I am burned out while still in learning phase

I started programming relatively late, mid-twenties, and started as a CS student when I was 28. For the first two years I had this idea that I had to be faster and better than the younger students, to have a chance. But the world doesnt work that way. What matters is to try and figure out what you actually want to do, and then spend the time it takes to do it.

This is the 'Hacker Script', and it is one script of the many that people have lived. This script's directive is: "Build something great, and then you may have permission to rejoin humanity." The script blocker, as it is generally the case, comes through an insurgency against the authority that tries to tell you what to do. Do what you want, be independent, don't let someone tell you you've failed. Be creative, be independent, be spontaneous, be aware. Good luck.

     "First and foremost, an idea is never world-changing. It's the execution of the idea that changes things. Until it has been executed successfully and actually changed the world, all it is is an idea. The impact can only be assessed later."

My point is that I think boundaries are not as defined. Unless we spend some time defining "idea".

but on the general "stop whining, start doing" underlying message I do agree 100%.

What happened to cartooning? Do you do it at all anymore? As much as you might love what you're doing, you can't have just one thing in your life.

I managed to burn myself out on programming/hacking at 15 years old. It had been my only obsession since I first got my hands on a computer. One day I realized I was sick of it. My eyes were always bloodshot. I wasn't sleeping. I had no friends. I didn't even go to school.

I did my best not to look at a computer screen for six years. I picked up a guitar and played obsessively. I explored new career paths when it came time for college. I almost went in to the medical field. I exhausted my options, and finally came back to tech.

Everything was new and amazing. I felt so inspired. I had never seen a SATA connector before. I had never played with virtualization. It was like living in the future. It pained me a little to know I'd missed so much development, but I caught up quickly.

Now I have two things in my life: tech and music. When feelings of failure, inadequacy, and burnout arise, I pick up my guitar and go do an open mic night. It's my ego's failover.

Go back to cartooning. Switch your obsession for a while. It's still okay to obsess, just do it over something else. Become confident in your skills and sell drawings on the street for $5; do anything to boost your ego a little. You'll come back to hacking. There's time.

Basically, A tech-centric version of Facebook angst - "Everyone is hackier than me!" in place of "Everyone is happier than me!"

Understand that in either case you're getting a carefully curated version of the best and most interesting outcomes with all the countless failures and mundane daily struggles neatly cropped out.

Stop reading the news, keep learning and keep iterating.