I went through this phase recently. And there was a surprisingly easy solution out of it. Finding new clients and get into a habit of working out. Both these activities have given me a new lease of energy to approach problems. As the clients have right to fire you, you have the rights to fire the client as well. We all want to be nice to our clients but sometimes our decency is mistaken for gullibility and they tend to take advantage of these situations. Working out releases the necessary endorphins to combat the depression. Just a 30 minute jog everyday can make a world of a difference to your life.
Am I burnt out? Or just not suited for this job?
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Re: Am I burnt out? Or just not suited for this job?
#12This is why I stopped freelancing and moved onto making my own products. It's not worth the hassle of chasing down clients.
Re: Am I burnt out? Or just not suited for this job?
#13I've noticed there is a general malaise around a lot of people at the moment, and I think it has nothing to do with personal circumstances, and more to do with the "impending end of the world scenario" that's been in the media now for nigh on 4 years.
I've also notced people are having real trouble making decisions that 5 years ago would have been snap ones. It's as if there are a lot of people whose thought processes are being befuddled because they worry that in a few months time the world could be turned on its head.ie confusion arises when decisions made today may need to be revised in the very near future in an unknown way.
Of course I worry about that too, and the last years have been the hardest I have ever known for finding freelance work (yes to pay the bills), but I tell you what, I've completely let go of any hopes of trying to protect myself from any "world crisis" on the basis that if the worst does happen, we'll all suffer equally, and you'll be in the same boat as me.
So give up trying to control it and things will start to look better already. And decisions will be easier too.
Re: Am I burnt out? Or just not suited for this job?
#14I think in the next year or two we're going to see this more and more. Degree qualified, startup fresh out of university with no post-grad work experience, failed startup, making ends meet with freelancing with little hope of rejoining a career track. Now don't get me wrong, were all beating the Fuck Big Corp drum here, but you can't beat big corp for a relatively stable income and ratable work experience. That's why…
For developers, getting on a "career track" is as simple as finding a relatively high profile open source project that interests them and getting some commits in. Instant resume, code examples and you've jump-started your networking for a particular technology.
Edited to add: I have no idea why this is getting downvoted. If you disagree with my assertion then by all means leave a comment. Hitting the down arrow and wandering off does us both a disservice.
Re: Am I burnt out? Or just not suited for this job?
#15I think in the next year or two we're going to see this more and more. Degree qualified, startup fresh out of university with no post-grad work experience, failed startup, making ends meet with freelancing with little hope of rejoining a career track. Now don't get me wrong, were all beating the Fuck Big Corp drum here, but you can't beat big corp for a relatively stable income and ratable work experience. That's why…
I wholeheartedly intend on starting my own company at some point, but I'm on my fourth year of salaried experience. Why? Because there is so much to learn from big corporations, problems to solve, and impact to make that you would never know about outside this walled garden. These problems can be solved, and big corporations will pay for the solutions. No need for freemium or non-existent business models here -- everyone wins.
Re: Am I burnt out? Or just not suited for this job?
#16This is why I stopped freelancing and moved onto making my own products. It's not worth the hassle of chasing down clients.
I feel you. I bailed on doing side gigs about a year ago. Even with good rates the tradeoff between that extra bit of cash and losing most of my spare time wasn't worth it.
These days I charge an inflated consulting rate to come off the bench. So far I haven't encountered a client willing to pony up, which is kind of nice since I have my spare time to work on renovating my house and practice my blacksmithing.
Re: Am I burnt out? Or just not suited for this job?
#17its not burn out, if you still like developing, your subconscious has just realised before you have that you are wasting your time. Burnout is when you cant do fruitful things, and the remedy is simple. Step away from the computer, eat well get some fresh air and plenty of sleep. Works every time ;-)
Re: Am I burnt out? Or just not suited for this job?
#18I think in the next year or two we're going to see this more and more. Degree qualified, startup fresh out of university with no post-grad work experience, failed startup, making ends meet with freelancing with little hope of rejoining a career track. Now don't get me wrong, were all beating the Fuck Big Corp drum here, but you can't beat big corp for a relatively stable income and ratable work experience. That's why…
For developers, getting on a "career track" is as simple as finding a relatively high profile open source project that interests them and getting some commits in. Instant resume, code examples and you've jump-started your networking for a particular technology. Edited to add: I have no idea why this is getting downvoted. If you disagree with my assertion then by all means leave a comment. Hitting the down arrow and w…
Not a downvoter, but this can sound like a standard "man-up" type of answer.
Its easy to suggest and might come easy to some, but it's way out of reach for most young developers trying to get on the career track. Making a notable contribution to an impactful project requires a lot of time and understanding. Even if a project could use the help, jumping in head first like that is quite daunting.
Re: Am I burnt out? Or just not suited for this job?
#19I think in the next year or two we're going to see this more and more. Degree qualified, startup fresh out of university with no post-grad work experience, failed startup, making ends meet with freelancing with little hope of rejoining a career track. Now don't get me wrong, were all beating the Fuck Big Corp drum here, but you can't beat big corp for a relatively stable income and ratable work experience. That's why…
For developers, getting on a "career track" is as simple as finding a relatively high profile open source project that interests them and getting some commits in. Instant resume, code examples and you've jump-started your networking for a particular technology. Edited to add: I have no idea why this is getting downvoted. If you disagree with my assertion then by all means leave a comment. Hitting the down arrow and w…
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Re: Am I burnt out? Or just not suited for this job?
#20I think in the next year or two we're going to see this more and more. Degree qualified, startup fresh out of university with no post-grad work experience, failed startup, making ends meet with freelancing with little hope of rejoining a career track. Now don't get me wrong, were all beating the Fuck Big Corp drum here, but you can't beat big corp for a relatively stable income and ratable work experience. That's why…
There have been some studies showing things like divorce are "contagious." Basically when one person in a social circle gets divorced, the likelihood is high that others will also get divorced. I haven't seen a study that separates causation vs correlation on this one.
I wonder if the professional burnout has a similar "contagion" aspect. A bunch of us are getting burned out. People who are borderline burned out, see the similar behaviors, mindsets, etc, and cross over the line. And since we're all super-connected and many of us are super-vocal, the effect is magnified.