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🧯 Avoiding Burnout

Before I pivoted into tech, I dealt with severe burnout in my previous career, so avoiding burnout is something I think about a lot. My number one piece of advice here is therapy. Therapy helped me through burnout in the past and helps me avoid burnout now. Aside from that though, the two distinct but complementary ideas that have most helped me are:

  1. Don't look to your job for all your career fulfillment

    It's very difficult to find a job that meets all of your career needs - those specific needs will vary from person to person, but it's rare for example to find a job that pays well, has good culture, is intellectually stimulating, and is fulfilling. Most people are lucky if they can find a job that gives them a couple of those things. Even if you do find a job that meets all your needs, I'd argue it's still good to think of your career more broadly than just your job. Volunteering, networking, and independent learning are all things I have personally done outside of my job to help balance these needs, and I still think of them all as part of my career.

  2. Find things beyond your job to make up your identity

    It's a huge privilege to have a job you love, but it's not a great idea to put all of your eggs in one basket when it comes to your identity or sense of fulfillment. For one thing, no job is forever, and when your job inevitably ends for whatever reason, you want to minimize the impact to your mental health. For another, it is just generally more fun and rewarding to be be a multi-faceted person with multiple interests and passions.

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