Hopefully this isn’t too meta for this community. It’s been about a year since I finished school and have been working. I’m struggling to find the right balance between hobbies, personal projects, and also trying to get better/ higher paying job. I find that after a day of solving issues, banging my head into the wall wondering what previous owners of the codebase have done and dealing with business users makes me desperately want to have control over my own work. Whenever I get home though even though I might be excited to code something I just never seem to find the mental energy to do anything. After the gym and cooking a dinner I simply am so wiped I can’t do anything. Instead of making software, or doing music, I just end up watching tv, heck I’m usually too dead to even play video games. I desperately am also trying to avoid the “productivity pit” that is shoved in our faces everywhere but I really don’t want to let my skills atrophy or prevent me from being able to hop to a higher paying job in an industry I’m more interested in if I’m lucky eventually. How the heck do you all manage it?
After the gym and cooking a dinner I simply am so wiped I can’t do anything. Instead of making software, or doing music, I just end up watching tv, heck I’m usually too dead to even play video games.
You should work less. There are times where this is necessary. But constantly overworking has bad consequences, it can for example kill your most precious relationships quickly, and is very bad for your health in the long run. In the end, you work to live, not the other way around. And Godfather will not applaude you and give you a thumbs up if you come to heaven’s reception desk and have never done anything else than worked in your life.
Do something fun and nourishing in your free time.
Complex work projects will always suck in one way or another. Just accept it. Do what good you can. It’s all you can do.
Be kind to yourself. No need to hold on to unrealistic expectations.
Not a real auggestion I guess but you can watch people doing software/game dev, cybersecurity, or linux stuff on twitch.
It’s live and not educational focuses, so it’s entertaining, but I have learned a lot from these streams over the years.
Honestly this genuinely seems like it might be a good idea, do you have any recs? I dot occasionally watch the primeagen
Don’t over do it. As an early career technologist, there is lots to learn at work. Yes, personal projects are great and learning about different things is nice, but look for opportunities to align your interests with work’s. It is too easy to burn yourself out. Especially in the current robots-write-all-the-tedious-code-for-you present. If you can learn and accomplish things at the same time at work, that will do wonders for your CV. Your next employer won’t really be all that interested in framework X or language Y other than as a baseline to get in the door. Everyone else will know those things, too. What will make you stand out to future employers is the impact of your current work projects and your ability to cogently discuss it. Software is a means to an end.
Take it from someone with 25 years professional experience in a variety of industries, languages, and tech stacks: protect your brain, man. There will always be something new to learn and some kinda project to do. Don’t let the FOMO ruin you. I am currently burned out and on sick leave because I ignored this very advice I am giving you.
I hope you are able to take some time and recover. Honestly I experienced some burnout at the end of my MS and my brain just turned to mush. I’m honestly struggling with AI as well because although I prefer writing everything myself, web searching sucks now, and it’s very compelling to have AI do stuff like scan codebases for you and write boilerplate, but it just makes me feel like shit every time I use it. At the very least though your advice makes me feel a lot less bad about going home and just chilling out after work.
I hope you rest and recover soon!
Academy is great at draining energy, so maybe try leaving it last? Also potassium sources like bananas are good, since afaik exercising drains the mineral, making you drowsy.
Also, for hobbies, maybe wake up some hours earlier to do them, since at the opposite point of the day you don’t have energy anymore?
