[gamedna]

Consider taking a sabbatical if you can afford it. Reflect on what got you where you are today, and imagine where you want to be tomorrow. Let your mind disconnect from the day to day rigor of development. I have done this a few times in my career, and each time it keeps me centered on what is important to me. Hope this helps.

[Clubber]

I'm taking a 9 month sabbatical next year so I can learn to enjoy coding again. It's not coding that bugs me, it's all the BS you have to deal with modern management practices that makes it unbearable.

I did management a few times and didn't like it. Keep in mind that no matter what you do, if you're in a corporate environment, that's still going to be a problem.

[pickle-wizard]

I started my sabbatical in Summer 2023. I couldn't even stand to look at a computer for first 12 months.

At the end of this summer, I started working on a software project I've wanted to build for a long time. Programming is so much more fun when you don't have people breathing down your neck asking when it will done, and why are you not completing all your story points in the sprint.

I had a problem that took me three days to figure out. I wasn't stressed at all and was able to just focus on the problem. It has also been enjoyable because I can choose the technologies I want to use. There have also been a couple of times where I start working with something and say I don't like this and go with something else.

I think it has been good to have this project before going back to work. It helped me to start like working with computers again.

[jf]

I presume that you are familiar with it already, but in the off chance that you are not. Check out the Recurse Center

[cableshaft]

Damn, wish I had known about that 10+ years ago, I would have definitely done it.

Would probably be difficult to do that nowadays, although it's tempting. I doubt my partner would be comfortable with me being away from home that long, though. Even me going to a convention for a few days seems to be pushing it sometimes.

There used to be a monthly hacker night meetup near here at an app dev shop, and that was fun to go to and code around other people, but that died with the pandemic.

There was one time period about 20 years ago of about two months where I did a daily sabbatical to the library when I was in between jobs, and spent ~4 hours just working on my games each day (and I started the day with about an hour reading classic books before heading to the quiet work area). I remember growing a lot as a programmer then, and I released one Flash game and made major progress on another during that time.

[justsocrateasin]

Second this, I know several close friends who have done the Recurse center and they say it's a phenomenal experience, one of the best things they've ever done. Generally speaking the job placement afterwards is also not all that bad if you decide to go back into the workforce.

[Clubber]

Thanks for the suggestion, but honestly, that sounds horrible for me right now; looking at the picture of all the people hunched over their desks in an open office. For some background, I've been doing this professionally for 28 years. I've been in the architect/team lead role building software, mostly Greenfield projects in the medical field since 2008. I've shouldered all the responsibility that entails; guiding devs, checking code, working with business directly, making deadlines, project planning, all that.

I plan on doing nothing computer related for the first few months. I need to get healthy again. Once I get healthy I'm gonna spend some time doing deep dives into the new hotness (probably AI), then look for another startup type company who won't shackle creativity and ambition with useless process (scrum).

Or maybe I'll just do some contract work here and there and be semi-retired.