How to burnout a software engineer

This is just a specific variation on a theme that applies to all of STEM.

The half life of a STEM career in the USA is about 10 years. 10 years after graduation, half those with a STEM degree are no longer doing STEM. Another 10 years and those who remain have decreased by half again.

But once you start digging into all this you will slowly come to realize that the core of the problem is bigger still --- it is actually a cultural phenomenon that applies to American business in general.

American business culture views those who create products as expenses to be restricted and controlled. In contrast, those who *sell* products are viewed as productive assets to be lavishly praised, nurtured and rewarded.

The illogic here is deeply rooted and is fully illustrated by a phrase I heard over and over again down through my career.

      "No one gets paid until something gets sold"

This is objectively true --- but no more logically valid than my counter point:

      "Nothing gets sold until something gets built"

Bottom Line --- American corporate culture has an inherent bias toward those who sell and against those who create. This applies and is reflected across industries, regardless of the actual product being built and sold. And it has been this way for generations. The only workable way I found to change this was to dropout and start my own business.