I'm an engineer at $LARGE_SOFTWARE_CO. I'm just shy of 10 years in the workforce. With some skill and lots of luck, I find myself as the lead for a prominent product with a large, established user base. I've run this project for a couple years and enjoy a lot of creative freedom and influence over its future. The project itself is successful and growing fast. The team is smart and effective.
I make great money in this role, which is really the only way I'm able to eke out a decent lifestyle (married, kid on the way) in my hometown, $INCREDIBLY_EXPENSIVE_US_CITY. I set my own schedule, and I never work 40 hours. I carry a pager, but it's not much of a burden. By all accounts, it's a top-notch job and I'm lucky to have it.
Problem is, I can't stand it anymore.
I'm constantly stressed; I have no motivation to complete anything; when I'm in the office, if I'm lucky I can work for two hours before I'm overwhelmed by the desire to leave. Talking to managers and product people sends me into a rage. My task backlog isn't getting shorter. When I'm home the last thing I want to think about is work, and I spend half my work time just trying to stay motivated.
I've felt this way about work before, but I always blamed it on whatever dead-end job I had. But my current job is the polar opposite; I never expected I'd get it, and I can't even imagine a better job. Although I've interviewed and received offers for positions elsewhere over the years, I've never found one even slightly attractive in the end.
All of my mentors became millionaires or startup founders. I'm not a millionaire yet. I've worked at a startup and hated it. I don't find startup work exciting, and I like my personal life. But what the heck else can I do? I feel like my output has peaked, and the future looks surprisingly grim. How am I supposed to get motivated?
I make great money in this role, which is really the only way I'm able to eke out a decent lifestyle (married, kid on the way) in my hometown, $INCREDIBLY_EXPENSIVE_US_CITY. I set my own schedule, and I never work 40 hours. I carry a pager, but it's not much of a burden. By all accounts, it's a top-notch job and I'm lucky to have it.
Problem is, I can't stand it anymore.
I'm constantly stressed; I have no motivation to complete anything; when I'm in the office, if I'm lucky I can work for two hours before I'm overwhelmed by the desire to leave. Talking to managers and product people sends me into a rage. My task backlog isn't getting shorter. When I'm home the last thing I want to think about is work, and I spend half my work time just trying to stay motivated.
I've felt this way about work before, but I always blamed it on whatever dead-end job I had. But my current job is the polar opposite; I never expected I'd get it, and I can't even imagine a better job. Although I've interviewed and received offers for positions elsewhere over the years, I've never found one even slightly attractive in the end.
All of my mentors became millionaires or startup founders. I'm not a millionaire yet. I've worked at a startup and hated it. I don't find startup work exciting, and I like my personal life. But what the heck else can I do? I feel like my output has peaked, and the future looks surprisingly grim. How am I supposed to get motivated?