Giving up on computer science and technology

Google
alas alas

Go to company page Google

alas alas
Jan 25, 2021 33 Comments

SWE@google.

Working for a few years, l5, joined post higher education.

I feel like I have started to give up on technology in general. I don’t find it interesting anymore. It just feels like the same old thing over and over again.

My work has basically revolved around the same field or similar fields for ~ 15 years. I don’t feel like there is a point to anything. Nothing is really going to make a big difference.

What should I do? I am already using mental health services.

TC: ~400k
NW: 1/2 mil.

#mentalhealth

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 TOP 33 Comments
  • Amazon
    Latvi

    Go to company page Amazon

    Latvi
    Try a different field or learn new skills, if your visa/financials allow it. I think of my career as innings, I try a new direction every 5-6 yr, and it has helped me stay fresh and keeps life in perspective.
    Jan 25, 2021 8
    • Amazon
      Latvi

      Go to company page Amazon

      Latvi
      Glad you found the pointers helpful. Other thing that helps me is thinking about what I truly want and planning for it only when I’m happy, and not when I’m emotional (scared, angry, frustrated). Even if it means once a month given I’m at Amazon. It has helped me stay focused on what I really want, be less reactive to problems that luckily solve themselves (like long commute) and reduced chasing of extrinsic goals (like people pleasing, chasing TC etc.,)

      Regarding the manager thing >> this is so true and so fucked up in the tech industry. Of the 11 managers I’ve had in my career, 8 of them were self serving and took full advantage of my naïveté. A manager has a lot of power about how you experience your role and morale. Note that ambitious managers are not always great. I’ve suffered many miserable months in the hands of ambitious and micromanaging, self serving managers. On the other hand, unambitious managers, suck the joy out of everything and make you feel old and pointless. My key takeaway is that if a manager is self serving, ambitious or not, it will hurt you.

      Finding the right manager is trial and error. So, I’m teaching myself how not to let my conditioning (such as fear of authority, perfectionism, seeking validation) get misused and assert strong boundaries with my manager ( still work in progress, but getting there). I think this will become an increasingly important skill going forward, because the rapid pace at which tech grows will continue to favor confidence over competence, which in the case of people management is detrimental to mental health of people reporting to incompetent managers.
      Jan 25, 2021
    • Google
      dontbe3vil

      Go to company page Google

      dontbe3vil
      Your experience is definitely influenced by your manager. Luckily, you can change managers. And products. Many people optimize for promo - you can optimize for learning/fun. There are a bunch of risky projects at google which are challenging technically and business wise but with no certainty of success. You can choose to go for these or for area 120 projects. You can also look at socially impactful projects with nbu or those in the health space. Lots of options :)
      Mar 21, 2021
  • Go to the countryside with a computer and a baseball bat and destroy that machine! Then get a shower, and get back to work
    Jan 25, 2021 4
  • Boeing
    f63Ero8

    Go to company page Boeing

    f63Ero8
    You work at Google man (or woman)! You have a good shot at working for whoever you want. Why not try SpaceX or BO? AR/VR companies? Autonomous Driving?
    Jan 25, 2021 3
    • New
      LiQj71

      New

      LiQj71
      > SpaceX

      Who wouldn't want to take a paycut to work 80hr weeks so that Elon can stroke his on ego on twitter?
      Jan 25, 2021
    • Boeing
      f63Ero8

      Go to company page Boeing

      f63Ero8
      Coming from aero engineering background, I think CS/SWE/tech industry is designed to make you feel dumb and have developed a strong respect for those in the field. There’s so much breadth and depth of info you’re somehow supposed to know for jobs it’s crazy. Realistically to pass and excel at Google you’re top 1%. While SpaceX interviews are very tough for example, you’ll never be fully prepared for interviews even with the proper background and it says nothing about your abilities if you’re not familiar with some more engineering-ey concepts. Now whether you want to work for them is a different story but I think being surrounded by extremely intelligent people has caused you to feel more mediocre than you are.
      Jan 25, 2021
  • Salesforce
    rationlist

    Go to company page Salesforce

    PRE
    Adobe
     rationlist
    Heard this few days back - "the moment you recognize what is beautiful in this world, you stop being a slave".

    Take a break/sabbatical, let go a few things and beauty will come.
    Jan 25, 2021 0
  • Apple
    RoidRage2

    Go to company page Apple

    RoidRage2
    I would look into learning in a new comp science field. Learn about HW. Distributed systems. Maybe a new programming paradigm. Can't say more without knowing your background
    Jan 25, 2021 3
    • Apple
      RoidRage2

      Go to company page Apple

      RoidRage2
      I mean this in the nicest way possible- there are more frontiers than just ML. Just got to open your eyes. I also think it's legit to feel burnt out from CS but I think there are a lot of interesting areas that had I had the time or money to, I'd definitely explore
      Jan 25, 2021
    • Google
      alas alas

      Go to company page Google

      alas alas
      OP
      Yeah no offense taken. I know that there is life beyond ML.
      Jan 25, 2021