(This was a meetup talk/discussion, here for people who would have wanted to attend but couldn’t and want to read the intro to ask follow-up questions.)
As a software developer, I’ve been on and off many projects over the years—different role on the same project, another project in the same company, and sometimes it’s time to switch companies.
It’s a balance of what gives and takes my mental energy at work..
+ focus on real user problems
- starting from a solution, finding a problem that fits
+ clear steps forward
+ defined-enough scope before implementation
- multiple stakeholders who all need to review code/design/test/product fit and one of them doesn’t have time, but comes back few days later to reopen an issue
- merge conflicts between my own 6 PRs, because someone else renamed a folder and I modified files with multiple features that all wait for reviews
+ quick review and merge, next iteration in next ticket
+ boring technology that solves a problem
+ new technology that solves a problem
- new technology because someone was a hype junkie
+ simple to start, infinite to master
- learning cliff to start, then boring while impossible to remember random config
- interviews with 5 rounds / whole-day project / recording myself how I explain my thinking into the void
+ just hopping on a project with ex-colleagues / friends
..and about what I can do to keep the balance positive at a given environment. It’s mostly about prevention, I have never collapsed from burnout yet, but many times, it’s been less fun than I would have wanted.
My burnout journey
Link post
(This was a meetup talk/discussion, here for people who would have wanted to attend but couldn’t and want to read the intro to ask follow-up questions.)
As a software developer, I’ve been on and off many projects over the years—different role on the same project, another project in the same company, and sometimes it’s time to switch companies.
It’s a balance of what gives and takes my mental energy at work..
+ focus on real user problems
- starting from a solution, finding a problem that fits
+ clear steps forward
+ defined-enough scope before implementation
- multiple stakeholders who all need to review code/design/test/product fit and one of them doesn’t have time, but comes back few days later to reopen an issue
- merge conflicts between my own 6 PRs, because someone else renamed a folder and I modified files with multiple features that all wait for reviews
+ quick review and merge, next iteration in next ticket
+ boring technology that solves a problem
+ new technology that solves a problem
- new technology because someone was a hype junkie
+ simple to start, infinite to master
- learning cliff to start, then boring while impossible to remember random config
- interviews with 5 rounds / whole-day project / recording myself how I explain my thinking into the void
+ just hopping on a project with ex-colleagues / friends
- back pain from long sitting
+ daily walks
- “almost” working tools
- LLM chatbot “agents”
+ community-driven events, conference volunteering, …
..and about what I can do to keep the balance positive at a given environment. It’s mostly about prevention, I have never collapsed from burnout yet, but many times, it’s been less fun than I would have wanted.
Questions?