

What to do if you are a coder and you are getting tired of coding? - sara_gozalo

Hi all, I am a software engineer, I work in a big company, I have worked here for 2 years, using the same technologies all these time. I love the company because allows me to work with music and tech but...at the end my work is to be a coder with music data.
I go to hackathons...or I used to go, I loved them and I think I still love the environment but...I am getting tired of coding. I always find a excuse to do something else, I love to do small projects, prototypes but I am getting soooo tired of coding...it is not as excited as it is used to be...
I am only 25 years old...and I am pretty scared...what the hell am I supposed to do? Project Manager -&gt; NO! I want to solve technical problems, be creative...dunno maybe I am just dreaming for the perfect job...any suggestion coders?
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mrodrigues1
Once in a while I have the same issue, and I had the same worries that you do.
It usually occurs after some really intensive time working/studying. I've been
so tired that simply reading or listening about coding would make me feel
nauseous.

After being there several times, I concluded that it's something I must live
with. I don't know if it's related to my depression, but even so, it's not
something that will simply go away.

The good news is that I always feel better after a while. I've developed some
techniques to help overcome these moments:

\- Take a break. Do something that don't have any relation to coding, like
martial arts, painting or playing music (in your case, music may not be an
appropriate escape). Preferably something that doesn't need much analytical
thinking, and that forces you to move your body. Mind(s) and body are
connected, and the act of programming usually makes us exercise only one side
of our minds.

\- Do some cowboy/passion coding. Take a problem completely different from
those your are used to solve, learn a new paradigm, put yourself out of your
comfort zone; in other words, dive deep on the unknown. This will help your
mind to remember why you love so much coding.

\- Do nothing. Lie in the bed for a whole day or two, watching some garbage on
Netflix. Don't take any baths, and only eat junk food. Hit the rock bottom,
let your bad feelings hit the peak, and your body will eventually heal itself.
I usually do this only when I'm so demotivated that I can't even manage to get
up and do the stuff I should be doing.

That's it, I hope the best of luck! You'll be fine!

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mattlondon
I had the same issue after about 5 or 6 years.

I took a bit of a side-step into something entirely different (online ads)
where I basically had minimal chance to code, apart from the odd ad hoc tool
or script.

Now the only code I could do were trivial little hacks at work, or my own
projects at home.

And now after about 3 years not coding for a living, I now realise that coding
really is what I want to do. I work for a great company now - great equity,
great facilities, free food and all that - but I miss coding and am pretty
unhappy in this job despite the great conditions & super-smart colleagues
because I now understand that I want to code again.

This time I will probably not go back to a big company, and would more likely
go to a small place or even work for myself.

tl;dr - take a break. you don't know what you've got until its gone.

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crispy2000
What else is there is that you _like_ to do? How tired you are of coding?
Could you do it another 3-5 years? Two years is not long, so perhaps you've
picked the wrong field.

If your main marketable asset is your coding skill, consider being a trainer,
writing a book, becoming a software architect.

You may find it more interesting to work in a small start-up in which you will
not only code, but likely manage servers, do the testing, and whatever else
needs to be done.

Another option is to work in the same industry, but perhaps in a related area,
such as sales, application engineering, or some business function such as
purchasing.

That'll be $0.02, please.

