Burnout and disillusionment: A senior engineer's exit from the tech industry

2025-06-04
Burnout and disillusionment: A senior engineer's exit from the tech industry

After more than 25 years in tech, a seasoned engineer is leaving the industry to pursue a career in emergency medicine due to burnout and disillusionment. Once a techno-utopian, he's become disillusioned by the industry's role in surveillance capitalism, exploitation, and the rise of tech giants' negative impacts. He'll maintain some computer-related involvement and shift his blog's focus from tech leadership and software engineering to broader personal interests like his hobby farm and wilderness adventures. The decision, while financially challenging, prioritizes personal fulfillment.

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Startup

Tech Career Advice: Take it With a Grain of Salt (Especially From Old-Timers)

2025-03-13
Tech Career Advice: Take it With a Grain of Salt (Especially From Old-Timers)

Career advice from seasoned tech professionals may not be relevant for newcomers. The industry changes rapidly, making the experience of veterans less applicable to today's environment. The article highlights that breaking into tech is significantly harder now than before, rendering older advice potentially unhelpful. It suggests that newcomers should focus on the experiences of their peers rather than relying on outdated advice from long-time professionals.

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Development

The Mundane Magic of Tech: Embracing the Grind

2025-02-09
The Mundane Magic of Tech: Embracing the Grind

This article uses a card trick as a metaphor for success in the tech industry: embracing tedious work. A magician spends countless hours preparing dozens of tea boxes, placing a specific card in each tea bag, to perform a seemingly impossible feat. This mirrors seemingly intractable problems in tech. The author recounts personally tackling two thousand untagged bug reports, turning around a stalled project. Spending weeks meticulously organizing, categorizing, and prioritizing these reports enabled the team to efficiently resolve issues. The article emphasizes that sometimes seemingly impossible tasks yield magical results simply by being willing to do the boring, repetitive work.

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