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Have you considered switching careers rather than quiting. I took a two year break from tech and did English teaching. The pay was low but it sustained me with

Have you considered switching careers rather than quiting. I took a two year break from tech and did English teaching. The pay was low but it sustained me with my savings and I had tons of mental energy to work on my side projects. Any job that's easy to clock in and clock out, where the work gets done on the same day, no deadlines. Can do wonders for your mental energy. When I returned to tech I had a pretty impressive portfolio of projects. Turns out unsurprisingly that not coding all day for work makes me want to code more for fun.

billconan 2y ago
Thank you so much for the suggestion. I’ve thought about it, but I don’t feel like I have any strong skills outside of coding. I can draw decently as an amateur, but not at a professional level. I genuinely love coding and often do it in my spare time. My burnout isn’t caused by coding itself but rather by poor management and working on assignments that feel meaningless.
- famahar 2y ago
  I get that. Honestly I never thought I was skilled enough to teach until I tried it. There are a lot of jobs out there that are easy to learn and adapt to. Before teaching I did a cleaning job which was satisfying. Headphones in and end my day with the satisfaction of a clean office for the workers tomorrow. City gardening jobs were also lovely. Being out in the sun does wonders for mood. Impossible to get stressed doing the job. But yeah, it's always scary that bad management can ruin a good thing.
- ascorbic 2y ago
  In that case, switching employers may be what's needed, rather than switching careers (I know, easier said than done but easier if you already have a job). But if you do switch careers or have a career break, you can still code! If you're not maintaining a big project, working on your own side-projects is more like a hobby than work for most coders I know, so it wouldn't necessarily be incompatible with a break from the industry.

billconan 2y ago

Thank you so much for the suggestion. I’ve thought about it, but I don’t feel like I have any strong skills outside of coding. I can draw decently as an amateur, but not at a professional level. I genuinely love coding and often do it in my spare time. My burnout isn’t caused by coding itself but rather by poor management and working on assignments that feel meaningless.

famahar 2y ago
I get that. Honestly I never thought I was skilled enough to teach until I tried it. There are a lot of jobs out there that are easy to learn and adapt to. Before teaching I did a cleaning job which was satisfying. Headphones in and end my day with the satisfaction of a clean office for the workers tomorrow. City gardening jobs were also lovely. Being out in the sun does wonders for mood. Impossible to get stressed doing the job. But yeah, it's always scary that bad management can ruin a good thing.
ascorbic 2y ago
In that case, switching employers may be what's needed, rather than switching careers (I know, easier said than done but easier if you already have a job). But if you do switch careers or have a career break, you can still code! If you're not maintaining a big project, working on your own side-projects is more like a hobby than work for most coders I know, so it wouldn't necessarily be incompatible with a break from the industry.