Malcontent with tech industry

Facebook / Product
Jojo jo

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Facebook
 Jojo jo
Jan 2, 2017 77 Comments

Am I the only person who feels dissatisfied with the general tech industry? Work doesn't feel meaningful and bland culture and mediocre execution make me feel less and less motivated to push myself let alone give two fucks about work.

I hear Facebook is supposed to be considered one of the better places to work which implies other places will be even worse though I'd hope leaner companies are still interesting.

It doesn't feel like there's interesting products anymore. I'd move but I haven't found any startups working on things I'm passionate about.

I've half a mind to just say fuck it and leave for a random company just to change something but I know I'd regret it more if I jumped into another situation and was still unhappy.

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 TOP 77 Comments
  • Facebook
    A.Vandelay

    Go to company page Facebook

    A.Vandelay
    There there, It'll be over in a minute. http://mschmitt.org/performance/
    Jan 2, 2017 1
    • Microsoft / Eng
      AmIEvil

      Go to company page Microsoft Eng

      BIO
      My face is long forgotten, my face not my own.
       AmIEvil
      OMG, thank you, sir, I will be using this for the next series of random peer feedback requests.
      Jan 2, 2017
  • Indeed
    WvND31

    Go to company page Indeed

    WvND31
    It's completely meaningless. I know exactly what you mean. We're building "products" "features" and "functionalities" but in the end it's a fucking button for a website... Can't stand how they call coders "engineers" (and I am one). This is not building a bridge or sky scraper, or designing a space ship. We are not engineers and the work is not meaningful.
    Jan 2, 2017 6
    • Amazon
      Fastlane

      Go to company page Amazon

      Fastlane
      On the other hand when I am supposed to be doing front end web development, I feel the same way. Just creating buttons on a UI, most of the time under some arbitrary deadline that some one picked out of nowhere.
      Jan 3, 2017
    • Facebook / Product
      Jojo jo

      Go to company page Facebook Product

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      Facebook
       Jojo jo
      OP
      It's childish to use this as an example but things like the iPhone are examples of what I consider meaningful products that are both interesting, innovative, and required amazing execution. At the time nobody thought smart phones would be big or just how massive it would become
      Jan 6, 2017
  • Facebook / Product
    Jojo jo

    Go to company page Facebook Product

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    Facebook
     Jojo jo
    OP
    I was hoping things get better for people who've been at this for longer than five years but sounds like everybody is jaded to some degree and learns to cope.

    To be clear, I recognize the necessity of slogging through a project sometime, and I'm not trying to say I only want to work on sexy things.

    I just wanted to find a vision I could feel passionate about and help that company achieve it however I could contribute.

    At the moment outside of musk I don't see any compelling visionaries who do what they do for a reason other than profit. It's oddly demoralizing
    Jan 2, 2017 7
  • Google
    mkray

    Go to company page Google

    mkray
    I have been in the industry for 20+ years. My burn out/boredom time is 18 - 36 months. I start making excuses such as the product is not heading in the right direction, etc... but I really need a change. It took 20 years for me to figure out that happiness at work is up to you. Your boss does not own you. Set up your calendar and stick to it. Example, decline a meeting if it conflicts with an existing meeting or lunch time or workout time. Don't be afraid to say No. It will set the right expectations and reduce unnecessary interruptions. There is nothing so urgent that cannot wait an hour unless you are getting fired in which case it makes no difference. It is up to you to find meaning and purpose, it won't just magically come. Unless you are a workaholic, I cannot stress the importance of downtime.
    Jan 2, 2017 3
    • Facebook / Product
      Jojo jo

      Go to company page Facebook Product

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      Facebook
       Jojo jo
      OP
      Unfortunately I'm a workaholic :(
      I've recently realized the need to have multiple sources of happiness though and am trying to enjoy life outside work more.
      Jan 6, 2017
    • Google
      mkray

      Go to company page Google

      mkray
      I spend roughly 40-50 hours working and learning new things. You don't need to know everything, specialize and leverage the strengths of others around you. It will help you build strong relationships and teams. Think of it this way when you work on a task everyone does something different because you won't get much done if everyone was doing the same task, it is the same with knowledge. One skill that should be learned by everyone is how to recognize and leverage the skills of others.
      Jan 7, 2017
  • Tableau
    Jdhdheuek

    Go to company page Tableau

    Jdhdheuek
    The tech industry is incredibly douchey and filled to the brim with some of the worst, most full of shit people in the world, but it still beats working in just about any other industry right now.
    Jan 2, 2017 0