[markhollis]

I got another perspective. I was/am someone who is labelled as an underperformer by my boss. I work at a electronics production firm, where I did some programming work. During feedback season, I was moved departments. Now I just do soldering, all days long.

What do I do in my situation? I feel like being in despair. I feel like I don't have any other options. Clearly, this situation feels like suicide for my career.

I was recently diagnosed with ASD, bipolar disorder type 2 and depression, for what it's worth.

[frongpik]

Switch jobs. You can't escape this hole by doing more work. In fact, doing more work will solidify your managers opinion that the new role is better for you. Do exactly what's told in the gervais principle book: slack off to the barely sustainable perf to release energy you need to prepare an exit.

I've been labelled an underperformer in past. I switched jobs, doubled my pay and got a stellar perf review at the new place. I've learned that perf doesn't assess your ability, but rather your relationships with peers and managers, and your adherence to the ingroup activities, i.e. some orgs value above else the amount of code you write, some value how loud you're in meetings, some value shipping features or writing feature designs. Poor perf review is a sign that your mental model of the organization is wrong. Once you get it right, it's entirely possible to have stellar perf on paper while doing laughably mediocre work.

[novok]

Learn how to handle your mental illnesses and your job performance will probably improve.

Once you have a handle on that, move jobs?