The shift from 'building cool stuff' to 'navigating endless layers of abstraction and compliance' is definitely wearing people down. It feels like we spend more time managing the 'noise' around the work (Slack, Jira, AI-generated emails) than actually writing code that solves problems. I've found that working on a small side project with a very constrained, 'old school' tech stack is the only way I can still find the joy in it lately.
I now see groups of people just meandering between buzzwords and sort of calling it a career. Honestly I know people who were 'crypto developers' 3 years ago who are now 'senior AI implementation architects' and similar..and they have a 'bootcamp' etc....I am a software engineer who qualified in cs but after working around engineering and manufacturing a lot I'm also qualified in CAD...thinking to get into more physical engineering and become a chartered engineer finally and just get away from the bandwagon boosterism. Or become a nurse or teacher.
i'm enjoying making games on the side and I'd like to monetize one soon, but I look at 'tech' careers and I just rapidly lose the will to live now. 30 minutes on linkedin is enough to make most people feel nauseous and need to lie down.
I've worked in both education / tech fields, education is more personally rewarding but if you're used to working as a salaried software engineer you will no longer be able to take a proverbial "bath in a bundle of bills" - unless they're $1 bills.
Medicine is always in demand. I did a brief stint in EMT but felt mostly like a glorified bus driver doing lots of interfacility transport work. In addition to regular nursing, you could look into nurse practitioner as well if you wanted a bit more autonomy.
One thing I find distressing is how useless most of the knowledge I've accumulated is! I use to try to refresh my knowledge of things learned long ago, once or twice a year, but that's pointless now: everything is a prompt away.
All that, plus the skeleton crew due to my company's offshoring is making me jaded.
I have tried focusing my attention on the interview process. Although almost all of our knowledge is a prompt away, interviewing is a skill which cannot be outsourced. It seems like this is the way to outlast AI in this industry.
I think a lot are feeling a bit like this...Also pile in all the web frameworks etc...on top of 'crypto' then 'AI'...then who knows what...
There'll be another overhyped buzzword in a few years and we will all be expected to get excited about it and I just can't anymore. Realistically the actual business value of software has barely changed in about 20 years except for niche things in finance and R&D engineering (and I know because i've worked in R&D engineering with embedded guys).
I am just not interested in learning to deploy largely pointless AI chatbots or learn yet another web framework to make largely the same ERP or PLM etc related stuff I've done before in the 'framework d'hier'
I’ve been fantasising about getting certified as a CPA. People don’t believe me when I say this but my childhood (<14) dream was to be an accountant. I was poor and I enjoyed counting all the coins I saved up (that my dad would eventually borrow to pay the loan sharks) and also watched ducktales a lot.
Having run a business for almost a decade, I’ve accumulated a lot of accounting and tax knowledge that I think would be cool to properly certify. Also it would be to re-live a childhood dream.
I hear ya. I'm particularly tired of working for other people who can barely keep their priorities straight, let alone give clear direction or have a vision. That's why I'm trying to start something of my own. I'm a year in, and it's not easy, but it's very rewarding. It's tiny, but my tech already is light years better than my employers and I get to decide where it makes the most sense to put my energy.
I would say pick/find something you're passionate about or interested in where you think you could make money, find a market and go for it.
Actually, not always. I didn't want to retire, I liked working and I was good at it, but I had to retire for medical reasons. My environment was a bit different than most, though, working with scientists developing tools for analysis, visualization and simulation.
If none of the alternatives are appealing, the sad truth may be that it's the best you have. We can probably get jobs in a mine or processing sewage.
If I do switch, it would be sales. If the cost to build things really goes to near zero, sales would be a lot easier. People love to buy things that are better.
Yes I am very tired of it as well. I thought the crypto craze was as bad as it would get but boy was I wrong.
I’m going to live a simpler life where I work on making video games as a creative endeavor. I’ll try to find a part time job to earn some money, but mainly just adjust my expectations to be happier with what I have as opposed to what I could have.
I’ve wedged myself into the correct shape to fit into what companies classified as a productive tech worker for 10+ years mainly out of fear of being poor, so now I must repay that debt to myself by doing things just for the sake of enjoyment or fulfillment and not to build a skill that makes me better at making more money.
It's a depressing state of affairs. I used to enthusiastic, but for the past few years I've been soldiering through boredom. Just a job right? Work isn't supposed to fun, right? Ya that mindset is not working for me anymore. I regret wasting my time with jobs that were just glorified crud work. My life outside of work is great, but work is now the drag on my life.
My plan is to go back to working in logistics, still have friends there, it's a rough time in that field right now: but I can't imagine myself enjoying the next few years reviewing slop, babysitting Claude, and surviving the next layoff.
I'm tired of working in tech but fortunately (or not) it's my hobby so even if I retired I would still be doing all the techy things at home on my 17 'puters (loose count). Plus being the IT Guy for several extended families. I'm live. I'm nationwide. But, I do plan to do more art, music, gardening, etc.
The shift from 'building cool stuff' to 'navigating endless layers of abstraction and compliance' is definitely wearing people down. It feels like we spend more time managing the 'noise' around the work (Slack, Jira, AI-generated emails) than actually writing code that solves problems. I've found that working on a small side project with a very constrained, 'old school' tech stack is the only way I can still find the joy in it lately.
I now see groups of people just meandering between buzzwords and sort of calling it a career. Honestly I know people who were 'crypto developers' 3 years ago who are now 'senior AI implementation architects' and similar..and they have a 'bootcamp' etc....I am a software engineer who qualified in cs but after working around engineering and manufacturing a lot I'm also qualified in CAD...thinking to get into more physical engineering and become a chartered engineer finally and just get away from the bandwagon boosterism. Or become a nurse or teacher.
i'm enjoying making games on the side and I'd like to monetize one soon, but I look at 'tech' careers and I just rapidly lose the will to live now. 30 minutes on linkedin is enough to make most people feel nauseous and need to lie down.
I've worked in both education / tech fields, education is more personally rewarding but if you're used to working as a salaried software engineer you will no longer be able to take a proverbial "bath in a bundle of bills" - unless they're $1 bills.
Medicine is always in demand. I did a brief stint in EMT but felt mostly like a glorified bus driver doing lots of interfacility transport work. In addition to regular nursing, you could look into nurse practitioner as well if you wanted a bit more autonomy.
One thing I find distressing is how useless most of the knowledge I've accumulated is! I use to try to refresh my knowledge of things learned long ago, once or twice a year, but that's pointless now: everything is a prompt away.
All that, plus the skeleton crew due to my company's offshoring is making me jaded.
I have tried focusing my attention on the interview process. Although almost all of our knowledge is a prompt away, interviewing is a skill which cannot be outsourced. It seems like this is the way to outlast AI in this industry.
this is exactly how i feel!
I think a lot are feeling a bit like this...Also pile in all the web frameworks etc...on top of 'crypto' then 'AI'...then who knows what...
There'll be another overhyped buzzword in a few years and we will all be expected to get excited about it and I just can't anymore. Realistically the actual business value of software has barely changed in about 20 years except for niche things in finance and R&D engineering (and I know because i've worked in R&D engineering with embedded guys).
I am just not interested in learning to deploy largely pointless AI chatbots or learn yet another web framework to make largely the same ERP or PLM etc related stuff I've done before in the 'framework d'hier'
I’ve been fantasising about getting certified as a CPA. People don’t believe me when I say this but my childhood (<14) dream was to be an accountant. I was poor and I enjoyed counting all the coins I saved up (that my dad would eventually borrow to pay the loan sharks) and also watched ducktales a lot.
Having run a business for almost a decade, I’ve accumulated a lot of accounting and tax knowledge that I think would be cool to properly certify. Also it would be to re-live a childhood dream.
Gotta get that number #1 lucky dime first - I've heard it helps to pass the CPA exam!
I hear ya. I'm particularly tired of working for other people who can barely keep their priorities straight, let alone give clear direction or have a vision. That's why I'm trying to start something of my own. I'm a year in, and it's not easy, but it's very rewarding. It's tiny, but my tech already is light years better than my employers and I get to decide where it makes the most sense to put my energy.
I would say pick/find something you're passionate about or interested in where you think you could make money, find a market and go for it.
Actually, regardless of the sector, as people get older, they get tired and bored of working.
Actually, not always. I didn't want to retire, I liked working and I was good at it, but I had to retire for medical reasons. My environment was a bit different than most, though, working with scientists developing tools for analysis, visualization and simulation.
If none of the alternatives are appealing, the sad truth may be that it's the best you have. We can probably get jobs in a mine or processing sewage.
If I do switch, it would be sales. If the cost to build things really goes to near zero, sales would be a lot easier. People love to buy things that are better.
Yes I am very tired of it as well. I thought the crypto craze was as bad as it would get but boy was I wrong.
I’m going to live a simpler life where I work on making video games as a creative endeavor. I’ll try to find a part time job to earn some money, but mainly just adjust my expectations to be happier with what I have as opposed to what I could have.
I’ve wedged myself into the correct shape to fit into what companies classified as a productive tech worker for 10+ years mainly out of fear of being poor, so now I must repay that debt to myself by doing things just for the sake of enjoyment or fulfillment and not to build a skill that makes me better at making more money.
Funny you should ask that. I'm retiring today.
But turn on "showdead" and read nivcmo's top-level reply. Or if you won't, here's what for me was the most important line:
> Smaller teams, clearer missions, direct customer relationships. That's the antidote.
Maybe, after a few months off, I'll be open to that, if I can find it.
It's a depressing state of affairs. I used to enthusiastic, but for the past few years I've been soldiering through boredom. Just a job right? Work isn't supposed to fun, right? Ya that mindset is not working for me anymore. I regret wasting my time with jobs that were just glorified crud work. My life outside of work is great, but work is now the drag on my life.
My plan is to go back to working in logistics, still have friends there, it's a rough time in that field right now: but I can't imagine myself enjoying the next few years reviewing slop, babysitting Claude, and surviving the next layoff.
Yes, I totally feel you, exactly my case.
But I have no idea what to do next, because being a dev is already my 2nd profession, but my enthusiasm is going down hill these days.
I'm an on-call IT guy for small/med biz. Everyone is happy to see me and I am treated very well. Most have volunteered a desk or office for my use.
I do not tire of it.
I'm tired of working in tech but fortunately (or not) it's my hobby so even if I retired I would still be doing all the techy things at home on my 17 'puters (loose count). Plus being the IT Guy for several extended families. I'm live. I'm nationwide. But, I do plan to do more art, music, gardening, etc.