4 ms·

Ha why is your career in a downward spiral?

giantg2 6y ago
The company outsourced development of the system that I became an expert in. Then I went to a new system/stack that has no other job options (Neoxam). The leadership was terrible on that team and there's no career for that tech, so I switched to a new team/stack. Now I am burned out - why learn new tech if you will just throw me/it away after a year? The company also doesn't follow it's policies (to my detriment), I don't fit any diversity initiatives at my company (so promotion not possible), and the subject matter and tasks that I am assigned on my new team are extremely boring. Basically I have been in obscure tech that has no future career and now feel burned out and used. I don't see a future to my career.
- throw51319 6y ago
  What you gotta do is take a step back, do what it takes to recenter and feel fresh. Meditate to remove the mental albatross of your job. Then with the fresh energy, work hard but steadily ("just do it") on learning a new stack that you think you'd want to work on and is also in demand. Take it easy, live within your means so you have a cushion, and just work towards what you want. Sleep is important, cut out alcohol and stims. Read classic worldly fiction to feel inspired.
  - giantg2 6y ago
    First, I want to say thanks for the response. I'm on a team that uses AWS. I have a couple associate level AWS certs. We use a little Python (self taught). I think these are solid areas. I need to get actual experience in these to be employable. My problem is that I get very little programming time. I'm saddled with corporate bureaucracy, BS analysis, and other non-impactful work. I want to make an impact. I want to be an expert. I won't have any fresh energy - work saps me, then I watch my kid most days (wife works the hours I don't). I live within my means, but don't have a cushion. I support my family (my wife works but does not contribute to family expenses, only her hobbies). I do drink sometimes (make my own wines) but do not use anything else. I don't read much fiction. I did read One Man's Wilderness (nonfiction but worldly), which probably was not the right motivation since j would love to be mostly selfsufficent. I like nonfiction that is educational like Stamets book on mushroom cultivation or 'We get Confessions'. Do you have any book recommendations?
    - zucked 6y ago
      I've felt as you're describing before. May I make a suggestion? Get out of the house. Get away from the kids, get away from the wife. Be alone with your thoughts without distraction. Talk to yourself out loud. Go for a long walk at dusk, watch the sunset and walk home. I cannot promise that you'll find the meaning to life, but when faced with a similar situation, these types of walks have helped me chart out my next steps.
      - giantg2 6y ago
        That sounds nice, but I have to watch the kid whenever I'm not working so that my wife can work. No free time for me.
    - throw51319 6y ago
      I'm reading The Magus right now. Like the other guy said, just go for a long walk without any other stimuli. You gotta step back and start a new effort from a place of "relaxed momentum". Don't fret over what's wrong in the present, you're in negative thought loops. Activating super old evolutionary defense mechanisms in the human brain. Meditate, relax, and circumvent those.

The company outsourced development of the system that I became an expert in. Then I went to a new system/stack that has no other job options (Neoxam). The leadership was terrible on that team and there's no career for that tech, so I switched to a new team/stack. Now I am burned out - why learn new tech if you will just throw me/it away after a year? The company also doesn't follow it's policies (to my detriment), I don't fit any diversity initiatives at my company (so promotion not possible), and the subject matter and tasks that I am assigned on my new team are extremely boring. Basically I have been in obscure tech that has no future career and now feel burned out and used. I don't see a future to my career.

throw51319 6y ago
What you gotta do is take a step back, do what it takes to recenter and feel fresh. Meditate to remove the mental albatross of your job. Then with the fresh energy, work hard but steadily ("just do it") on learning a new stack that you think you'd want to work on and is also in demand. Take it easy, live within your means so you have a cushion, and just work towards what you want. Sleep is important, cut out alcohol and stims. Read classic worldly fiction to feel inspired.
- giantg2 6y ago
  First, I want to say thanks for the response. I'm on a team that uses AWS. I have a couple associate level AWS certs. We use a little Python (self taught). I think these are solid areas. I need to get actual experience in these to be employable. My problem is that I get very little programming time. I'm saddled with corporate bureaucracy, BS analysis, and other non-impactful work. I want to make an impact. I want to be an expert. I won't have any fresh energy - work saps me, then I watch my kid most days (wife works the hours I don't). I live within my means, but don't have a cushion. I support my family (my wife works but does not contribute to family expenses, only her hobbies). I do drink sometimes (make my own wines) but do not use anything else. I don't read much fiction. I did read One Man's Wilderness (nonfiction but worldly), which probably was not the right motivation since j would love to be mostly selfsufficent. I like nonfiction that is educational like Stamets book on mushroom cultivation or 'We get Confessions'. Do you have any book recommendations?
  - zucked 6y ago
    I've felt as you're describing before. May I make a suggestion? Get out of the house. Get away from the kids, get away from the wife. Be alone with your thoughts without distraction. Talk to yourself out loud. Go for a long walk at dusk, watch the sunset and walk home. I cannot promise that you'll find the meaning to life, but when faced with a similar situation, these types of walks have helped me chart out my next steps.
    - giantg2 6y ago
      That sounds nice, but I have to watch the kid whenever I'm not working so that my wife can work. No free time for me.
  - throw51319 6y ago
    I'm reading The Magus right now. Like the other guy said, just go for a long walk without any other stimuli. You gotta step back and start a new effort from a place of "relaxed momentum". Don't fret over what's wrong in the present, you're in negative thought loops. Activating super old evolutionary defense mechanisms in the human brain. Meditate, relax, and circumvent those.