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by cconroy 3808 days ago
`I burnt out once after a few years of very intense, very committed work. I wasn't better off at the end of it and nobody says "thank you", not sincerely anyway. And after you leave, the waters close around you and it will be like you were never there.`

Wow that imagery is powerfully sad. Corporate culture and its structural constraints makes monsters of all of us.
1 comments
m0nty 3808 days ago
> Wow that imagery is powerfully sad

I didn't mean it to be ;) I'm an optimist at heart, honestly, and I'm not sitting here feeling I've wasted my life or anything. But there are some things I wouldn't do again if I had my time again, and working hard for unappreciative, self-centred people is one of them.

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jacquesm 3808 days ago
> working hard for unappreciative, self-centred people is one of them.

That's a bit of a luxury, you don't always have that choice but on the whole I agree with the idea. I'd re-phrase it to don't work for assholes if you can avoid it. I'm fortunate enough now that this is a rare occurrence but even now every now and then a deal goes by that is financially too sweet to let go and I still take them. Last year this happened once, the previous 3 years not at all. So unless you're totally secure in your finances keep that door open a crack.

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m0nty 3808 days ago
It's interesting you say this, I currently have four weeks to run on a very well-paying contract which I chose to terminate. The money's been nice, and so are the people I work with, but I have enough in the bank now where I can take a chance on doing something different without risking financial hardship. Let's just say that, after two heart surgeries last year, I don't mind taking the risk that my plans fall over and I end up going back to an IT gig sometime in the indeterminate future :) In the meantime, I'm just enjoying the sense of possibility and freedom.
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jacquesm 3808 days ago
That's a reasonable middle ground. But it does show clearly that those 'annoying but high paying jobs' have a place in the armory.

Good to see you on this side of the line after two heart surgeries.

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tdsamardzhiev 3807 days ago
Great insight, thanks for sharing. Godspeed to you!
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