A Burnt Out Programmer

http://sdk.org.nz/2009/06/22/a-burnt-out-programmer/

by zkz • 17 years ago

64 17 17 years ago

sdk.org.nz

zkz• 17 years ago

The author has been answering questions here: http://www.reddit.com/r/programming/comments/8ujgx/dear_prog...

CodeMage3• 17 years ago

After reading this, I feel old. I'm 30 years old and I feel like the stereotypical grumpy bastard who screams at "those damn kids" to get off his lawn. Why? Because reading this annoyed the hell out of me.

Don't get me wrong, I don't disagree with what he wrote. It's just that I get annoyed by "magical solutions" that work well, but can only be applied to a minority. There's a whole lot of people out there who (for example) have kids and can't just get up, quit and spend a year traveling and relaxing and having fun. I'll probably get down-voted for this, but I needed to speak up.

DannoHung• 17 years ago

Stop saying "people will downvote me for this" that's a reddit thing.

Anyway, if you yourself are burnt out, perhaps there is a different way to get some of the excitement for your job back. This might seem counterintuitve, but a side-project (MORE WORK) can be really refreshing, particularly if you force yourself to work on it in regular increments.

CodeMage3• 17 years ago

Personally, I don't feel burnt out. I always have a side project I'm working on and, even though it's sometimes hard to balance the time between work, family and side project, I do immensely enjoy it.

However, there were a few moments when I felt dangerously close to burning out. My solution is to get some vacation and stop doing anything that might even remotely resemble work. Just relax, spend more time with family, read books, play videogames. Get out of town if possible. That's my burnout-prevention mechanism. I guess I'm just jealous: the most I can get is two weeks of vacation time ;)

PS: Sorry, about the down-vote thing. I don't hang out at reddit, so I didn't know it was part of their culture. Thanks for the tip.

ine8181• 17 years ago

Fair enough, and I completely agree.

When I wrote it, I didn't mean to suggest that everyone who was burnt out should do what I did. I tried to present it not as a 'solution' but merely a series of events that happened to me.

I think, for example, if I picked up a whole new line of work, a similar epiphany would have happened. A year or so later, I would've started solving problems, then come to the conclusion that I liked programming.

I'm starkly aware that packing up and going travelling is an incredibly rare privilege.

nostrademons• 17 years ago

I met an innkeeper in Alaska once. He and his wife had both once worked in technology in Silicon Valley. When they got married, they agreed that they'd live like grad students. That doesn't mean they were poor, but it means they'd forgo the extravagances like a big house and meals out and exotic summer vacations.

Then, when their son was 15, they bought a sailboat, and sailed around the world for a year. When they got to Seward, Alaska, they decide they wanted to stay there, so they bought an old abandoned building, fixed it up, and opened an inn.

What struck me most about their story was how ordinary they were. They did not win the lottery. There were no hot startups or million-dollar buyouts for them. They had a kid to take care of, and seem to have had him fairly young (the innkeeper was in his mid-40s and the son was in college, so they must've been about mid-20s when he was born.) They just decided what they want and then worked hard for 15 years to make it happen.

There're a few things that really are out of reach for us normal folks - most of us will never have our own private yacht, or race fighter jets, or sail in America's Cup. But spending a year traveling and relaxing and having fun is probably not one of them. Or maybe it is now, but with a couple years advance planning, it should be more than doable.

bartl• 17 years ago

"Magic solution"? Having to quit doing the job you used to love for 8 months does in no way sound like a magic solution to me. Taking a pill and go to work the next day, all refreshed, that would be a magic solution.

sho2• 17 years ago

When you get "annoyed" by hearing someone's positive tale of rediscovering his love of his work, something's rotten in your life. Anger at other people's happiness is a poisonous thing and you need to find a way to fix that.

"There's a whole lot of people out there who (for example) have kids and can't just get up, quit and spend a year traveling and relaxing and having fun."

Not can't. Won't. Usually for reasons which boil down to being too in love with their precious little middle class lifestyle. Meanwhile, a family of 4 could pack up and live like kings for a year in practically any developing country for 10 grand.

thismat2• 17 years ago

That and people put too much emphasis in petty junk. Nice cars, big house, expensive clothes, fine dining...That's all fine and dandy if it's how you want to live, but I'd rather have a simple life and little stress.

I definitely will be taking my kids to see the world in the future, something we never did when I was growing up, family business kept us pretty busy year round.

CodeMage3• 17 years ago

First of all, it is not his positive tale that annoyed me, it's the implication that things are equally easy for everyone and that if you don't accomplish them, it's your own fault. Your last paragraph is the perfect example of that kind of attitude and I get annoyed with it for a very good reason.

I live and work in a developing country, where those 10 grand are rather hard to come by and even when you have them aren't enough to make a family of 4 live like kings. I came to this developing country from an even worse country (economically speaking) where I grew up knowing what poverty really is. Please excuse me if I'm "too in love" with my "precious little middle class lifestyle", because that lifestyle means that I can buy a book AND take my kid to the doctor in the same month.

I hope I made it easier to see why assumptions like yours are particularly infuriating to some people. At least the author didn't make the same assumption, as I can see from his comment, for which I am deeply grateful.

spaghetti• 17 years ago

Taking a break from something you're pursuing is extremely rewarding. I first noticed this when I injured myself and couldn't run for 2-3 weeks. When I starting running again I was a whole new person. The time off was a great opportunity for personal growth. I noticed this pattern again later in life when I quit my job as a programmer without any solid plans or much money in the bank. Now I'm back and feel better than ever. I sincerely encourage anyone who loves programming but feels burnt out to _choose_ to take a break. If taking a break seems difficult focus all your energy on making it happen.

edw5192• 17 years ago

I have been programming continuously for 30 years and I've never been burnt out. In fact, I'm having more fun than ever. I can't imagine doing anything else.

I have worked in 88 companies, either as a contractor or an employee. I have seen OPs scenario (and many other absurd scenarios) play out many times. I have worked on the worst garbage code and dealt with incredibly nasty and incompetent people almost everywhere I've been. But I never let them beat me.

Only I get to decide how I feel about anything, especially work. When things have gone sour, which they almost always do, I have done everything I could to fix them, and when that wasn't enough, I have moved on. I've always felt that one of my biggest strengths was the breadth of my experience. I use almost all of it every time I do something.

There's now more hope and opportunity for true hackers than ever. It's just a matter of continually finding your best place. Maybe a small service business. Maybe that perfect job. Maybe a startup. If all else fails, keep the lousy day job and hack away at something cool at night.

If you're really burnt out, take a break. But make it your decision - don't let the bastards take your inner hacker away. Ever.

thismat2• 17 years ago

I love your totally positive, proactive attitude. When I see a post like this I can't help but smile.

edw5192• 17 years ago

Thank you.

Whenever I have doubts about my work (which isn't often), I imagine I was born in any other century. I'd probably be digging ditch or milking a cow instead of making something cool out of nothing in my air-conditioned office. It's pretty easy to stay positive with that perspective.

PieSquared• 17 years ago

Wow, thanks. Hearing something so upbeat, positive, and motivated just makes me want to buck up and finally deal with all the things I need to deal with which prevent me from being satisfied.

A Burnt Out Programmer

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