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Does burn out exist in other professions? I recall seeing something about doctors/lawyers. I know (distantly) some folks in the medical profession and it sound

by tra3 2y ago

Does burn out exist in other professions? I recall seeing something about doctors/lawyers. I know (distantly) some folks in the medical profession and it sounds way worse than what we go through. Not trying to diminish the real stress that we go through in this industry. Wondering if we can learn something from other industries in a similar (or indeed more difficult) position.

mholm 2y ago
Doctors can be exploited further because they're typically in far deeper. More medical debt, more education, more of their life has been given to the medical world. To leave that would be to throw it all away. Maybe they'd be happier that way anyway. On the flip side, they know they're making a genuine difference in people's lives. Doctors do incredibly important work, and if they just don't show up, people can die. If a programmer doesn't show up for work, In many cases, an ad tragically goes unclicked, or a feature doesn't get released for a few extra days. There are absolutely more meaningful jobs for programmers, where they have more impact on the product, get to actually influence lives, or work with challenging and fulfilling technical problems. But most of them aren't doing that.
riiii 2y ago
Burnout very much exists in other professions.
avensec 2y ago
Given that burnout is a physiological state of emotional|physical|mental|... exhaustion, yes, other professions experience burnout. However, which subtype of burnout is more prevalent in different career fields, or at different stages of life. When someone says they are experiencing burnout, my first question is, what type of burnout is it? Have they broken down the problem yet? Is it Overload? Their pace of work could be more sustainable, work/live commitments are imbalanced, or there is a mismatch in where they spend time vs. where they wish they were spending time? Is it Under Challenged? Do they not feel stimulated by the work, are their abilities not being developed, or are they wasted in their current role? Are they more interested in what comes next? Is it Neglect? They don't feel recognized for their efforts, they don't have a good mentor or sponsor, they give up on themselves when faced with challenges, or they abuse themselves through unhealthy habits (neglect can be self-neglect)?

by tra3 2y ago

mholm 2y ago

Doctors can be exploited further because they're typically in far deeper. More medical debt, more education, more of their life has been given to the medical world. To leave that would be to throw it all away. Maybe they'd be happier that way anyway. On the flip side, they know they're making a genuine difference in people's lives. Doctors do incredibly important work, and if they just don't show up, people can die. If a programmer doesn't show up for work, In many cases, an ad tragically goes unclicked, or a feature doesn't get released for a few extra days. There are absolutely more meaningful jobs for programmers, where they have more impact on the product, get to actually influence lives, or work with challenging and fulfilling technical problems. But most of them aren't doing that.

riiii 2y ago

Burnout very much exists in other professions.

avensec 2y ago

Given that burnout is a physiological state of emotional|physical|mental|... exhaustion, yes, other professions experience burnout. However, which subtype of burnout is more prevalent in different career fields, or at different stages of life. When someone says they are experiencing burnout, my first question is, what type of burnout is it? Have they broken down the problem yet? Is it Overload? Their pace of work could be more sustainable, work/live commitments are imbalanced, or there is a mismatch in where they spend time vs. where they wish they were spending time? Is it Under Challenged? Do they not feel stimulated by the work, are their abilities not being developed, or are they wasted in their current role? Are they more interested in what comes next? Is it Neglect? They don't feel recognized for their efforts, they don't have a good mentor or sponsor, they give up on themselves when faced with challenges, or they abuse themselves through unhealthy habits (neglect can be self-neglect)?