

A Burnt Out Programmer - zkz
http://sdk.org.nz/2009/06/22/a-burnt-out-programmer/

======
CodeMage
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.

~~~
sho
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.

~~~
CodeMage
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.

~~~
lief79
Thank you for your reality check. Many people I know keep friends in the same
social circles, and have little to no direct exposure to this perspective.

Not everyone has the strong safety net to fall back on, so not everyone can
risk the long break; due to a variety of reasons.

He's right in that some people are afraid of risk and don't have much to lose.
You're right that some have done a realistic risk analysis and decided that
other things, especially children, are more important than optimizing their
immediate happiness.

Appreciate all that you have already accomplished, and take advantage of the
opportunities presented to you.

------
spaghetti
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.

------
zkz
The author has been answering questions here:
[http://www.reddit.com/r/programming/comments/8ujgx/dear_prog...](http://www.reddit.com/r/programming/comments/8ujgx/dear_proggit_id_like_to_share_my_experience_of/)

------
edw519
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.

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

~~~
edw519
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.

