[shortcake27]

When it comes to burnout, the general advice I received is take minimum 1 year off work.

I left my job a few months ago as the burnout got so bad I wasn’t able to conjure up the motivation to tackle the simplest of tasks.

First couple months I didn’t feel any better and I was getting worried. But I’m _just_ starting to feel better now. I’m finding myself more positive and less stressed.

So what am I doing? I’m living out of my car travelling around NZ, doing a crazy amount of hiking, and a tiny amount of freelancing.

[sieabahlpark]

Yeah I'm sure everyone can be unemployed for a year straight and live out of their car.

That sounds completely reasonable and not absolutely, in any way, privileged or insane.

[badpun]

The fact that the right solution is not accessible to everyone does not make it less right. If a specific cure for cancer costs say $20k per month, not everyone can buy it - but it doesn't not make it inefficient cure for cancer.

[rrgok]

To be pedantic, your parent didn't say anything about right or wrong. It is irrelevant the correctness of a solution if you cannot implement it. Taking one year off is not a solution (even tough it is a right solution) for a lot people.

The same for the cancer's cure. It is not a solution for a lot people.

[shortcake27]

I’m not privileged just because I don’t have the same responsibilities as other people. I made choices and those choices allow me to live an extremely cheap lifestyle. The fact other people have mortgages and/or families doesn’t make _me_ privileged; it’s a different situation.

The parent claimed living out of a car is “insane” and “privileged”. Focus on that and let it sink in for a moment.

[lovich]

You got flagged, but yea that’s crazy. I don’t make faang money but make like 60% and I still could only safely take off 8 months after having saved up for years.

Being able to take off a year to recover from burnout, without dealing with the stress of having no income for a year, means you are probably post money if not close.

If that’s the case and the OP has interests like they listed, just start a company doing something you like. You won’t get validation from building someone else’s product.

[shortcake27]

My car cost under $3k and my only expenses are food and car related stuff. DOC campsite pass for $195 for an entire year. It is insanely cheap to live out of a car. Not really sure why people are losing their mind over this.

[lovich]

There’s a presumption in this conversation that taking time off work from burnout isn’t going to be solved by becoming homeless. If you were going to go that route then you could just claim it would only be a few hundred in supplies for you to live in the woods off foraged game and plants.

On top of that it’s illegal to live out of your car in many jurisdictions in the US.

[shortcake27]

No, the comment you responded to and agreed with was referring to my “privileged” position of being able quit my job and live out of my car.

Whether or not it would solve burnout and whether it’s legal in the US are different and new arguments.

I’m justifying my original position that living within meager means isn’t “insane” or “privileged”. If you are only able to take off 8 months after saving for years, that has nothing to do with my ability to live frugally. I don’t gain privilege just because other people choose to take on excessive amounts of debt and/or live more expensive lifestyles than me.

[yosefk]

I think the notion of "privilege" and the habit of accusing people of being "privileged" are so off that if someone "uses the word against you", you might as well give up since the chances for a reasonable discussion are very low. This whole comment tree is quite typical for how it usually plays out.

(Obviously the great-grandparent comment that first used "privilege" is completely off, as are most statements involving the word in the wild)

[refulgentis]

You can get 1/2 a year just from short term disability from burnout at FAANG

[lovich]

A few years at a FAANG is pretty much post money unless you burned it all

[yodsanklai]

What's the problem if it's "privileged"? and it's not that insane. Lots of people take one year sabbatical, including students. In my country (France), it's even negotiable with your employer (it's a right if you worked in the company for more than 3 years I believe).

[tchocky]

Yeah, Europe is different here, as we have social security from the state. In Germany you get continued pay by your health insurance (a certain percentage of your usual salary). It's far easier to do things like this when the state helps you with this.

[rochacon]

Well, if you keep your expenses untouched than it is very hard to do it. However, if you sell some stuff, use hostels, eat on local markets, etc. you can go a long way. You can even stay for free in hostels if you're up to working a few days a week on cleaning, reception, etc. Small, less turistic towns also make a big difference on how expensive this kind of traveling needs to be. Also context matters a lot, this is probably not the best approach if you have a family to support.

If you're open to a, maybe severe, change in lifestyle, you'll see that you don't need much to live. To those that are interested, I recommend reading "Vagabonding" by Rolf Potts and watching "Minimalism" documentary by The Minimalists as a start point.

[shortcake27]

It is unfathomable to me that you believe living out of a car is privileged. I sleep on a camping mat that’s hard as a rock. I pissed in a bottle last night. My car cost under $3k and campsites are virtually free using DOC pass.

Which part exactly of this is privileged?

[anonreeeeplor]

LOL

Not sure if sophisticated troll but either way it’s hilarious.

Owning things really sucks. I would love to live in a camper van. That would be awesome.

[shortcake27]

Sadly I couldn’t afford a campervan, but my car isn’t too bad, just slightly uncomfortable sometimes.

I’ve been daydreaming about this for years and now that I’m doing it, it is actually as good as I hoped. The cold showers, few possessions, no idea where I’m sleeping tonight, it’s all way better than killing myself to make someone else rich. I feel like I lost the past 5 years of my life. Now my life feels like it’s mine again. I’m in control. And if that means I have to pinch pennies, I’m happy to oblige. It’s a price worth paying.

I hope you get to follow your dreams one day too.

[nickd2001]

There's a half-way house for this. For someone that doesn't have a family, its possible to e:g work on a ski resort for the winter making minimum wage plus possibly tips depending on the job, live simply, basically drain your savings but slower than you otherwise would. Then go travelling in the summer with a bit of camping, sleeping in car etc. I've done that, had some savings but hadn't earned silly money, and didn't drain the savings too badly. Was single at the time. Would've been cheaper to do that as a couple with both working and some shared resources. I think someone that had, say $10k saved, might be able to do this. Thats enough for expensive car repair or other unforeseen cost. (OK , healthcare can be in issue in the US, in which case might need more. Also student loans. So YMMV). Reason for this post? Just to show people that don't think they can, that maybe they can actually have a period of freedom and adventure and reflection. Lots of people here on HN seem burned out and not very happy. There's an escape route of sorts , you needn't be very rich to do it, working in tech at all probably gives you an opportunity to save. I'm super glad I did it, looking back now as a parent with far less freedom and energy and commitments to just take off and explore. EDIT - an old Japanese car that is fuel efficient but you can sleep in counts for a lot here. As does having some skills in cheap nutrition - though rice, pasta, beans, porridge (oatmeal), fresh fruit & veg, eggs, tinned fish pretty much does the job.

[the_gastropod]

If you’re working as a software engineer, you are already privileged, yes. It’s trivially easy, when making an average software engineer salary to save a significant portion of your income. If you save 50%, you need to work 1 year to save enough for a year off.

[BizarreByte]

A lot of us aren’t making average HN level salaries and many have a lot of responsibilities. Saving 50% simply isn’t feasible for most people, even in this industry.

It is not “trivially easy” to take a year off. It’s reckless.

[the_gastropod]

Everyone's situation is unique. For many, it may not be easy at all—you're right. But in the "average" case of the average software engineer in the US, if you value the option to take a year off, it is absolutely trivial to save half your income.

Let's just do some back-of-napkin math to prove my point. The average American software engineer makes $110,944 / year [1]. The median salary in the US is $54,132 / year [2]. That's less than half an average software engineer. In other words, most Americans—even if they spend every penny they earn—live on less than half of what an average software engineer makes.

So yes. On average, a software engineer should be able to save half their income and take off a year. Or hell, save 33% of their income, and take a year off after working two!

[1] https://www.indeed.com/career/software-engineer/salaries

[2] https://www.firstrepublic.com/insights-education/how-much-do...

[shortcake27]

So I think the issue is that people with more money are taking on more responsibilities (more expensive house / car etc). This makes it harder for them to take sabbaticals.

The mistake is when those same people then claim that someone making the same money without the same responsibilities is privileged.

It is a very odd position to hold. I’m not privileged just because someone else decided to take on the maximum amount of debt that was available to them.

[shortcake27]

Conversely, I am not privileged just because I don’t have the same responsibilities as you.

If you can’t take a year off work because you have a mortgage, debts, and a family to feed, that’s a problem you need to solve. However, assuming that I’m privileged because I don’t have those things in nonsensical. I live out of a very cheap car and my expenses are virtually zero. That is not a privileged position.

[BizarreByte]

> That is not a privileged position.

That depends on if it’s caused by poverty, or a choice you made despite having the means for a better situation.

Being able to take a year off work and not end up homeless is incredibly privileged, but by your own admission you’re already homeless, possibly by choice. Most people don’t want to live in a car.

[shortcake27]

> That depends on if it’s caused by poverty, or a choice you made despite having the means for a better situation.

There is a certain cost to living out of a car which is the same for everyone living out of a car. It is very cheap and attainable for almost everyone. This, by definition, makes it _not_ a privilege.

> you’re already homeless, possibly by choice. Most people don’t want to live in a car.

Absolutely, I’m homeless by choice, and you’re right it’s not for everyone. However, whether other people want to live in a car or not is irrelevant; if it’s attainable to almost anyone it’s not a privilege.

[ovi256]

If OP worked in big tech, he got paid really well. So he should have significant savings that will allow him to take a sabbatical year as needed.