Ask HN: 19, developer, burnt out, advice please

#1

Post by throwaway8475 » Wed, Nov 03, 2010, 5:46 PM UTC

My highschool career could be summed up by one word - mediocre. I didn't do horrible, but I did minimal, except for being in the robotics club. I graduated with the minimal credits because I wanted to finish in 3 years. At the time the classroom environment felt toxic. I was 17 and landed a salaried position doing web development with a very cool company. Fast forward and I'm almost 20, don't really know if I feel a passion for software - or at least professionally. I realized I only enjoy software if I'm building what I want to build or something that interests me. I'm wondering what HN would do in my shoes, should I just go to college, or is there a better option? I'm willing to put the work into school but I wonder if the cost is worth it. Please consider I would have to start at a community college of sorts because of my academic history. Anyways, please share thoughts and suggestions, thanks.

edit: spelling

Re: Ask HN: 19, developer, burnt out, advice please

#2

Post by maxdemarzi » Wed, Nov 03, 2010, 6:02 PM UTC

1. Go to community college, to spend as little as possible on the college degree.

2. Your education is your own to manage, don't expect anything out of class, just do the work, pass and get the piece of paper.

3. Find a few friends and make stuff now, while you have no 9-5 job/wife/kids/401k/etc. to worry about.

Re: Ask HN: 19, developer, burnt out, advice please

#3

Post by petervandijck » Wed, Nov 03, 2010, 6:03 PM UTC

Take a year of. Travel the world. For real.

Re: Ask HN: 19, developer, burnt out, advice please

#4

Post by wccrawford » Wed, Nov 03, 2010, 6:06 PM UTC

My suggestion is to go get a job that sucks. After a couple years of doing a job that's utter crap, you'll realize that doing fun things that other people want done isn't really that bad after all. You'll gain a new appreciation for the work.

Alternatively, try to do contract work. You'll either find that it suits you well (you get to pick what jobs you do) or that you absolutely hate not having someone between you and the client or that you need the structured environment not-being-your-own-boss brings.

Re: Ask HN: 19, developer, burnt out, advice please

#5

Post by madhouse » Wed, Nov 03, 2010, 6:08 PM UTC

Or better yet, combine the two suggestions before me: take a year off while you can travel cheap, go to college, find friends, and let your creativity bloom during that time.

That few years also buys you enough time to figure out if there's something else that would keep you occupied and happy than web development.

Re: Ask HN: 19, developer, burnt out, advice please

#6

Post by c4urself » Wed, Nov 03, 2010, 6:08 PM UTC

petervandijck wrote: post #3

Take a year of. Travel the world. For real.

I can't agree more with this! Right now you don't see a lot of options in front of you due to burnout etc. Despite this, force yourself into the unknown and discover new things, it sounds cliche but it'll change your perspective.

Re: Ask HN: 19, developer, burnt out, advice please

#7

Post by AngeloAnolin » Wed, Nov 03, 2010, 6:12 PM UTC

1. Rediscover your passion.

2. Get away from work and analyze what it is you really want. Then pursue it.

3. Have some time with your relatives, friends, and loved ones.

4. Re-learn the value of being able to enjoy little and solitary moments for yourself.

5. Do some charity / volunteer work.

Re: Ask HN: 19, developer, burnt out, advice please

#8

Post by icco » Wed, Nov 03, 2010, 6:22 PM UTC

I'd go to college and get a degree. I was kind of burnt out at the end of high school, so I did two things, the first was go work in the mountains for a summer and then went to college. Four years later I'm kind of burnt out on the whole college thing, but I've made a ton of friends, learned a lot, and gained a lot of interests outside of computers, which have actually fueled my love for computer science.

Re: Ask HN: 19, developer, burnt out, advice please

#9

Post by jkaljundi » Wed, Nov 03, 2010, 6:27 PM UTC

If you want to build software that interests you, do become a startup entrepreneur. Your product, your decisions, doing what you enjoy.

Why go to school, if you are not sure what your passion is? Only do that if you are 110% sure that's what you want to do the rest of your life.

Take some time off. Do sports, have fun, talk to friends and other people more. Discuss actively the things you like and don't like.

Enjoy whatever you do. Forget about things you don't like, or even worse. you hate.

Re: Ask HN: 19, developer, burnt out, advice please

#10

Post by grobolom » Wed, Nov 03, 2010, 6:30 PM UTC

Definitely go to college. As much as it seems like that stupid piece of paper they call a degree is worthless and doesn't teach you anything, it shows more than that; it shows that you have the dedication to follow through with something difficult (difficult aka. boring as hell in the case of community college) and that you have some basic skills.

It's awesome that you already have a ton of experience under your belt, but no matter where you go, missing that degree is usually a red flag. Even if you end up as an entrepreneur, it will get you away from a lot of awkward questions. Not only that, but in taking some basic courses you might find that you have some other passions that were hidden before. Not to mention the hundreds of people you'll meet and make connections with.

Also remember that you might not have to go to a community college. Go to some prospective schools, talk to their admissions officers and teachers. Your three years in software development do mean something, and theres a chance you could get in to a school that would actually teach you a lot.