Currently not working and won’t start until January. I left my last employer after 10 years and can speak to my most recent time there. I found joy in my techn

Currently not working and won’t start until January. I left my last employer after 10 years and can speak to my most recent time there. I found joy in my technical work, solving problems, and often breaking them down and bringing clarity to others. I got the same satisfaction that I get from working out. I did some technical work myself, and a lot of my time went towards meetings and design reviews with other engineers. It was rewarding, and I enjoyed mentoring and seeing people get promoted and progress in their careers. I didn’t find joy in the layers and layers of bureaucracy and management, who often had no idea what was going on. Many of my management peers were clueless, obsessing with how to build their empires and get their promotions, instead of actually investing in people. I was in meetings where engineers would literally break down in tears describing their situation. Their management chains were atrocious at managing their people, driving things to completion without stressing everyone out, etc., but they excelled at managing up. When I felt enough was enough and pushed these people to do better, it reflected in poor feedback for me. At one point, I was asked to not be a third party in these matters, to let things be as they are, and avoid forming close relationships with these engineers. I was told directly to focus on productivity and organizational goals. I thought this was bullshit. Obviously it’s a small world and so I didn’t piss on the table on my way out, but I resigned. Wrapped up things I was driving forward or did a proper hand off. Bye bye!