Take an inventory of what you value & what you want from work. Impossible to give advice without knowing that
Ask HN: Burned out from tech, what else is there?
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Re: Ask HN: Burned out from tech, what else is there?
#32I’m in a similar situation. I decided after a decade to quit my job and take some time off. I might work on my own company or switch careers entirely. I’ve thought about using the time by going back to school for networking.
Re: Ask HN: Burned out from tech, what else is there?
#33I was in the same boat around the 10 year mark as well. I started a t-shirt business on the side. It took a while but after a few years made enough to live off of.
Eventually I came back to tech as a contractor/consultant and like it so much more. My passion for development and engineering is much higher now.
Re: Ask HN: Burned out from tech, what else is there?
#34Yep, I have a mate who left tech to "go dig holes" (civil construction). He's now fit and happy, earns about half of what he did and is done with work by 1-2pm most days.
There are a billions of options out there and you only get one life. Go try them, or even try not working. You don't have yo have a job if you don't want to. It's your life.
Re: Ask HN: Burned out from tech, what else is there?
#35Learn from Sisyphus to find joy in what you are doing. Even monotonous jobs can be tremendously fulfilling. Be grateful you have a good job that is well regarded.
Conquering your malaise will allow you to find joy in whatever you are doing.
The real quest is internal.
Re: Ask HN: Burned out from tech, what else is there?
#36I went through the exact same thing as you, and I needed some time to explore different ways of living. I tried being a drone pilot, a kayak guide, and a paddleboard instructor and learned a lot in the process.
After those forays I designed and built a trailered coffee from scratch and now I run it on a public park that overlooks the ocean.
I am more fulfilled than ever, I can pay my bills, and I get to do WAY more "real" engineering than the bureaucracy of my past life at FAANG ever allowed for.
Re: Ask HN: Burned out from tech, what else is there?
#37I did engineering for 7 years and then burned out of that and then did tech management for another 8. I’m all burnt out of that as well and honestly didn’t enjoy the last 15 years. I’ve been looking, there’s nothing even remotely close to the pay in other industries. My specification were to be able to work mostly alone and work hard for a low six figures but I can’t find a single thing that fits that bill.
I do know a guy in Florida that left tech to take people on manatee tours. He says he works 5-6 hours a day and makes more than $100k a year. I went on one of his tours, it’s a nice easy job, paddling for 2-3 2 hour sessions per day in nice warm weather.
Re: Ask HN: Burned out from tech, what else is there?
#38Take a break for a few months to recalibrate what you want from life. Tech will still be here when you’re ready again. Go travel, use your physical body to walk and hike and lift, have a couple of flings, go to a bar at noon, work a few temp jobs, apply minimalism in your life, learn about something you like, etc.
It's more like "don't lose the opportunity to make money in tech" because everything else without any other qualifications or schooling is not very lucrative. OP is looking for happiness though so any re-calibration will not bring any happiness but just make them able to hop back in the rat race.
Re: Ask HN: Burned out from tech, what else is there?
#39You need to be more specific. You don't like tech companies, you don't like staring at computers all day, you don't like bureaucracy, etc.? List all the things you don't like, ideally with an intensity rating.
Re: Ask HN: Burned out from tech, what else is there?
#40What would it take for you to feel interested in work? I think a lot of people dont really feel interested in their work FWIW.
Have you worked other jobs? Just curious if you're familiar with all the excellent working conditions associated with being a dev or knowledge worker. Doesnt mean you have to be a software dev but
Remote work possible, no physical constraints like (work has been shoved into my space and I have to figure out where to put it before I can continue working, kitchen, warehouse, etc.), no real injury risk, no physical exhaustion, not simply being there to react to customers literally every second of a shift, being able to manage your own time, not having your schedule posted a week at a time with zero control, little to no dress code, more likely that you can take some vacation or sick time and you dont come back to a complete mess you have to clean up before you can be productive, ability to take a break without asking permission.
I could go on-and-on.
I see stuff about becoming a teacher and it just seems insane to me. If people want to do that then great but do not be naive about what some of these other jobs entail.