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Hello there... Struggling is no piece of cake, especially when it comes to work. Work is obviously a large part of our lives, and we all want to contribute to
by Arjuna 13y ago
Hello there...
Struggling is no piece of cake, especially when it comes to work. Work is obviously a large part of our lives, and we all want to contribute to our maximum potential, working on projects that have meaning and impact, while hopefully doing it along-side cool people who share a common vision.
I have written some about this in responses to other "Ask HN" questions [1][2]; these might not be necessarily specific to your situation, but you might find some help in them nonetheless, with regard to the thought process involved with solving your problem.
The essential theme in these responses is that you have to work to separate your thoughts out about various items, like the commute, the job itself, the team, etc. That is to say, once you break out the various components of the problem, you can better assess your feelings, your situation, etc. and come to an answer that works best for you.
For example, in your post, you identified 2 issues:
1. You are having a bit of a hard time with the team.
You don't have to do this publicly, but ask yourself some questions to help you identify what is going on in this area. For example, what is the nature of the problem? Do you have a problem with a single person? Do you have a problem with multiple people? Is this problem simply irreconcilable, or is there anything that you can do to resolve this problem?
2. You feel that things seem to be going nowhere.
Now, this can, of course, be related to the above, but it's still important to break issues like this down into their component parts. For example, why is the project going nowhere? Is it largely related to the above (i.e., having a hard time with the team) or, is it related to something else? Is this a funding issue? Do you no longer believe in the product? Do the people that you work with no longer seem to believe in the product? What if everything was perfect with the team... would you still feel that things are going nowhere?
Finally, there could be other issues at play that are making you feel the way that you are, which you may not have considered, and which are not mentioned in your post. For example, if you have a long commute, that can play havoc on how you view your job. Or, you might be burned out, which can damper your feelings about your work and who you are working with. When was the last time you really got away from screens and work and got some restorative rest away from the shop?
My advice is to head to a quiet space, go on a walk or a hike and think about some of these starter questions and their answers. This process will kindle some of your own questions as well. You might also try writing some things down, like a pro/con list of what you like and do not like about this job, and how it compares to your ideal situation. This process might serve to help you see things in a new perspective, in a different light.
I have found that the key is to break things down into their component parts, then work from there.
All the best.
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Ask HN: I do not enjoy my job, what to do?
[1] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6327863 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6327863
Ask HN: Alternate Careers for a Software developer
[2] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6220534 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6220534