my_throw_away76

Could you elaborate?

Thank you. I understand what you mean by “feeling like I forgot how to code”. I honestly think I would not be able to pass a technical interview at this point, and I’ve been coding since ‘96 (chronologically: Delphi, Java 2, .NET/C#). I fear even to try, lest I prove my self right. My energy levels are at 0.1%

> Another thing that really helped me was finding a job I didn't care much about, spending more time doing nothing.

I am not sure if I will be able to not care about my job. After all, my family’s well being depends on my ability to hold a job. I wish I could stop caring or at least to not care as much.

I do not think so, because I do not feel it would change anything.

> Is there a particular part of the process of architecting software that you find satisfying?

Not really. My role mainly consists of sitting in meetings, providing estimates for vague projects, and some high-level designs. I miss writing code, but I do not miss low salary and calls outside of work hours to fix stuff.

> If you know what you want but struggle to set goals and make steady progress towards achieving them, I think it comes down to discipline.

I will have to think about it. I know what I do not like (politics, the industry I’ve worked in all my life, vague tasks, context switching, people management). I know I like to code, but it can never be just that. I will have to think about it more.

I took 3 weeks vacation already this year. Considering the deadlines on my current projects, I am afraid this is not an option.