You didn't talk about your personal life, but I think you should focus on it. Work is a great enabler, with a good enough salary you can afford to do very exciting things when you are not at work.

And when you are at work, you can try to shape your craft, go to a few conferences, try to get something new to your brain.

Also, enjoy life. The endless search for something better will never end and it is one of your best qualities, but don't let yourself, your body and soul suffer and suppress that by letting it make you depressed.

I was kind of like you, then I found a wife, moved abroad, still work with the same stuff as before, but having to adapt to different contexts, culture and language made me grow a lot personally and also I believe in my job. Maybe consider that. If you are American and know those things, hell, even from a third world country(like I was), you can definitely find a job abroad that will give enough problems to solve(immigration is hard) that will keep you busy for a few years...

Wish you the best, cheers.

Went through a similar phase about 15 years ago. Was burned out from IT. It was a struggle to get up to go to work everyday and I dreaded my job even though it was a great job. I finally built up enough to quit, move to another state, and find a job completely unrelated to IT. I loved it. I had a renewed energy and after about 2-3 years I started easing myself back in doing small consulting roles. After about 8 years I was ready to make the jump back. Haven't looked back since.

One note, during the entire time I was sure to keep up on emerging technologies, even if at just a high level. Made my jump back a little easier, however, I still had a slight learning curve.

Working in a service can be haunting experience. Long hours and yet it is often not appreciated by customers. I was in IT line too.. Know how you feel.

So what's the job that you have now ?

Thank you. Yeah, I am quite burned out.

Oh, you hate your job? There's a support group for that. It's called everybody and they meet at the bar.

Most work is unfulfilling. You're in a unique position just to have the possibility that it might not be. You can find jobs that are rewarding, but as a rule of thumb the worst place to look for them is in places that advertise themselves as important and rewarding (and be conned for a second that this doesn't include Musk's companies).

It's more attainable to find reward in the rest of your life, and set your sights on finding a job that doesn't pull on your soul in a way that negatively impacts your private life.

Yeah, but lately it has been easier for me to find remote work without degree at all and non-us (way less chances) earning a f lot, than to develop a life worth living. That's why I think I am trying to just find a meaningful work. Because thought work hasn't been easy, I am in a very good position can't complain, but my life sucks. It's just plain boring.

I sympathize

Listen to some Alan Watts lectures

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a0FUsy5pqa4

I have been listening to him for years. Thanks for reminding him :) <3

IMHO it's because of the frameworks you're using. They limit your imagination instead of helping.

I didn't expect to see a comment like this, but it is kind of eye opening. There are probably at least 2-3 tools I use on a daily basis that probably fall into the same bracket. You are onto something, I think.

I use node but like a good js interpreter. I think people use frameworks because it's asked by enterprises. CTOs do all the same choices to minimize the risk for themselves as employees. They reduce the risk the be blamed in case of failure.

As someone working on a personal project, you don't need to fit in that paradigm and the freedom gained like that make the work more pleasing and even efficient.

I'm in the same pickle. I get burnout symptoms at the 6 month mark no matter what I do and paid leave doesn't help, only honest to goodness NEET life. I plan to find a way to cope with it by finding something that's lucrative and done in short stints. Which is going to be hard for a neophyte like me with only a passing interest in tech.

Had a conversation about that with a friend on IRC last night and got some interesting insights. His main point was that enjoying the process is the most important thing about a job being enjoyable. Because the process is after all, the thing you do day in, day out.

The most interesting people I've ever met who travelled Europe for most of the year, funded their trips by picking strawberries in Denmark in the summer. However, they were masters at frugality. Couchsurfing, hitchhiking, eating at the cheapest places, thrift shopping, the works.

In theory, couple of months of inflated tech salary should be perfect for such a lifestyle, but strangely enough I don't know any techies living like that. I personally blame the lifestyle creep. Most of my tech worker friends and since recently, myself have quite expensive hobbies.

Quite a rambling post, but I hope it can give someone ideas. Off-hand comments by random anons on HN and other places have often inspired me.

Life is all about enjoying the chase. We're on an endless gameboard. Your IRC friend is right.

I've been there and whined on IRC about the same topics.

You can also do the same in SEA. That's what I did for 2 years and it's great but you're never really refreshed. That freedom, isn't really real. Illusions aside, work is work.

A few months barely pays off the credit card bills, you need cash in hand and a slightly profitable item. Something that can make $2000-3000/month that's passive is the dream. That's all you need to live in 98% of the world.

Change your focus from getting excited about HOW to make things to getting more excited about WHAT to make. Come from the outside in.

So for example, if you are doing React stuff and Redux stuff for a financial application that helps users in "Dealings" to position trades effectively, find out more about those aspects of the equation.

If this doesn't improve your fulfillment, maybe it's time for another set of toys besides programming.

It is a fable, that certain kind of work changes the world for better. The reality is changing the world is a slow process, it takes a sequence of events which eventually makes things better.

You do not have to work for a large famous company to start making things better. I absolutely believe that if you want to make a big impact in the world, you need to start small - with something closer and around you.

Consider a few things ... (use your imagination) At social level, start small, if you want to make a change to world: 1. Help a Child

2. Teach someone something, may be online.

At personal level:

1. Work on a hobby project, have your own vision for the world.

2. Learn something you would really like to do.

To take things off your current negativity, take a break, may be a vacation, do something you enjoy, Hiking, Music, Books ..whatever is your thing.

Try getting into Tesla then. I doubt you’ll be happier. It can all feel meaningless unless you’re the top dawg making the decisions on strategy and direction. Try creating something on your own, it won’t make any money but if you enjoy that then you know it’s not because you needed to something that was changing the world but something you had more skin in the game for. The control and risk and reward is exhilarating. If you don’t enjoy doing your own thing then try your best to get in somewhere you think is doing something you consider worthwhile. If you don’t enjoy that you may just need a break. Call up mom and dad if they’re alive and ask for a life break. Depending on your parents that may not be worth it, I’d get angry stares personally if I sat around.

Work is not about finding fulfillment. It is about exchanging your time for money. You should look for fulfillment in your life instead.

It is nice if your work aligns with your life targets but this is rarely a case. For example, I want to become expert in Software Development and try a startup idea when I have enough money. My work as a highly paid contractor is just enabler for above.

Maybe you're burned out. Maybe you're just bored. Maybe it's time to step up to something bigger than what you're doing. You may need to switch jobs for that, but maybe a first step is to go to your boss/manager/supervisor and say that you feel like you could be doing more than you are, and ask if they've got anything harder for you to work on.

I just did this today. Thanks

Very cliché, but your happiness and sense of fulfillment doesn't always come from work

Feel free to email niftylettuce@gmail.com

I've been feeling similarly lately. I guess it's burnout? I'm not sure.

Do you feel challenged at all by your current work? I feel like that's a big piece of it for me. Not necessarily the overall mission but just the moment-to-moment I've done basically the same thing a thousand times before.

Do you work on your own project or for others? Have you considered building something that will provide you passive income? Then you will be able to "not work", basically work much less hours.

This is why you should find a business opportunity where real payoff is possible and go for it.

Have you considered working IT/developer for a hospital or NGO or important govt agency? You might find fulfillment there as your work supports a good mission and outcome vs just another widget.

as one who took a pay cut to work on a place like you describe: this is not 100% good solid advice, although i'm sure it comes from good intentions.

it might work for the OP, but then, these places are usually PLAGUED by political maneuverings and restrictions that end up ruining most of the work done by the workers 'on the trenches'.

I can understand. My experience working in non-profits: poor pay, in great need of talent, strong sense of purpose (you will spring out of bed and be content). anecdotal, but I've seen it with others as well.

I'm having the same thoughts as I start a new gig and I'm thinking why did I bother.

Maybe it's a type of work you're doing? I remember I was excited again when I've switched from web dev to C++ desktop dev - still here.

Other than work, are you happy with your life?

From personal experience and that of close friends if work was fine before usually there is something bigger going on.

Of course not. I wish I was. It my personal life that it is lacking meaning. No real friendships, I work remotely, I barely talk with people in months.

That being said, I strongly believe a meaningful work supplant this somehow. Yeah, maybe I am too pretentious or just trying to cover the sun with two fingers.

I think you found the root cause of your issue. We are social creatures. Without deep meaningful connections with our fellow humans, mental health will take a turn for the worse.

90% or more of the work out there to do is pretty damn hollow if you really stop and think about it. The chances of you supplanting such a deep rooted need w/ some "change the world" type work is slim to none.

Focus inward!

Have you thought about starting a side project outside of work?

Something that might satisfy your itch for meaningful work or something that might "force your hand" in building relationships or interacting with others?

I've always found that when I'm working on something that I'm really interested in, that the positivity of it transferred into my life outside of that work.

This may sound ridiculous but I challenge you to commit to 4 salsa or tango classes.

Salsa is just a lot of fun and tango is a straight out hug overdose.

Embodiment and socializing are incredibly underrated by capitalism.

Let me know if you choose to follow up. If you are in Berlin or Oregon or the Bay Area or LOS Angeles I can recommend tango teachers.

I was almost burned up, not with it but with stress, changed jobs since 3 weeks.

First I need a moment to myselve to refresh, but I think I dodged a bullet

> It is about the meaning of work at all. The point of it. Why it exists at all.

Because someone finds value in the work you do.

but I don't find it valuable for myself. At all. I feel completely empty.

To kind of expand on what yast said:

You don't find value, meaning, or identity from work. You find it in other people valuing you - specific people, people you know face-to-face. Having faceless "users" valuing your website doesn't cut it. Even your boss isn't (usually) enough, because you don't have the right kind of relationship with your boss.

That said, you also need work that you find meaningful. If you try to find your meaning in work, you're doomed, because work can't fill that need in you, but work you find meaningless is soul-destroying. So you also need work that you find more interesting/fulfilling. Just don't hang your whole identity on it.

You need to find meaning in your life. For many people the work and the paycheck are a means to an end, not an end unto itself.

I read your comment saying that you work remotely. I have been doing that for 2 years too and honestly until recently I felt the same way as you. I started fixing myself by doing meditation and exercising regularly. I have made my mental and physical health my top priority. Once I established that I made sure that everyday I am learning something new and challenging and creating something. After that was taken care of I decided that every week I am going to take time out to reach out to people and socialise. Now I feel that my life is meaningful, which means different for different people. I am happier than I ever was and I have fallen in love with programming again.

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