two gap on your resume. On a related note, this "gap in resume" thing needs to stop being a thing at all. I don't know when it became a thing, but it feels distinctively like forcing a wage slave class to keep their head down and continue wageslaving. Why would an employer care whether I took time off to pursue other things otherwise?

trust me they care. especially in a fast moving technology space like cloud, k8s, ML. if you are hired for COBOL yes sure a gap wont matter

Problem solving requirements don't just disappear once you fire up jupyter notebook or set up minikube.

Re: Ask HN: Burnt-out, directionless but want to turn it around

#318

Post by RektBoy »

>I've put in countless hours of work every day (70-90 hrs), being on-call almost 24/7, sometimes for straight 7 days for months despite only getting paid on a salary basis on 40 hr work weeks; being a loner helps with working long hours.

This sounds ridiculous to me. Are you from US?

EU here, 40hrs work week, 5weeks paid leave, paid sick days. After hours I'm turning my phone off, everything extra they must pay me money, like weekends are double my hourly rate, or it's illegal for them and people have no problem to call inspection on companies, then they can expect big fine.

Your situation looks like slave labor to me...

(of course, on top of my salary I do contract work for fun, for even better money, sometimes in my work hours, if everything is done, hh)

Re: Ask HN: Burnt-out, directionless but want to turn it around

#319

Post by meigwilym »

Work to live or live to work?

You feel like this because your job is slowly killing you.

Stop working overtime and weekends, and find things to do instead. This won't be an overnight thing, so take your time.

If your job pressures you back into previous patterns, explain to them your situation. If they're still pressuring you, tell them you'll have to start job hunting before they decided to fire you.

You're in a good position in life. 28 is not much, I would have been very pleased to be in a similar situation at that age. Good luck.

Re: Ask HN: Burnt-out, directionless but want to turn it around

#320

Post by zmxz »

madeofpalk wrote: post #306
feanaro wrote: post #200

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> No-one will care about a month or two gap on your resume. On a related note, this "gap in resume" thing needs to stop being a thing at all. I don't know when it became a thing, but it feels distinctively like forcing a wage slave class to keep their head down and continue wageslaving. Why would an employer care whether I took time off to pursue other things otherwise?

I've taken multiple six month stints off, and in the UK no one has ever asked about it.

I'm in management, writing to confirm this. I've seen many CV's, many gaps, never asked about it, I don't even assume why it happened.

Burnout is a known problem in our profession, I approach people with open mind, I experienced burnout myself and taking time off is desirable for mental health.

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