Good tips for preventing burnout before it happens! Anyone have any tips for how to recover from burnout _after_ it has already happened?
Do something that you enjoy.
How I’ve Avoided Burnout During Decades as a Programmer
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Re: How I’ve Avoided Burnout During Decades as a Programmer
#52I've been programming for over 2 decades and had 2 bouts of burnout. The first was around the dotcom bust, when I thought my career was over because all the jobs were going to go overseas, and the second after a too-long stint at a shitty well-known enterprise software company where I felt useless and worthless. I didn't take a break during the first one, which took a toll and probably had a hand in my subsequent div…
Interestingly, I just wrote a blog post today [1] about how larger enterprises use different tactics to keep developers from realizing they're the ones who hold the real power at software companies. (It was going to be a comment to another thread on HN but it felt too long.) Your comment that you felt useless and worthless at the well-known enterprise software company is no coincidence, it's a very intentional and ca…
I like your article. My feeling is that some of the new guard will get savvy and parlay their power into managing other developers (I firmly believe that only truly technical people can effectively manage other technical people, otherwise it's easy to deceive them). Others will remain clueless and be subservient for all their careers.
Re: How I’ve Avoided Burnout During Decades as a Programmer
#53Any advice for someone that really enjoys the work, but has been at the same place 5 years and is underpaid?
Get another job offer, present to them and allow them to counter. Then pick.
Re: How I’ve Avoided Burnout During Decades as a Programmer
#54Any advice for someone that really enjoys the work, but has been at the same place 5 years and is underpaid?
Why are you still at the same place you've been for 5 years if you are underpaid? I don't mean that as a dig of any kind, just trying to get an idea of what your motivations are. Maybe you really love it there aside from feeling underpaid, or maybe you don't feel like you have the adequate skills to make a move?
The job has been challenging/interesting/varied and fun basically. I have applied elsewhere and had a raise, but another raise is out of the question now. (Thanks for the replys btw)
Re: How I’ve Avoided Burnout During Decades as a Programmer
#55"(thankfully I'm not a Javascript programmer)" As being a js programmer, i had to laugh at this :) Nice article anyway, the sad part is, that i nearly had all those points at once, at one job(unpaid overtime, the management part, and so on...). The last 3 months i spent there was only because they asked me, and i was dump enough to say yes (they actually offered a 'bonus' to stay, but don't think anything big). Somet…
I feel pretty good with this new stuff every year in JavaScript world. It feels like something new. I really enjoy this feeling!
Dont get me wrong, i also like those fancy new stuff.
I actually used angularjs at the job, web and on cordova mobile app.
Re: How I’ve Avoided Burnout During Decades as a Programmer
#56Good tips for preventing burnout before it happens! Anyone have any tips for how to recover from burnout _after_ it has already happened?
Not really burnout but a lack of enthusiasm for the job a few years ago. Until I got a new job building something from scratch, learning Django. M
aking use of my existing database skills. I think too many new things at once can get a bit overwhelming but coming from Perl, Django and Python were easy to pick up. It was a nice balance of using my existing Perl / Database skills as well as learning new stuff that felt productive.