I get it. IT can feel draining after years. Try exploring new tech, side projects, or mentoring. Communicate with HR about growth. Sometimes, a change in perspective helps.

Software Engineer

I have been in IT for a couple of decades and still love the development and code. I can better design a class in my sleep than 90% of the 45yearold software developers out there. But nowadays, I a...

Welcome to IT Company Discussion's Private Community

I have been in IT for a couple of decades and still love the development and code. I can better design a class in my sleep than 90% of the 4-5-year-old software developers out there. But nowadays, I am losing motivation to keep pushing. I always thought that I didn't want to be a manager and be in the tech architect space, but nowadays I keep facing clashes and disagreements with my peers. Software development is not fun anymore. Simple ideas which I like to do at home can be done better and easily in ChatGPT.

The excitement of being a developer is gone. You earn too much and have too much personal responsibility to be experimental. You have to be productive to justify your compensation.

The startup market is dried up, and good tech companies are too hard to crack in the software space.

It's like the whole fun has been sucked out of IT.

Experience matter, but motivation required

Systems Architect

Experience matter, but motivation required- Grapevine

Side projects and hobbies that once brought joy now seem like monumental tasks. The energy to code for fun is gone, replaced by a numbness that Instagram barely alleviates. 

I was drawn to it to be doing something that’s helpful for others, something fun, a hard challenge or impactful.

But the best opportunities have landed me in soul-less projects. No impact, no appreciation, no engaging challenge. Just a cog in the machine. 

Life goes by in the 1030 - 8. Barely making the money to give back to my family and save up to get married. I can’t afford posh restaurants, have no time for hobbies or sports.

Feels like I am getting nothing in life. No money, no meaning, no fun, no passion, no societal status.

Lost interest in coding & tech after joining Infosys

Systems Engineer

Relatively new to tech - only 2 years of experience here so far. Yet find it extremely cyclical. Face the same challenges over and over again. Perhaps the setting changes occasionally but that’s really it. I understand this is not unique to tech and happens everywhere. But at least in product management, it seems like it’s research - design - dev with stakeholder management over and over and over again. Feel like I’m on autopilot mode and not truly *enjoying* working. 

I used to be so full of energy and enthusiasm in college and school, eager to learn. But the cyclical nature of work has wrung it out of me, and I’ve sort of become a cynic lol. Who enjoys their work?

Does anyone truly *enjoy* their job in tech?

Product Manager

I am a fresher 2023 graduate and have been doing this (applying for jobs) for almost a year, everyone said you have to do internships as it is necessary so did 2 internships one for a year and another for 6 months but apparently no one counts internships as experience even jobs that had 1-3 yoe as requirement and now everyone's hiring 2024 grads as freshers (I tried to look for another internship but there were none during the time of placements).

I am now tired of this field, many full stack devs don't know shit outside Javascript world and many of them can't even use tools like git properly and are so cocky of themselves. 

Saw an SDE on twitter who apparently has 6 years of experience, doesn't even know how to configure multiple SSH and says managing multiple ssh is a downside. A women dev (cause in India you have engineers and female engineers apparently) doesn't know about sidebar cache and calls it a bug and she's in google. and If I try to roast these people with my real name there's a whole cabal of Banglorians who will grab their macbooks inside third wave coffee and start tweeting against me after aggressively drinking their Chocolate mocha frappe.

Just go into any random tech twitter space no one seems to be talking about tech it's always about DSA, interviews, LIFE IN BANGLORE, which cafe they visited.

I let myself believe tech was my passion and worked hard  for but Indian techies and companies are worst, this generation thinks they are better than their predecessor but follow the same politics everywhere even when it comes to Tech communities (who tf does politics in a community that produces open source code wtf).

They talk about networking and creating a community all the time but can't even respond to linkedin cold dm and blame the sender by nitpicking about the format 👏👏 and then they'll go on post the screenshot and rant how it's the sender fault to even try to network with them with a message that isn't written from their own blood.

Tech rant

Bangalore tech scene is weird man. I feel even the auto driver knows how to code and the third wave barista is definitely doing leetcode because that coffee & sandwich clearly don't take 15 minutes to make

Founder

Welcome to Software Engineers's Private Community

Hey I am an experienced network engineer having experience around 5.5 years but want switch my career profile as a software engineer in any good startup or product company in next 6 months.

Any suggestions if it is possible or any route to take to be skilled enough to work as a software engineer.

Looking for profile switch from network engineering to software engineering.

DevOps Engineer

Off late, the frontend engineering at Razorpay has become more of a data entry job. The design system (god knows how many years it will take to be completely ready) is restricting both the devs and the designers a LOT. Designers are literally fed up with being dictated to design things only in a particular way (limiting even animations, font-size, choice of italics v/s bold). There was even a long 2 month discussion to get font size for a component to support higher value, if you honestly want to know. 

The so called core team has been developing blade since God knows when. Agree that they've done a great work with tokens and other stuff, but it seems that by the time it's ready, it'll already be outdated design wise (suxs).

So, any other devs, all they have to do is follows.

1. Open Figma
2. See if the component in Figma is supported by Blade.
3. If yes, then see if our designer has by mistake used any font-size, color, margin or spacing not supported by Blade.
4. If yes, start a thread between everyone and give them a month to come to a resolution (Blade team always retaliates like it's a personal attack)
5. Eventually end up using your own component to save time and move fast.
6. Explain to your manager's manager's manager why you can't use Blade. (they've funded it for 2 years and no dev likes it, so they push it from top)


If your company has some interesting approach to this, please add in the comments.

Razorpay Frontend - More like a copy paste ninja job

Ah this is why I hang around here. Thanks for the sauce

Frontend Engineer

Welcome to Product Managers's Private Community

Worked for a not particularly prestigious company as a developer for a few years before doing an MBA and moving into product management. Tier 1 institutes all the way through. I've been a product manager for 3 years now, in some pretty reputed companies.

At this point, I feel like the product management role is just not for me - I do not get job satisfaction out of it. The work is not particularly interesting or challenging, and talking to people all day feels like a chore. Its no fun to be creating random reports for leadership based on wherever the winds of the day blow. Plus tbh, I could be making far more money if I had remained a developer. Just cannot see myself doing this kind of work 10 years down the line.

Thinking of applying for some dev roles - it'll take some practice, but I could probably crack senior developer interviews. 

What does the community think? Is there stigma for people who ditch product roles for development roles? Are there people who even do this? Am I being realistic about this?

Tired of being a product manager, thinking of going back to development roles.

Hey Grapeviners, 

I need some serious help. 

Bit about myself - just graduated this month and working as an APM at a seed stage startup. I have 1.5 years of product experience and 3 years of overall experience. 

Lately, not sure why but I am loving what engineers do. Closely working with them, and I guess it's nostalgic for myself. Because I did coding for 6 months and moved on for some reason. So, I understand how tech actually works. Have got good feedback regarding this. 

At the same time, I am not really finding the true value of what I am doing everyday. Feels a void inside. 

Also, I am not able to discuss all these things in person with someone, because I fear that they will judge me after doing internships for 3 years, I still haven't figured out my career. Such a loser I am. 

I have been thinking about starting coding again and maybe switching to a coding job in the next 6 months maybe. But again it would be tough for me as I only got weekends for me to learn all this stuff. 

What do you all experienced folks suggest? What should I do? 

Please comment if you can help🙏

Switch from PM to Engineer

Hey Grapeviners, 

I need some serious help. 

Bit about myself - just graduated this month and working as an APM at a seed stage startup. I have 1.5 years of product experience and 3 years of overall experience as an intern. 

Lately, not sure why but I am loving what engineers do. Closely working with them, and I guess it's nostalgic for myself. Because I did coding for 6 months and moved on for some reason. So, I understand how tech actually works. Have got good feedback regarding this. 

At the same time, I am not really finding the true value of what I am doing everyday. Feels a void inside. 

Also, I am not able to discuss all these things in person with someone, because I fear that they will judge me after doing internships for 3 years, I still haven't figured out my career. Such a loser I am. 

I have been thinking about starting coding again and maybe switching to a coding job in the next 6 months maybe. But again it would be tough for me as I only got weekends for me to learn all this stuff. 

What do you all experienced folks suggest? What should I do? 

Please comment if you can help 🙏

Switching from PM to Engineer

Welcome to Office Gossip's Private Community

I am in a peculiar situation and feel that I have lost all the trust my immediate leader had on me. 

bi weekly 1x1s - usually hell of a 30 mins, cross questions, interogation based on what my manager hears about me from my peers, validating my inner strengths, etc. one conversation in a month involves some casual talk consecutive 1x1 will be hellish and it is happening in cycles for a few months

My business acummen - for whatever reason my leader does not care about my business results or the way how I am leading an engineering team. Instead he focuses on petty people dynamics and is pushing me to fix people issues which cannot be fixed

Loosing motivation - I don’t fancy anymore to pursue awesome ideas and business related improvements as my leader is too demotivating

Comfor level - Managers in big tech companies just want the name to appear 

Who cares for customers - No one.

Employee survey on leadership and company - My leadership team in Bangalore and onshore senior leadership is only driven by the fact that we do everything so that yearly employee feedback survey shows our department positively and is never ready to take any risks or bold decisions for the rightful growth of busines.

Weird growth expectations - Everyone in my department thinks they deserve to get promotion and opportunities once they reach a certain years of experience. No one cares about performance. Leadership encourages this.

Competition - There is no such thing for us, as my leader is mainly focused on drawing the monthly pay check and do all king of unwanted projects and lose sight on project/opportunities that provides actual career growth for my direct reports. Our skills are being outdated and it is becoming very hard to find a job based on our work profile.

And so many more .. will make a new post.

Only in big companies!

Product Marketing Manager

Do you like to code? Do you like upscaling every year? How did you start liking it? If you don’t, how do you plan on staying in the industry?

Serious answers only

Do you like being a SWE?

Welcome to Indian Startups's Private Community

Why: I know that with all the job layoffs happening, it's kinda stupid to quit but I just can't. After almost a decade in the startup scene I'm taking a break, probably for good. 

From AI to B2C to ed-tech and more I have worked with startups at every stage of growth and across sectors. Almost in every one of these w/o exception, I have experienced burnout, mindless pressure, and being underpaid because I'm not from an IIT or IIM. 

Context: I love technology, I have been a sci-fi nerd since school and I threw myself into the stories of startups changing the world. But because of family finances and the overall culture of startups I haven't taken a break in about 10 years and it's starting to show. 

I don't have savings to last me more than 3-4 months but at this rate I'll end up checking out of society. 

Unsolicited advice: 
1) Most startups and the VCs that back them know they're going to fail but don't internalise their failure as yours. 
2) Always, always take care of your mental + physical health. Doesn't matter if you're intern and you're expected to slog 12-15 hours in the name of learning. 
3) I missed moments with my ageing mom and dad, school friends and just time to read and relax because I was afraid of missing out on "networking" and "office night outs". Fuck all that, it is and it will always be family and frit first. 


Finally, Fuck all you hustle bro CEOs, they have done more to damage the mentor health of a generation more than any politician. I feel stupid and useless because you can't help posturing and creating panic in the name of disruption. Hope AI takes your jobs too. 

PS: See you on the other side.

I'm laying myself off. Indian start-ups have killed my sense of purpose

Context: I am a software engineer with 4 years of experience.

Everytime I work with a bunch of engineers (Especially Indian Startups). Most of them are workaholics.

They are just working for some company full-time. They are interested in learning more about technology, making jokes about technology, following technology news, etc. 

That is it. 

No social life. (Especially after Covid). No skills in any other part of life.

Their comfort zone is so small that they have developed a lifestyle of working, sleeping & watching something on laptops and that's it.

They make an excellent salary but don't do anything else. 

Every time I meet a 35-40-year-old software engineer, it is just a physically unfit guy with an arranged marriage who is boring as a brick.

Are most Software Engineers boring outside work?

I am in my late 20s and I feel attacked. Thank you for striking the right chord 
  
 I've come to realize that, like many software engineers, I've found myself navigating the monotony of an 8-hour job, often feeling isolated from my office peers. It can be challenging when people hesitate to open up, but the reasons for this became clear. 
  
 There are two key aspects at play: a minimal social life and prioritizing work. These factors are interconnected. In late 20s, the circle of friends tends to shrink, and individuals are busy setting up their own lives, leading to growing distances. With limited time for each other, it's easy to become engrossed in work life. I didn't anticipate that making friends would become a challenge, and I acknowledge this as a personal objective (read OKR) for myself. Despite being an extrovert, reinitiating the trust and friendship path can be difficult. 
  
 To address this, I've proactively connected with people, stepped out of my comfort zone, and initiated new activities. It's a challenging process, and sometimes it feels like I'm overdoing it, but the effort is rewarding. Engaging in activities beyond my job role, such as joining a gym or participating in public discussions, has been beneficial. I've also reduced my time on social media, realizing that platforms like Instagram reels consume a significant portion of my time. 
  
 I'd like to urge understanding for people in their late thirties. Having once criticized the habits of those in their late twenties when I was in my early twenties, I now comprehend the challenges of their situation. Unexpectedly, I find joy in shopping for groceries and organizing them neatly. It's all about priorities, and embracing change has made a significant positive impact in my life.

Software Developer

The Golden era of software engineering is gone

I don't think engineering time is up. People who have skills will be in demand no matter how much AI advances. 
 Redundant roles which can be easily automated are reduced not the pure technicals once.

Growth Manager

Welcome to Data Scientists's Private Community

Currently working in a startup and contributing in data science projects. Learning is good but a lot of time goes down in meetings and discussions and I have to do late night work. Everyday starts to feel like the same and I am not able to get time for extra learning to enhance my knowledge and tech stack.
Also thinking of company change but most of them need 3-4 years exp to the data science team. 😭

Feeling losted

I work in a few months old as a software developer. In a startup . Being Only employee. The CTO left some days back. Pay is decent . Around three year of exp. However I don’t feel like learning anything having no senior in tech background. Also working there isn’t motivating at all. Since the founder are basically getting a tech product made and then keeping on adding features, rather than selling already what’s been made.  Make me work all days including Saturdays.

I am preparing dsa for whatever 1-2 hrs i get but I dont like doing my job.  Since market is bad and ive been out of touch with DSA, I am not able to decide whether to quit and prepare for a job full fledged or keep whatever’s going going. These people have also said they will try this project for max 6 months if nothing works.

Should I Quit my job?

So I am working at a startup for around a year now. Everyday I see, it feels, what am I really doing? Where is the life headed? 
    Doing bare minimum or doing your tasks and fucking off isn't enough. It's expected that we outgrow constantly, as if it's this work that we can always think about and nothing else. At the end, am wondering if it's still worth it?
    1 day it feels that let's just quit it! Next day I feel, okay, I do want the money. 

I ain't looking for suggestions here, just wanted to see if anyone else felt this way

Getting increasingly bored of work at startup

Been there, but money is very important especially for a middle class family, for most of us we are earning 5x more than our parents at least and have huge expectations from families to provide them with good life

Consultant

I have been working as a software developer for the past 4 years mostly on startups. Pay is good(top 10%) no issues while working everything good in work life no problems. But there is always a feeling that I am not good at basic understanding of development I feel it is because  I didn't go to any IIT or any other major colleges or didn't study for any particular exams. I just learned everything by doing it not by preparing beforehand. There is fear that maybe that's not always enough which makes me a little bit afraid of giving interviews of big tech companies.
So I am not able to decide where I should go from here. Should I start with  masters or should I just learn everything I can from basics to have a solid understanding or maybe some other path.

Master's or While working learn on your own

Hi folks, I am a fronted developer with  5+ years of experience in TCS. I am doing well in my previous project but that is complete then I joined another project where I am struggling to do a smaller job as well. I am not sure what's going to happen to me every time I am the only person who always points out even if I make that mistake or not. Even though nothing motivated me, day by day my performance was going down I am feeling tired from this same time I am thinking about leaving the project and searching for something new but they are not releasing me. Due to this I visit the doctor and he says you are in depression and suggest some pills. Nothing motivates me here. Can anyone suggest to me what I do now.

Suggest me.

Although I'm early in career(~4 Yoe) but I feel distinterested in it.

As far as I remember I was always interested in computers and programming(even before I knew it pays well), it's probably the only hobby I ever had.

It felt good in beginning but lately it feels like I'm dragging myself to work. I thought maybe I'm just distinterested in working for the employer but I don't feel like coding for fun either.
Doesn't feel like burnout because I haven't felt too much pressure from work in a while.

I thought this would be transient but I can't remember when it was fun last time. Has anyone else felt like this? Does it get better or is this just my life going forward?

Do you ever feel disillusioned with work

Totally in the same boat. 
 Sometimes I think of leaving everything and starting afresh in a different career.  
 Or sometimes I think of starting something of my own and quitting the corporate world.

Experience matter, but motivation required

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