I'm good in my profession and I'm tired of it | Hacker News Reader

I'm good in my profession and I'm tired of it

8 pointsRadiolith11 comments

The premise is simple: I have a career in software development. I'm quite good in what I do. Not a guru but good to be responsable for high profile projects in my current (and past) company. I don't have a big paycheck but it's good for humble mid-class life. I have a nice home and I'm solo provider for my family. Bottom line, I have a decent job that allows me to have a non-worried life.

What else could I ask for, right?

The problem: I'm uterly and completely tired and drained of what I do. I don't get annoyed or have any issues in my daily work (besides the "normal") but I just don't take any pleasure or fulfilling or motivation in my daily work life. In a nutshell: 8-10 hours of my day go to the drain.

The complication: This is pretty much all my profession experience. I feel like I'm in this professional hole and that the only way out is to just start over somewhere else which I can't (solo provider, bills threshold). So I'm in this cycle of unable to get away of it.

The joke: 1st world problem right? well.. it is what it is.

Has anyone felt the same? Are you willing to share your experience on how you dealt with it?

Cheers

I get it. Been there, primarily when I would work on projects I just didn't see the point of. Or if you have spent the last 5 years building e-commerce solutions (just an example) over and over for different people it can get really mundane, unchallenging and frustrating at times.

I think you need to identify whether you are bored/frustrated with the domain or with the work. e.g. do you enjoy being a dev and just not the domain or are you just over writing code and dealing with projects etc.

If domain is bothering you, find a new company and domain where your skills can be used on something that would excite you.

If it is software in general that is causing you to feel this way then maybe you should do the math. Especially if you are younger, starting over isn't unreasonable if you can live on a smaller paycheck for a while. But you'll have to find something that would motivate you and excite you. And I'd suggest if you need training for it that you do that while getting paid at your current job.

If you have kids and are a bit older you can still change but you just need to be more careful and it might take a bit longer, especially being the sole income for the family. But I would suggest you actively start making a change (whatever it may be) or you will get stuck in a rut and fear the change more and more.

Turns out, the most interesting design problem is designing your life.

Bill Burnett has a brilliant book on the subject.

> https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=SemHh0n19LA

Thanks for the recommendation. I'll check it out!

I guess this is a very common problem and a struggle for many of us. I also think that there is no simple fix for it. You might find yourself in the same situation after some years after you have start over somewhere else.

Maybe you should find pleasure in the fact that you can provide your family, instead of in your work. Maybe you could also try working less and find something else to derive pleasure from. If it is possible, try to find a more senior position in which you can mentor others. It is known to have a positive effect on job satisfication.

Being able to provide my family is the only thing that keeps me going forward but also the thing that keeps me in the hole. When you're good at something, you build your entire life around it, your people relations, your professional network, your job, your career, the city you move to to find better oportunities, the time invested into growth and learning... Everything is tailored based on that piece of "something" that set you apart from the rest and that let you into that door, and the next door, and the next until you (not always, but sometimes) get this feeling of "stuckness".

Sell your house, quit your job, travel the world

If it was so simple... :)

Heading toward

God help me

The four hour work week

Generally seems like a good idea

So

Start with trying a four day work week

Or remote

Or both

The extra time will help you decompress

And have some time to actually think about alternatives

I absolutely feel the same. I'm very good at what I do but the routine is just so draining and boring to be perfectly honest. But it pays the bills and I get a good pension at the end. But it still all feels very sad in some ways. I feel like I should be greatful though. It's a decent paying job and I have a good crew to work with. I hate to complain but here we are.

Exactly... It might even be selfish but the feeling is there lurking all day long in the back of your head.

ugh, yup, all the time.

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