I went to college for graphic design, so I've had a chance to watch graduates over a 10-year period after their graduation and notice some patterns related to burnout. If you're looking for a good recipe for burnout and career change, try to follow as many of these steps as you can:
In this situation, sooner or later a new technology or a new way of doing things comes along and now you're part of the old guard without the time to update their skills. You may be let go, you may quit, but in order to change your life you more or less need to stop working, re-train in a new skill and try to find new work.
If you want to avoid burnout, try doing some of these things to stay flexible:
What happens in a lot of places, from the employers perspective, is that instead of hiring employees for long-term success, where you invest time and money into nurturing and growing the worker in a powerhouse that benefits your company for a long time - instead some employers would rather squeeze every bit of value out of employees and then discard them and hire newer juicier employees to squeeze value out of. Burnout is what those employees feel after they've been squeezed dry.
So another thing you can do to help avoid burnout is make sure your boss is investing and growing you, not squeezing you dry to be discarded.
One last one:
Creativity is like a well, and every day you are working you are drawing water out of that well. If you don't make sure the groundwater is replenishing the water in the well, eventually you are going to hit rock bottom and run dry. To replenish your creativity you need a daily diet of inspiration.
Developer burnout is as real as the air we breath. We don't see it, but we know it exist. It's a problem all of us face at some point. There are several major reasons for one to burnout and I will try to cover them all.
A work place where you feel stressed all the time can be emotionally and physically exhausting. This can decrease your creativity and performance levels. The result - lower self-esteem and the feel you are not progressing in the right direction. That mental fatigue can lead to a serious burnout.
Working for 12-14 hours a day is exhausting. You can work for 8+ hours a day for a day or two, but making it a habit is the number one reason for burnout. Your body has a limit. You must know that limit and never overpass it. Find a good balance and aim at reasonable working hours.
Working on tasks, that are too easy and unrewarding can lead to burnout. These kind of boring, repetative tasks that fail to provide satisfaction can lead to indifference and lack of personal development.
The good news is that burnout can be prevented. There are several ways to coup with it:
It may sounds easy, but finding the right balance is something that took time and dedication to achieve. If we manage to treat our work as everything else and find more time for other activities and hobbies, burnout wouldn't be a problem any more.
If you find yourself in a situation of burnout, step back. Take 2-3 days and give yourself a break from the computer. Do a little trip or go to a concert. Whatever you decide to do, don't associate it with our work.
This is what helped me over the last three years to overcome burnout. Working on side projects brings to many positive emotions and stimulations. You don't have deadlines, technology limitations or decision breakers. It's a wonderful way to work on whatever you want, whenever you want.
Feed your body, feed your soul. When exercusing, your body releases endorphin, a chemical that interacts with the receptors in your brain that reduces the perception of pain. Endorphins also trigger a positive feeling in the body, similar to that of morphin. It reduces stress and anxiety and boost self-esteem and can improve sleep.
Also, decrease the junk food and the calories you eat on a daily basis. Start eating more vegetables and don't overeat.
Also, you should find enough time for sleep, at least 7-8 hours a day. A good sleep can boost your energy and increase your productivity and mood. Meditation is also something you can consider. Again, taking a break from the everyday thoughts can also boost your overall mood and sense of accomplishment.
Since burnout is primarily developed in the mind, due to many factors I don't think there's a specific "developer burnout". Burnout however can be very real. What I have seen there are not enough real quality studies on the topic. In my opinion, and it's just my opinion, it is caused by the psyche pressuring the body to unhealthy levels over a certain time period and afterwards trying to recover from the damages that have been done.
This goes for every field. Sitting for hours, days and weeks in front of a computer and trying to meet a deadline is just one example. :)
Yes.
It can occur for any number of reasons. It's no different to any other kind of burnout. I suggest googling symptoms/causes and how to fix it.
Stefan Neculai
No, it's just in our heads.