What should I do next?
Working as an SDE2 right now. Got promoted recently. Motivation to work is at an all-time low. Feels like I am stuck in a rat race. Is this normal? I see senior engineers in my team and frankly, I don't want to end up like them in the next few years. Immense respect for their skills and what they bring to the table, but I don't see myself doing that. I have a few options to consider:
Bucket 1 Keep grinding at my current role Decent growth (career and money) Stable life, certainity Low Risk, Moderate Reward
Bucket 2 Coast at current role Look for a switch (preferably outside India) Make a lot of money Basically, follow this and keep climbing the ladder Boring AF
Bucket 1 and Bucket 2 can probably be merged, keeping them separate as it is very different in reality.
Bucket 3 (The Interesting Bucket) Coast at current role Build micro-SaaS solutions, contribute to open source, build problem solving attitude Startup someday Could result in slow growth, might end up wasting a few years.
The real constraint? I have to support a family. All expenses. We have no other income source at this point. Taking any risk with income is a big deal for me.
Just ranting here. I am not expecting a clear pick. Just looking for more opinions on what I am thinking, and maybe understand if I am overthinking.
Make a runway of 2-3y and follow 3.
If things don't turn well do 1 or 2 again
Bhai vitamin D check karawa lo
Okay Bhai
Your constraint is too big to ignore and you are not alone. I also have similar constraints. If you have the energy to do option 3, then do it. If you don't have then try to improve your current situation using 1 or 2.