What to do when everything just sucks? | Hacker News Reader

What to do when everything just sucks?

6 pointssteviee6 comments

I wrote my first lines of code almost 39 years ago (I'm 45 now), sold my first software as shareware 35 years ago and was enjoying software development every day since.

But something happened one or two years ago and now all the big problems of the teams I see seem so self-inflicted, my own team/company included.

It really doesn't matter what I want as my voice inside of our company doesn't count much and people really try to make all the silly mistakes possible...

Most of the time the devs of my company shoot themselves in the foot (not literally), but as a whole the company shoots itself in the head really.

I don't know what to do. I don't feel the energy anymore to do anything about it, really. I just gave up, and I am tremendously sad about it.

Is there some advice out there of what to do to get my "mojo" back?

With the kindest regards, Steviee

It sounds like you have enough experience to be a mentor, teacher, master etc. You probably can’t do much about the entire company shooting itself in the head. And you’re probably not going to be stopping all those devs from shooting themselves in their feet. But maybe you could get some psychological benefit by focusing on those devs who you feel are worth mentoring as individuals?

I’m too young to truly relate. But that’s a position I want to find myself in at a later stage in my career/life/profession - having wisdom to disseminate on the bigger picture when asked. As opposed to trying to race with all those young whippersnappers.

Leave.

You can't rescue your company. You can't fix all the stupid stuff that's going on. And it's destroying your joy in your work. So leave. Find somewhere else where stupidity isn't running out of control. Go there.

That, or just try and not care as much. Don't put too much emotional investment in your work.

Sometimes in life you realise you're the only person who cares or is doing the right thing. This applies to just about any field of work you can think of and yet the world keeps turning regardless.

May sound obvious but try and find something to get passionate about, it need not be work related. The perspective will help.

It sounds like you need to start applying for other jobs. If you can, schedule your start date at your new gig a few weeks out so you can have some time off in between.

Preventing other people from shooting themselves in the foot is called management. Maybe that's how you can best contribute.

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