Is a career in tech really that draining?

Google
heyheyheyy

Go to company page Google

heyheyheyy
Jul 6, 2021 37 Comments

Seems like so many people want to live frugally and retire early, or save a good enough nest egg so they can work a less paying job that is more enjoyable.

I’ve always had the opposite mentality that I’m going to work as long as possible, but I’m also going to enjoy life and not save every penny (still save a reasonable amount)

Is burnout really that bad in tech that everyone wants to make their money and leave? Would it be better if more people figured out how to enjoy their money now and have some wlb?

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TOP 37 Comments
  • I love coding. Been doing it since I was 12, in various forms. First programmer/coder job was in last year of highschool. Had some ups and downs wrt. jobs, but last decade I spent in big corp. I can say this: coding was never the issue. The work environment was. It’s so fucking draining.
    Jul 6, 2021 3
    • What I have learned over a long time, and occasionally the hard way (and severe burnout episodes), is that finding a balance is key. Sounds easy and obvious, right? The devil is in the details / implementation, tho.

      For me and my family, it’s about having a certain lifestyle, which we can have with corporate income, planning a bit ahead financially, _while_ making sure I don’t die of a heart attack or stroke while having a large bank account.

      This balance is hard to maintain. My best recommendation, which unfortunately I don’t always manage to follow correctly, is to set up goals (for balance) and re-evaluate your situation regularly (months apart, maybe yearly). Make changes when necessary.
      Jul 6, 2021
    • Informatica / R&D
      jskjsr

      Go to company page Informatica R&D

      PRE
      Google
      jskjsr
      @Google at the end of 15-20 yoe will you be 24 again?
      Jul 6, 2021
  • Amazon / Eng
    SECA

    Go to company page Amazon Eng

    SECA
    Leaving after few years of making good money is also not easy. Once you get in the rat race, you get hooked. Generally speaking, the people in tech are nerds and have a poor social quotient. The rat race is all they have. For most, their TC is probably one of the only things that is truly their own. There are exceptions ofcourse, but this is what I have observed so far.
    Jul 6, 2021 2
  • Uber / Eng
    2929dj

    Go to company page Uber Eng

    2929dj
    You sound like a new grad or college student. Once you join this rat race, you can see for yourself. Google anyway has good WLB on average, but many others like Amazon, Uber, startups etc don't have. Hence we want to get maximum money and leave soon.
    Jul 6, 2021 2
  • Following
    Jul 6, 2021 2
  • Amazon
    pipdaemon

    Go to company page Amazon

    pipdaemon
    Tech work in itself is not draining. What's draining though, is (a) being forced (or your own desire or expectation) to complete a task quickly (b) a blocker where you don't know how to proceed further and also don't have any help. Such situations will drain you twice as fast with productivity halved.
    Jul 6, 2021 1