Ask HN: Burned out from tech, what else is there?

As someone who has experienced a similar burnout, I would recommend that you seek new experiences, expose yourself to different kinds of people, and reflect deeply on what you find rewarding in life.

Personally, I grew to hate tech, especially in SV and the Bay Area. I never minded the work itself, but what killed me was the sheer douchebaggery. It was a magnet for awful people, drawn in by the earning potential. I'm not speaking, generally, of other developers, but mostly of management, project management, etc. I even worked for a CEO who, I believe, was a literal psychopath, who felt entitled to free labor.

If I were doing it over again, with the savings I had from working on tech, I would immediately pursue whatever struck my interest. I'd get a CDL and drive trucks for a while. I would get a teaching degree and try that for a few years. If I were able-bodied, I would get a nursing degree and see how I felt about that.

I've recently started dating a nurse practitioner, and she's really opened my eyes to what's out there. Nursing is in extreme demand, similar to what I saw in tech back in the late 90s. It's taxing work (physically, mentally, and emotionally), but deeply gratifying if you're the right kind of person. It also allows for a lot of options, like working four tens or three twelves, giving a lot of flexibility for adventure on your days off. Again, if that's your thing. You can pursue a (very difficult) graduate degree and become a nurse practitioner, earning 150k - 180k in areas with far lower housing costs than the Bay Area. As it turns out, I really like being around empathetic people, and I would have been far happier in this kind of role than I ever have been slinging code for projects that will most likely disappear into the void in a few years.

The biggest problem, in my opinion, is finding out what matters to you. I don't know how to fast-track that, which is why I say to just pursue whatever strikes your interest. The worst thing you can do is be indecisive and sink into aimless depression.

Speaking of depression, consider therapy. Chances are good that you're depressed. IMO, most people would be after a decade of soulless tech work.

I had this dream for a bit but you only make $65k doing it.

Btw what do you tell people you do if that’s your livelihood?

I've argued this with people for years. The construct of what you can afford/need to pay is largely artificial. Most people can move to a cheaper area, sell their posessions, work a menial job and live frugally to save for 5 years and buy land away from things and live out their life in peace. Or a million other ways. The social rules of how you live are not real.

Strongly agree with this. I actually kind of wish I could go back to SMB IT (well, I mean I can, but I'm ~retired) with the knowledge I now have; I would've done things very differently/better. If it's small enough, you'll find yourself taking on all sorts of interesting facilities work; it can be pretty fun not knowing what the work day will be like. Some days I would paint, other days I'd be cursing at Active Directory, other days I would be working on the security system, other days I would be running new cables, and sometimes I'd just sit around and play video games. I left IT to do on-call overnight/weekend work in B2B tech support with the same company, where my role upgraded to sleeping through my shift.