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by hdhjebebeb 1825 days ago
I'm in a similar boat, I've been working for 10 years and I was burnt out before the pandemic, but the last year has been brutal.

People in the replies are saying "get a hobby", which isn't a bad idea if you find yourself over-working. Personally, my burnout is more like inability to initiate tasks and focus during the workday. I can go cycling or play video games no problem, any time, but work specifically is a huge barrier.

The only solution I've seen work is to take an extended break, and identify what about your work is burning you out. Do you need more autonomy? Do you need more guidance? Purpose? Connection with your coworkers? Personally, I realized I wouldn't ever use our product (it's very complicated for little benefit compared to the competition) and it has mountains of tech debt nobody cares about cleaning up, which has really killed my motivation. So I'm going to quit soon and take a few months to deliberately search for a company doing something that seems valuable/important.
1 comments
astrea 1825 days ago
I'm sorry you're dealing with this as well, but at least in a twisted way that validates us both. What you described as your burnout is the same as mine. I definitely am dying for some purpose and I haven't had much interaction with my coworkers lately other than when something breaks. I've been pushing for other work and better pay so we'll see where that leads.
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hdhjebebeb 1825 days ago
Good luck! FWIW in the past I've been happiest working on a project with a small team that has some clear product goals - maybe your current company can provide something like that?

Re: compensation, I think it's important to realize whether or not more money will make you happy. If you feel undervalued it might, but you might be chasing two rabbits trying to switch projects and get a raise simultaneously.

Personally I've made way above-market for the past 5 years, bought a house, and the only benefit is now I have a safety cushion so I can take time off to recover. I would have traded comp for a more fulfilling job, in retrospect.

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