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The problem with programmers is that the mind works non-stop while the body is completely still, which goes against its nature, in all respects. When the body i

The problem with programmers is that the mind works non-stop while the body is completely still, which goes against its nature, in all respects. When the body is tired, at most a week of rest it recovers nicely and is full of energy! This unfortunately does not apply to the mind, I have tried it and unfortunately I suffer from long-term mental burnout. If I could find another job that wasn't so mentally demanding and easy to do, then yes I would quit this field yesterday!

gushogg-blake 2y ago
I've often thought we're doing something fundamentally wrong by treating programming like any other office job, or even like a "production" type job like manufacturing. It's of course nothing like that - as you say, the mind doesn't have the same recharging characteristics as the body. I get the feeling people maybe compensate for it by having a lot of downtime in the day where they're kind of pretending to work, but I would find that maddening. I'm either working or I'm not, in which case I want to be free to do what I want without someone looking over my shoulder.
- stefanos82 2y ago
  I wholeheartedly agree with you, especially on the shoulder part. The reason I regretted dealing with programming from a professional standpoint is that I have realized I like it more as a hobby, not as a profession! When it's your hobby, no one is telling you what to do, whether you are doing something wrong or not, nor to follow the latest trend with <X> framework or this new <Z> programming language; quite frankly, you simply don't care what others say to you, because you have found your rhythm, your pace if you will, with the tech stack of your choice; you know, the one that clicked with you immediately! This is my personal experience up until I switch my hobby to professional career; that's when it went downhill and have stopped loving it ever since...I feel trapped, like millions of others than cannot escape this category.
  - ryandrake 2y ago
    Yea, I got into programming because I love Lone Wolf Programming. Programming as part of a team is a completely different endeavor and liking one doesn't necessarily mean you'll like the other.
    - stefanos82 2y ago
      Lone Wolf Programming...I love that! LOL :D For some reason I was thinking of it more as "My Hermit Life" type of Programming, but yours is more accurate!
nradov 2y ago
Come on. The majority of programming work isn't particularly mentally demanding, at least not any more so than other professional office jobs. It's not like lawyers or mechanical engineers have it any easier.
- stefanos82 2y ago
  Allow me to disagree with you here. When your boss would like you to be a DevOps and a full-stack developer, while following all the latest trends, their ins and outs, the countless JS / TS frameworks out there, we can have a chat on who's having it worse or easier than the other.
  - nradov 2y ago
    Some HN users have a really skewed sense of how software development works in most of the industry. Only a small minority of jobs involve full-stack web development with JS / TS frameworks. If you want a slower pace of change then go get a job writing embedded missile avionics software for Raytheon or something. This is a serious suggestion, I'm not being sarcastic. Jobs like that are a good option for a lot of developers. The grass always looks greener on the other side.
    - stefanos82 2y ago
      Thank you for the suggestion, but I doubt I would work as a foreigner for a US defense contractor company that produces military weapons; that's the last thing I would want to do.
- realusername 2y ago
  Depends for what, the energy you are required to spend to keep updated on new stuff coming up is greater than any other job I'm aware of. Most other mental jobs change at a much slower rate than in tech.

gushogg-blake 2y ago

I've often thought we're doing something fundamentally wrong by treating programming like any other office job, or even like a "production" type job like manufacturing. It's of course nothing like that - as you say, the mind doesn't have the same recharging characteristics as the body. I get the feeling people maybe compensate for it by having a lot of downtime in the day where they're kind of pretending to work, but I would find that maddening. I'm either working or I'm not, in which case I want to be free to do what I want without someone looking over my shoulder.

stefanos82 2y ago
I wholeheartedly agree with you, especially on the shoulder part. The reason I regretted dealing with programming from a professional standpoint is that I have realized I like it more as a hobby, not as a profession! When it's your hobby, no one is telling you what to do, whether you are doing something wrong or not, nor to follow the latest trend with <X> framework or this new <Z> programming language; quite frankly, you simply don't care what others say to you, because you have found your rhythm, your pace if you will, with the tech stack of your choice; you know, the one that clicked with you immediately! This is my personal experience up until I switch my hobby to professional career; that's when it went downhill and have stopped loving it ever since...I feel trapped, like millions of others than cannot escape this category.
- ryandrake 2y ago
  Yea, I got into programming because I love Lone Wolf Programming. Programming as part of a team is a completely different endeavor and liking one doesn't necessarily mean you'll like the other.
  - stefanos82 2y ago
    Lone Wolf Programming...I love that! LOL :D For some reason I was thinking of it more as "My Hermit Life" type of Programming, but yours is more accurate!

nradov 2y ago

Come on. The majority of programming work isn't particularly mentally demanding, at least not any more so than other professional office jobs. It's not like lawyers or mechanical engineers have it any easier.

stefanos82 2y ago
Allow me to disagree with you here. When your boss would like you to be a DevOps and a full-stack developer, while following all the latest trends, their ins and outs, the countless JS / TS frameworks out there, we can have a chat on who's having it worse or easier than the other.
- nradov 2y ago
  Some HN users have a really skewed sense of how software development works in most of the industry. Only a small minority of jobs involve full-stack web development with JS / TS frameworks. If you want a slower pace of change then go get a job writing embedded missile avionics software for Raytheon or something. This is a serious suggestion, I'm not being sarcastic. Jobs like that are a good option for a lot of developers. The grass always looks greener on the other side.
  - stefanos82 2y ago
    Thank you for the suggestion, but I doubt I would work as a foreigner for a US defense contractor company that produces military weapons; that's the last thing I would want to do.
realusername 2y ago
Depends for what, the energy you are required to spend to keep updated on new stuff coming up is greater than any other job I'm aware of. Most other mental jobs change at a much slower rate than in tech.