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I can't speak for everyone, but as someone who has definitely burned out several times, for me it's never the work - it's always the workplace. After going thro

by ryandvm 10y ago

I can't speak for everyone, but as someone who has definitely burned out several times, for me it's never the work - it's always the workplace. After going through the whole process a few times, I've come to the conclusion that my own burnout is mostly attributable to the following factors: * Lack of voice in the direction of the company. * No personal investment in the success of the company. People respond to incentives. If someone has no say in where the company is going and doesn't share in the companies successes (or failures), it's only a matter of time before any rational individual is going to just stop caring. Fortunately, these problems have solutions. Several hundred year old solutions, no less: https://blog.fountstudio.com/yes-we-have-a-pirate-code-1aa1b2e02bf6 https://blog.fountstudio.com/yes-we-have-a-pirate-code-1aa1b... [Disclaimer: That's my own blog post.]

pascalxus 10y ago
I've never really understood this viewpoint. Why would I care what the company was doing or where it was going? We're just wage earners, earning a living. It's simple: they give me money, I give them time. What they choose to do with my output is their concern. Why care? You don't own the company, not even a tiny fraction (stock options aren't ownership until you excercise, which for most people is never). Your only going to be there a few years, and they'll drop you the first chance they can get where they don't need you. It's like selling an orange. If you're a fruit stand, do you care what your customers will do with the fruits of your labor? What matters to me, is my own working conditions: work/life balance, salary and specifics of the project I am working on: ratio of coding vs fixing other people's messes, dev environment, ease of development and being empowered to write lots of code and functionality, as well as positive feedback from managers and co-workers.
- ryandvm 10y ago
  I think we are in agreement. If you don't own a meaningful amount of the company, you aren't going to be very interested in the company's success and frankly the company is demonstrably uninterested in your success. By all rights you should feel perfectly comfortable moving on when a better offer comes your way.
thomastjeffery 10y ago
Interesting post. > In light of the fact that piracy is the very definition of theft, it is fascinating to learn that pirate ship crews had a remarkably egalitarian profit sharing model. This is totally unsurprising to me. This is the same model as taxation in a democracy. Taxation is theft. The taxes (stolen goods) are distributed to those who are a part of the organization that does the taxing (stealing) according to input from members of that organization.

by ryandvm 10y ago

pascalxus 10y ago

I've never really understood this viewpoint. Why would I care what the company was doing or where it was going? We're just wage earners, earning a living. It's simple: they give me money, I give them time. What they choose to do with my output is their concern. Why care? You don't own the company, not even a tiny fraction (stock options aren't ownership until you excercise, which for most people is never). Your only going to be there a few years, and they'll drop you the first chance they can get where they don't need you. It's like selling an orange. If you're a fruit stand, do you care what your customers will do with the fruits of your labor? What matters to me, is my own working conditions: work/life balance, salary and specifics of the project I am working on: ratio of coding vs fixing other people's messes, dev environment, ease of development and being empowered to write lots of code and functionality, as well as positive feedback from managers and co-workers.

ryandvm 10y ago
I think we are in agreement. If you don't own a meaningful amount of the company, you aren't going to be very interested in the company's success and frankly the company is demonstrably uninterested in your success. By all rights you should feel perfectly comfortable moving on when a better offer comes your way.

thomastjeffery 10y ago

Interesting post. > In light of the fact that piracy is the very definition of theft, it is fascinating to learn that pirate ship crews had a remarkably egalitarian profit sharing model. This is totally unsurprising to me. This is the same model as taxation in a democracy. Taxation is theft. The taxes (stolen goods) are distributed to those who are a part of the organization that does the taxing (stealing) according to input from members of that organization.