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For me burnout comes from the endless treadmill of external pressures (arbitrary deadlines, changing requirements) and the endless treadmill of development work

For me burnout comes from the endless treadmill of external pressures (arbitrary deadlines, changing requirements) and the endless treadmill of development work. There's not really ever a chance to step back and take a breath - just constantly moving from one high priority task to the next. It's also a bit thankless, being good as this job, in a lot of cases, means you are moving really fast from one task to the next without any down time in between. I find it hard to get to a place where I can feel accomplished or proud of a piece of work, because the next fire/high-priority task is already "behind schedule". I think part of it may also be due to the fact that the job is constant problem solving. Even though its nice to find solutions to problems, knowing you'll be perpetually in a state of "there is a problem that must be fixed" is taxing on mental health (for me at least).

gmadsen 5y ago
as far as the last sentence. I think this varies with temperament widely. I like a mix of problem solving and people facing work, but I would find it hard to believe a mathematician would be upset from constant problem solving
- pseudalopex 5y ago
  Mathematical problems are puzzles. They were talking about defects and new requirements.
deleted 5y ago
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DonnyV 5y ago
This 110% ^^^
kirse 5y ago
Yep, sounds like SW development, partly why we get paid some of the highest salaries in the country. I try to keep in mind I have the power to step off the treadmill at regular intervals and go lie on a beach chair or hammock in the mountains.
Volrath89 5y ago
The best/fastest performers usually get rewarded with... more work. Something I've seen more and more often is that a lot of developers take a lot of time for every ticket. Much more time than I'd take, but I suppose it's because they are not incentivized to work fast, they'll still get paid the same no matter how many tickets they close. But I don't think paying more if you close more tickets is the solution, I don't have any solution, really.
NotSammyHagar 5y ago
That's a great summary of why being a dev is hard and taxing and stressful. My job is all those thing. And because I switched jobs 6 months ago, I haven't built up that confidence of previous accomplishment.
flippinburgers 5y ago
The problem solving part is perfectly fine for me. Not getting rewarded financially for my hard work is a huge issue. Unfortunately I don't see that changing anytime soon (if ever). The people running companies often don't understand developer value at all in my opinion.

gmadsen 5y ago

as far as the last sentence. I think this varies with temperament widely. I like a mix of problem solving and people facing work, but I would find it hard to believe a mathematician would be upset from constant problem solving

pseudalopex 5y ago
Mathematical problems are puzzles. They were talking about defects and new requirements.

deleted 5y ago

[deleted]

DonnyV 5y ago

This 110% ^^^

kirse 5y ago

Yep, sounds like SW development, partly why we get paid some of the highest salaries in the country. I try to keep in mind I have the power to step off the treadmill at regular intervals and go lie on a beach chair or hammock in the mountains.

Volrath89 5y ago

The best/fastest performers usually get rewarded with... more work. Something I've seen more and more often is that a lot of developers take a lot of time for every ticket. Much more time than I'd take, but I suppose it's because they are not incentivized to work fast, they'll still get paid the same no matter how many tickets they close. But I don't think paying more if you close more tickets is the solution, I don't have any solution, really.

NotSammyHagar 5y ago

That's a great summary of why being a dev is hard and taxing and stressful. My job is all those thing. And because I switched jobs 6 months ago, I haven't built up that confidence of previous accomplishment.

flippinburgers 5y ago

The problem solving part is perfectly fine for me. Not getting rewarded financially for my hard work is a huge issue. Unfortunately I don't see that changing anytime soon (if ever). The people running companies often don't understand developer value at all in my opinion.