I've been programming for 25 years (since I was a kid) and worked in industry as a SWE for 13 years. The more I advance in my career and get exposed to more technologies and teams, the less interested I am in continuing.
I have taken some time off work recently to travel and unwind. Felt great at the end. Then I returned to work and quickly felt terrible: stress, insomnia, hard to keep up with everything.
I don't care anymore for all the constant keeping up with new developments, team project schedules, new technologies (never did actually), the lack of creativity and open-ended thinking, the lack of time to explore the world.
I have given a shot to working with talented world-class engineers, to learning new technologies, to developing on different tech stacks. I just don't see the value in that beyond the paycheck.
I have taken some time off work recently to travel and unwind. Felt great at the end. Then I returned to work and quickly felt terrible: stress, insomnia, hard to keep up with everything.
I don't care anymore for all the constant keeping up with new developments, team project schedules, new technologies (never did actually), the lack of creativity and open-ended thinking, the lack of time to explore the world.
I have given a shot to working with talented world-class engineers, to learning new technologies, to developing on different tech stacks. I just don't see the value in that beyond the paycheck.
Is it time to quit tech?