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Ask HN: How to deal with losing interest in your passion?

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Re: Ask HN: How to deal with losing interest in your passion?

#61

Post by jdrake3 »

k3n wrote: post #53
reverend_gonzo wrote: post #7

Take a break. I had the same thing when I was 25. I ended up quitting my job and buying a one-way ticket to Europe. I didn't think I would ever write code again. I spent about three months backpacking Europe, then came back and spent a few more hanging around and doing odd jobs around town. Eventually, I started code in my free time again, and about a year later, came back into the profession refreshed. Now I know wh…

Same question I asked below, but: how did you play it on your resume? Did you just put "hiking in Europe", etc.? I'd love to do something like this, but I'm fearful what kind of damage it'd have on my resume.

I believe that the answers to the following SO question may provide some insight: http://programmers.stackexchange.com/questions/47979/how-to-...

Specifically:

- Don't rationalize. - Don't be overly emotional about it. - Demonstrate your technical skills

Re: Ask HN: How to deal with losing interest in your passion?

#62

Post by wccrawford »

outworlder wrote: post #36
peteforde wrote: post #33

I went through the same thing you're describing, and I came to a very simple conclusion (in hindsite) that the other commenters haven't touched upon. I quietly suspect that I'm right, and it makes me sad that it feels like such a dirty secret. When I was a kid, I loved coding. From the ages of 6-19 I didn't really want to do anything as much as hack on cool projects. The only thing that would make my life perfect — o…

This. From time to time, I say that 'the worst thing I've done was to turn a hobby into work'. It it not strictly true, there are worse things I could be doing instead. But I have lost some of the that initial spark.

On the other hand, I'm exactly the opposite.

I started learning to program in the 3rd grade. From there, it was a hobby. Come time for college, I decide I don't want to do that a job because I don't want to ruin my hobby.

Fast forward 10 years, and I finally decide I need a career, not a job. I look at my skills and decide that programming is the only one worth doing.

Turns out, I love programming more than ever now! It was absolutely a mistake for me to try to avoid it. I'm better at it than ever, and I can do more things than ever.

I still, sometimes, do it as a hobby. So in that respect, yes, it kind of killed my hobby. But I have that fun at work now, and I get to do other hobbies at home. It's a positive thing all around.

The key is that my job isn't the soul-sucking variety. I work in a positive atmosphere and (mostly) on projects that I enjoy. I'm valued, and my employers prove it by paying me what I'm worth as well as having great benefits.

Re: Ask HN: How to deal with losing interest in your passion?

#63

Post by domokun1979 »

Similar story but unlike the brave travellers in this thread, I switched to a related profession instead.

I was a Search Engine Optimser and worked for several large companies and agencies, leading teams and getting results. Over the course of about 12 months, I felt my passion fade, wither and then die.

I (wrongly) decided to keep focused on the money and was able to extend my career by about 18months. 18 miserable, unsatisying months.

Knowing that I like the web and feel like I know what works, over the course of several months I developed a sideline in WordPress development. I then slowly built this sideline into an income that would help me ditch SEO for good. It's now what I do full time.

So my advice is this: Be truthful to yourself, if you don't have the passion, don't stick it out hoping it'll come back. Change track, take a break, do something unexpected to give you a refresh/restart If you have responsibilities, try to develop a side project, or several, to give yourself a new direction

Re: Ask HN: How to deal with losing interest in your passion?

#64

Post by SatvikBeri »

peteforde wrote: post #33

I went through the same thing you're describing, and I came to a very simple conclusion (in hindsite) that the other commenters haven't touched upon. I quietly suspect that I'm right, and it makes me sad that it feels like such a dirty secret. When I was a kid, I loved coding. From the ages of 6-19 I didn't really want to do anything as much as hack on cool projects. The only thing that would make my life perfect — o…

Most scientific research on this topic agrees with the self-determination framework. That says that in order to enjoy doing an activity for a long time, you have to have:

1. Autonomy. The feeling of freedom and control over your work.

2. Mastery. The feeling that you're good at what you do and getting better.

3. Relatedness. The feeling that you're working with people you like.

When you're doing something on the side, you almost always have all of the above. When you start a job doing something, you almost always lose all of the above.

The real question is how to gain Autonomy, Mastery, and Relatedness at a job. It's not impossible by any means. But it does frame the question differently, since those 3 traits are often more critical to enjoying your day-to-day life than exactly which field you work in.

For a very good book that goes into much more detail, see So Good They Can't Ignore You by Cal Newport.

(I went through a very similar experience with losing interest in a field I loved because I "had to" do it. Working on gaining control over my career completely rekindled my love for the subject, stronger than ever).

Re: Ask HN: How to deal with losing interest in your passion?

#65

Post by nsheridan »

I lost interested in everything for.. a while, right around when I was diagnosed with depression. After eventually getting on the right brain medicine, I found my desire to work on the things I enjoy came back with a vengeance. Now I just need to make sure it doesn't happen again :)

Re: Ask HN: How to deal with losing interest in your passion?

#66

Post by XEKEP »

k3n wrote: post #51
peacemaker wrote: post #46

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This is the best advice here. I got incredibly fed up with my programming career after about 5 years or so. I went off and traveled around the world for a year, met my wife, opened a coffee shop, spent a winter at a ski resort and freelanced in Tanzania (on Zanzibar). After all that I found I missed programming, and realized what things I didn't like about my career choice, such as long meetings, boring projects and…

How did you play it on your resume? I know in some circles, having a lapse in employment in your resume is about like having a lapse in insurance coverage; e.g. it's a red flag and can really hurt your chances of getting the job (economy notwithstanding).

Use this a filter! If you want a happy career, you should not be wasting your precious time in places suspicious of a gap in employment.

Re: Ask HN: How to deal with losing interest in your passion?

#67

Post by thejteam »

hluska wrote: post #50

TL;DR - Aging is weird, but it beats the alternative. Other commenters are giving you excellent advice about burnout. I agree with what they say, but want to toss in a different perspective. When I was in Grade 9, there was a hip hop group called Kris Kross. At the time, I thought they were great. So great, that I went out and bought their CD, put it on repeat and listened to it for weekend long BBS marathon. Today,…

Great. Now I have Kriss Kross running through my head. Thanks a lot.

Re: Ask HN: How to deal with losing interest in your passion?

#68

Post by kamaal »

peacemaker wrote: post #46
reverend_gonzo wrote: post #7

Take a break. I had the same thing when I was 25. I ended up quitting my job and buying a one-way ticket to Europe. I didn't think I would ever write code again. I spent about three months backpacking Europe, then came back and spent a few more hanging around and doing odd jobs around town. Eventually, I started code in my free time again, and about a year later, came back into the profession refreshed. Now I know wh…

This is the best advice here. I got incredibly fed up with my programming career after about 5 years or so. I went off and traveled around the world for a year, met my wife, opened a coffee shop, spent a winter at a ski resort and freelanced in Tanzania (on Zanzibar). After all that I found I missed programming, and realized what things I didn't like about my career choice, such as long meetings, boring projects and…

>> I went off and traveled around the world for a year, met my wife, opened a coffee shop, spent a winter at a ski resort and freelanced in Tanzania (on Zanzibar).

Sorry for asking the obvious. But from where did you get the money to do all that?

Re: Ask HN: How to deal with losing interest in your passion?

#69

Post by tymathews »

hluska wrote: post #50

TL;DR - Aging is weird, but it beats the alternative. Other commenters are giving you excellent advice about burnout. I agree with what they say, but want to toss in a different perspective. When I was in Grade 9, there was a hip hop group called Kris Kross. At the time, I thought they were great. So great, that I went out and bought their CD, put it on repeat and listened to it for weekend long BBS marathon. Today,…

for the original post: there's not much more i can add other than what others are saying worked for me, too. Got sick of fundraising, moved to marketing. Got burned out of marketing, took up a side project (print-only diy zine) and then i discovered the startup scene and my love for marketing came back. im still at the same organization and love it.

for @hluska: im 27 but as of last year started experiencing the "aging is weird" phenomenon.

btw, i listened to kriss kross in 3rd grade, in high school became a straight-edge 70s revivalist (only listened to zeppelin, sabbath, doors and other typical gateway artists). oddly enough, i then went post-punk and partied my brains out. i love business and the startup community but still love dk, misfits, screamers (and canada had a killer music/movie scene in the 80s!)

Re: Ask HN: How to deal with losing interest in your passion?

#70

Post by Tomis02 »

personlurking wrote: post #15

Another angle unfortunately without a solid solution. If I told people to associate me with one word (a subject), pretty much anyone who knows me would say the same word. I've spent over 10 years learning about it but I've become jaded because just like any subject, you can study about it and you can do it. It's the doing it that has made me jaded and that has effected my will to study it as well. My best theory is t…

What was the word they associated you with?
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