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There's a scene near the end of Chariots of Fire where Harold Abrahams confesses to an old friend that he's more afraid of winning the race than losing it. Win

There's a scene near the end of Chariots of Fire where Harold Abrahams confesses to an old friend that he's more afraid of winning the race than losing it. Winning the race means losing his purpose. Contrast with the other racer in the story, Liddell, a devout Christian who races for God's glory. His purpose transcends any wins or losses on earth. It's an ancient problem. (I'm not suggesting that you embrace religion. Just an example.) In my experience, no matter how much I want a job, after about five years I'm ready to quit.

gowld 4y ago
"You know, it's very strange..." https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W6-Dt1g2E18 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W6-Dt1g2E18
MentallyRetired 4y ago
I think the average in my 24 year career in software is about 2 years, maybe 2.5 tops.
allenu 4y ago
That idea of "losing purpose" after winning the race is really interesting. I've often got caught up in external goals (praise, promotions, shipping an amazing product that everyone loves), and I've noticed that when I've accomplished them, or the external goals themselves disappear (project cancellations), I feel empty inside. Lately, I've been reading a book on resilience and one of the things it teaches is the Stoic-based idea of valued living. Basically, you list out your values and live your life in the service of those values and try not to focus too much on any external goals. (You can't control the outcome of those goals, but you can control your own behavior.) Whether you succeed or fail, it doesn't matter. What matters is living your values. Maybe that means crafting the best software you can, or being most helpful to others, or being a really great parent and partner. What it doesn't mean is "I will get 1st place in this race" or "I will get promoted" or "This product will make a lot of money". In the context of work, I also get bored after a couple of years at a job, and to be honest, a lot of that is based on external goals, either I've met them, or I just can't find any more. It's definitely hard not to think in terms of external goals in a corporate job, though, as the company will ask you to list goals for yourself for the year and the business itself requires meeting specific ones to succeed.

gowld 4y ago

"You know, it's very strange..." https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W6-Dt1g2E18 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W6-Dt1g2E18

MentallyRetired 4y ago

I think the average in my 24 year career in software is about 2 years, maybe 2.5 tops.

allenu 4y ago

That idea of "losing purpose" after winning the race is really interesting. I've often got caught up in external goals (praise, promotions, shipping an amazing product that everyone loves), and I've noticed that when I've accomplished them, or the external goals themselves disappear (project cancellations), I feel empty inside. Lately, I've been reading a book on resilience and one of the things it teaches is the Stoic-based idea of valued living. Basically, you list out your values and live your life in the service of those values and try not to focus too much on any external goals. (You can't control the outcome of those goals, but you can control your own behavior.) Whether you succeed or fail, it doesn't matter. What matters is living your values. Maybe that means crafting the best software you can, or being most helpful to others, or being a really great parent and partner. What it doesn't mean is "I will get 1st place in this race" or "I will get promoted" or "This product will make a lot of money". In the context of work, I also get bored after a couple of years at a job, and to be honest, a lot of that is based on external goals, either I've met them, or I just can't find any more. It's definitely hard not to think in terms of external goals in a corporate job, though, as the company will ask you to list goals for yourself for the year and the business itself requires meeting specific ones to succeed.