TheaterFire

Tired of working in IT

Posted by ruzreddit@reddit | sysadmin | View on Reddit | 398 comments

I’m just really tired of working in IT, been doing it for 11 years now. Exhusted and just struggling and feeling like giving up.

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398 Comments

blind_rebel@reddit

25 years in IT, basically right out of high school and I don't think I can bare it much longer. 
View on Reddit #79794932

PeakworksCT@reddit

I’m a therapist who works with tech professionals—and this comes up a lot. I remember 5 years ago I thought it was bad. But now I'm getting clients who once loveed their career now hate it. If there is a way to fall in love with it again or find new ways to reconnect with why you loved it that can be a good starting point. Sometimes, you just need a reboot, and that means looking at all aspects of your working life and personal life and what aspects need an upgrade.
View on Reddit #75508287

Guilty-Variation5171@reddit

TAG ME IN!!!!
View on Reddit #73936055

FreeTraveler123@reddit

33 years here, it doesn't get better, if anything it gets a little worse every year.
View on Reddit #73596054

Mr_Dobalina71@reddit

32 years in. I’ve wanted to get out of it numerous times but $$ to retrain and exactly what to retrain in I wasn’t sure of. Current role is not too bad, reasonably enjoy it, very flexible, been here 3 years. 11 years to go until I can hopefully retire(finances permitting)
View on Reddit #73596273

chubz736@reddit

Sheesh 32 years you been working. Ive been in since 7 years. Ive been trying to land a 6 figure salary and its tough for ne right now. How long did salary expectation went up throughout your career ?
View on Reddit #73906073

desert_dweller5@reddit

I'm in a similar boat, only I'm stuck at entry level.
View on Reddit #73886135

ShadowCVL@reddit

27 and same here. I’m looking at retirement in the next couple of years and just kinda want to go mow a golf course or something. Every year at the end of the year I take a few weeks off because that’s the only time I can do it and not be stressed about crap going on at work. It shouldn’t be like that. I come back in January still burned out and wanting to not do IT anymore, but what else am I going to do that’s going to pay me well and then I lose 27 years of professional contacts.
View on Reddit #73597019

ImissHurley@reddit

My dream job is mowing the highways. Sit up in an air conditioned cab all day, back and forth, listening to podcasts,
View on Reddit #73604334

Greedy_Revolution425@reddit

Man, the lawn mower fantasy is so common in IT it should be studied phenomenon. I realized my urge to go outside correlates perfectly with my screen time. My brain isn't just tired of tickets, it's physically rejecting the blue light/fluorescent combo. Grass doesn't have a refresh rate.
View on Reddit #73614043

Direct-String-2182@reddit

Only after a drought.
View on Reddit #73773312

Frank_Dandy@reddit

Yep... the phenomenon is our brains screaming for relief and something to counterbalance what it's constantly bombarded with.
View on Reddit #73684393

EagerSleeper@reddit

I think the predictability and static learning curve are the big draws, next to escaping basements and server rooms to actually experience nature. I'd love to be able to know exactly what I need to do for the day with absolute certainty of how it will need to be done without drastic scope changes suddenly turning everything into a bureaucratic nightmare wrapped around a technical dilemma that could take many dozens of hours of unpaid overtime to resolve.
View on Reddit #73614849

Frank_Dandy@reddit

Yeah... this guy ITs.
View on Reddit #73683382

TomatilloBeautiful48@reddit

This. So sick of office lights and sealed windows!
View on Reddit #73659503

Mr_Dobalina71@reddit

Yep, agree, it’s the thought of being able to do your job and clock out at 5pm and not have to think about it until the next morning. I’m always thinking of ways to resolve issues while laying in bed, although that’s probably my ADHD and even if I had a more predictable job it might be an issue. Although been on holiday the last week and after first day not really thought about work and issues that need resolving at all.
View on Reddit #73616118

Latter_Yesterday6500@reddit

The only problem is I cannot go to a job where I cannot take a break and walk away (remote) from someone being a fucking moron. Putting me back in the office would kill me.
View on Reddit #73616962

kungfu1@reddit

Dude. It’s those straight forward mundane jobs that gets us isn’t it? Any time I see someone doing anything like this I’m like… man, that seems great. I’m sure there’s certain realities where it’s not so much the case. I saw this guy the other day with the county driving around checking all the fire hydrants. It’s just something about a straight forward task, doing the task, and going home.
View on Reddit #73606723

No_Abbreviations3231@reddit

Curiously e ouch I work on retail and I dream of a it job. Especefically a remote One. Bosses and clients are the same everywhere. Even the Impossible requirements,those are not the same but are also stressed. Like try having a boss that expecs the shelves to BE always full to the brim while the shop is . Having some clients that expect bread to BE more well done and others want it more raw but instead of accepting every One wants bread different,they just complain the bread was badly done as if they were the owners of reason. The grass is always greener on the others side. Só the most I can hope for is to at least work where I want. I dream about getting a remote IT job
View on Reddit #73621058

uptimefordays@reddit

What gets people about IT jobs, especially the remote ones which tend to be more senior, is the tendency to find yourself thinking about work while not working. What a lot of IT people don't appreciate is this happens in most knowledge based roles. There's something to be said for roles where you can really unplug after your shift ends, unfortunately those roles don't often pay as well.
View on Reddit #73645246

bigDUB14@reddit

> It’s just something about a straight forward task, doing the task, and going home. It's exactly this. Knowing exactly what is going to happen during your 8 hour work day would make getting up in the morning easier.
View on Reddit #73643063

techoatmeal@reddit

That and raising goats in the mountains.
View on Reddit #73612173

Metalfreak82@reddit

Did you know that people who live in the neighbourhood of goat farms are more likely to develop lung issues? It can be pretty unhealthy...
View on Reddit #73637749

Latter_Yesterday6500@reddit

You would love Ireland
View on Reddit #73616917

kungfu1@reddit

Or angora rabbits and brushing them for their fur. Just all day in a rocking chair petting rabbits.
View on Reddit #73612568

BudahBlah@reddit

Saw a video the other day of someone making 40K a month selling hotdogs on the streets....40K a month...
View on Reddit #73629743

s_schadenfreude@reddit

Mowing was one chore I looked forward to as a teen. Grab the walkman and headphones and go zone out for a couple of hours.
View on Reddit #73633145

IdiosyncraticBond@reddit

Don't know where you live, but we have tarmac on our highways. Doesn't need mowing, just a repave once every few years /s
View on Reddit #73622414

Impossible_IT@reddit

I have 27 years in IT as well. I’m 61 right now. Guess I’ve been lucky and haven’t burnt out. Could be because I’m in the public sector and not private.
View on Reddit #73602790

technicalerection@reddit

35 years in IT at age 59. Currently looking for a new job and never have seen this job market so fucked up since bs ai screening became a thing.
View on Reddit #73645250

LukeSkywalker4@reddit

I think the high 154 percent tariffs on China are causing a a lot of layoffs in America some say it’s around 45 million jobs and Wall Street crashing 8 trillion dollars. This is worse than 2008.
View on Reddit #73665711

Direct-String-2182@reddit

AI data centers are eating up all the memory chips and delays are putta lot of projects on the back burner.
View on Reddit #73773078

AZSystems@reddit

Amen, my Brother! Unemployed since May, got a part time job out of the field. Waiting and knowing I can't compete with the broken hiring systems, and uncertainty of others and their pursuit of a Unicorn IT position. IT will always be the non preferred child or lower end profit maker, which doesn't provide or allow growth and respect for those in IT roles keeping the Organization together. No understanding of technology or desire, so cannot ever gain respect as it's still some magic you conjure. To others struggling, get over yourself, ego is your largest opponent in life. We signed up cause we can adapt. So, we shall and continue to spread our knowledge and magic. Good luck and hope you find something you enjoy!
View on Reddit #73654118

slippery@reddit

Same age. Retired from the public sector two years ago. Living the dream.
View on Reddit #73611677

No_Investigator3369@reddit

At least you're still getting paid. Sorta wishing at this point I retired from PS after the 20 years. I would likely be happier right now out in the woods stick farming with an 80% paycheck.
View on Reddit #73665529

ElectricOne55@reddit

I thought of switching to Accounting or becoming an electrician, but then I'd have to go back to school and start over again.
View on Reddit #73614181

Mr_Dobalina71@reddit

Funny you should mention mowing lawns on a golf course, not a golfer but played a few wholes recently and thought mowing lawns at a golf course would be a nice job. Due to a split at 50, 4 years ago I’m not in a great financial position, may have to work past 65 :(
View on Reddit #73597875

SleepyD7@reddit

Divorce drives a lot of debt in this country.
View on Reddit #73682052

Glittering-Ad4557@reddit

I'll be working til death for sure.......
View on Reddit #73637247

maccmiles@reddit

The real move is zamboni driver
View on Reddit #73605576

nvmuskie@reddit

I would do anything legal and several illegal things if I could ditch IT and make pretty ice. Sigh. 😔
View on Reddit #73607318

minilandl@reddit

I just want to get paid to work on my homelab
View on Reddit #73613674

salt_life_@reddit

I get so jealous of the lawn man some days. Head phones on, riding with the wind, only care in the world is having enough fuel the slight chance of rain Meanwhile we get gaslight by management wanting to be hotshots and then forever cower to their peers
View on Reddit #73601086

bemenaker@reddit

Same boat my man, same boat.
View on Reddit #73598996

kex@reddit

I burnout rage quit at ~22 years of experience when the sophomoric gold rush brogrammers began to outnumber the old school nerds and caused a redefinition of what is a "good culture fit". I've been out for a bit over two years now. I've tried to find the "mow a golf course" type jobs, but I can't seem to be able to adapt my resume in any sane way to non-tech jobs without watering it down to be uselessly generic; e.g., "Consistently met deadlines, demonstrating reliability and effective communication"
View on Reddit #73621397

Proper_Bad_1588@reddit

I’m 25 years in and have mentioned mowing golf courses enough that my wife started looking into what kind of schooling I would need to make a living doing that. Not just mowing of course, but the whole greens keeping bit. I would love to get out of the office and work outside. But this pays the bills…
View on Reddit #73615265

azurite--@reddit

Would probably avoid golf courses. They are linked to so many neurodegenerative diseases and cancer.  
View on Reddit #73601640

DL72-Alpha@reddit

Same. 33 years hardcore Linux. I still want to play with all the new things but politics have always sucked and the silver ceiling is real.
View on Reddit #73683048

Frank_Dandy@reddit

Hate that this is "the norm" everyone eventually arrives at. Feels like we are literally a human resource being extracted to the point of collapse... but cling to the hope that "one day we can retire"... after so much life has passed us by.
View on Reddit #73682959

PURRING_SILENCER@reddit

What role are you in? Almost 20 years now and I am so close to rage quitting. Every week I almost do it. Almost.
View on Reddit #73600206

Frank_Dandy@reddit

Same... I end every week with "what the fvck just happened?!..." Too much at stake to flip the table though. But damn sure fantasize about it. Daily.
View on Reddit #73682678

jamblia@reddit

I'm a third line engineer in a large MSP for my sins. I did get to infra manager but crashed and burned after turning the tech infrastructure around. I have burned out and seen good people shit all over so I have gotten to the point of doing what is needed and that's it. I do not want to burn out again. I have a colleague who would rage quit if he didn't have responsibilities. One new team member rage quit in a Change meeting and he wasn't wrong. He is doing fine now.
View on Reddit #73654851

Even_In_Arcadia8@reddit

> What role are you in? Father. It doesn't do anything to make the job more enjoyable but it sure does make the prospect of rage quitting much worse.
View on Reddit #73639732

PURRING_SILENCER@reddit

Ain't that the truth. As the primary bread winner for a family of 4 I can't rage quit. It does wonders for my mental health though, feeling all stuck and all.
View on Reddit #73641121

GreyGoosey@reddit

All my colleagues say goat farming is quite lucrative
View on Reddit #73598365

operativekiwi@reddit

Goose farming?
View on Reddit #73604535

MechanicalTurkish@reddit

Untitled Goose Farm
View on Reddit #73677036

MulticamTropic@reddit

This is the second comment today I’ve seen about goat farming. Did I miss a viral video or something?
View on Reddit #73601328

Thwop@reddit

the long running joke, predating reddit, is that all IT guys want to retire and be goatfarmers because that (presumably) has no technology associated with it.
View on Reddit #73634299

MulticamTropic@reddit

Thank you!
View on Reddit #73653994

Metalfreak82@reddit

But there's a major health risk in goat farming: [https://www.rivm.nl/en/news/more-pneumonia-near-goat-farms-bacteria-may-explain-why](https://www.rivm.nl/en/news/more-pneumonia-near-goat-farms-bacteria-may-explain-why)
View on Reddit #73637938

murrayofearth@reddit

https://www.reddit.com/r/sysadmin/s/t3Be6JsHEI
View on Reddit #73604694

Man-e-questions@reddit

Same here, nothing that i am able to do pays anywhere close lol
View on Reddit #73646811

OMGItsCheezWTF@reddit

28 years here. In 2007 I applied to be a curator at the British Museum. I didn't get the job but it's the closest I've ever been to getting out lol
View on Reddit #73623928

Mr_Dobalina71@reddit

Always thought working at a museum would be super interesting.
View on Reddit #73624288

OMGItsCheezWTF@reddit

I lived in London at the time and visited the various museums often. I love a good museum and London has some amazing ones (The V&A is probably my favourite) - the idea of getting behind the scenes access and working with the exhibits was very tempting,.the pay wasn't fantastic but it included travelling with exhibits as they were loaned to other museums and I was in my 20s still at that point so it seemed like a great job. Alas they wanted someone with experience in something other than software engineering.
View on Reddit #73626717

Spagman_Aus@reddit

Yep, expectations keep increasing. Demands seem to get crazier and crazier.
View on Reddit #73598043

cruising_backroads@reddit

Yep.. In 42 years of IT, I keep seeing the same BS cycle. 1 - there's no budget 2 - we need all this new infrastructure and servers updated 3 - we need budget and 6 months of implementation time fast forward 5 months 1 - here's 1/2 the budget you needed 2 - the time line didn't change you have 1 month to implement. No argument or I told you so or explaining the time, quality, speed triangle every sinks in. It's just why are you done yet with an impossible time line and 1/2 the budget?!?! The IT department sucks! Doesn't matter where I've worked... It hasn't changed.
View on Reddit #73605875

collectivedisagree@reddit

42 years of IT, just landed a job for $300k, doing less than I did 10 years ago. Forgotten more than most will ever learn, Banyan vines anyone? Thick net anyone? SNA anyone? I think I may be insane.
View on Reddit #73685616

cruising_backroads@reddit

Vines! Hell ya. I started on a PDP-11/870 then went the Novell route. Started with 2.0a, became a cat 2 CNI…. Bailed on Novell at 3.12 and went to HP/UX and SunOS. Stayed Unix/Linux ever since. Done Vampire taps…. Oh the memories. SNA/SDLC.. System Not Active So Don’t Look Charlie.
View on Reddit #73689222

collectivedisagree@reddit

Let's get tattoos of our first computers! Heck man, sinclair zx81, commodore Pet, PDP 8 -arrrrggggh! iron core memory woot woot.
View on Reddit #73822136

HayabusaJack@reddit

It took 5 months of back and forth to get a $300 license paid.
View on Reddit #73615988

Bitter_Mulberry3936@reddit

I feel your pain
View on Reddit #73622002

cruising_backroads@reddit

My last ACAS renewal was like that. Sent the renewal up the chain and didn’t chase people down for it. Cause why can’t they just do their job. I put in the MOJ reasons for the renewal and deadline dates. Of course it went past the renewal date and expired. Our ISSM wrote up the manager and accounting for a security violation for ACAS reports. It was. Glorious.
View on Reddit #73616565

footballheroeater@reddit

27 years in here and this rings true every fucking year.
View on Reddit #73614298

Mcuatmel@reddit

exactly this. too many talking heads, but the number of it techs who have the knowledge is getting less, until its 1 guy only. (who understand it all)
View on Reddit #73604198

Forsaken-Range-1602@reddit

But why not do a better job on teaching the younger people? Nobody wants to teach skills that you learn on the job like it was when they had a mentor. Companies just want qualified entry level people then complain they don’t know a lot. There’s also this weird thing about people wanting their own corner, and gate keep information then complain when nobody else can do it.
View on Reddit #73689973

BudahBlah@reddit

but doesnt get paid enough...
View on Reddit #73629871

airinato@reddit

Just plain literacy is getting lower.  People are getting dumber and are loudly proud of it. 
View on Reddit #73603124

JustSayTomato@reddit

Could I come home… and think that I’ve been fishing all day or something?
View on Reddit #73602184

Klutzy_Scheme_9871@reddit

No because what you did that day burns inside you and your soul. I tried imagining something like that too but it isn’t possible just like the converse could t be true if you did construction and you’re beat up physically.
View on Reddit #73717946

JohnL101669@reddit

33 years now and yeah it blows. For reference I am in the IAM space focused of AD and Entra. I have 6 to 9 years to go and it feels like I still have 40 to go. But there's no way to switch jobs now.
View on Reddit #73706141

DramaticErraticism@reddit

25 years in and I really don't mind it. Just need to find a good corporate IT gig. I work only on my technology area, rarely get paged out and have good work/life balance.
View on Reddit #73663023

2cats2hats@reddit

36 years here. Resigned my gig a few months back. I pinky swear that's the last place I will work where I report to people who understand sfa about out profession.
View on Reddit #73661198

Egon88@reddit

I have 7 months left and I wake up every day thinking I don't want to do it.
View on Reddit #73642707

Metalfreak82@reddit

21 years here, I'm so done with this, but I don't know anything else that will pay this amount of money...
View on Reddit #73637609

Rancor_Keeper@reddit

I’m almost at 22 and work in education with teachers and students. Some of the students don’t care when they literally rip a chrome book in half and laugh about it.
View on Reddit #73637345

dp5520@reddit

30 years and trying to get out. The industry itself is helping with that. Too old to be considered, too early to retire.
View on Reddit #73634257

STUNTPENlS@reddit

Been in IT in some form since I was 18. Almost 6 decades now. Started working with punch cards and tape. If you're thinking of quitting, do ***not*** go into goat farming. Pig farming is still where it's at. Sows produce two to three litters a year. Each litter has upwards of 10 piglets. Each piglet will get you around $100-150. That's an average of $3,000 per sow per year. They're the gift that keeps on giving. In addition, pigs eat everything\*. Consequently, you can form off-the-books business relationships with various nefarious underworld types in your area to provide them with a place to dispose of their wet-work. This will provide you with a not substantial but tax-free source of additional income. It will also have the bonus effect of reducing the amount of feed you have to purchase for your sows (hence, reduce your operational overhead and increase profits on your piggery operations), and give you high friends in low places (or low friends in high places?) who can likewise return "favors" for you should you need any "problems" "resolved" in your future. (See: [link.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8NV00luZurw)) Don't believe everything you read on the internet. Goat farming is not where it is at. The future is owning a piggery. Get in on the ground floor of this amazing opportunity today. Call 1-888-LUV-PORK for a prospectus. \*except teeth. you have to remove those with pliers prior to disposal, and disperse them along a long stretch of deserted back roads.
View on Reddit #73632099

Hefty-Amoeba5707@reddit

How was being in IT in the 90s like? I can imagine at least you were respected. 12 years in and I feel if nothing is broken I'm overpaid and doing nothing. If anything breaks it's because I overlooked it or I am not fixing it fast enough for the users like how chatgpt says I should I be fixing it.
View on Reddit #73599640

Lando_uk@reddit

I loved 90's IT. I spent most my days in computer labs, gently defragging HDDs while playing lemmings on one I just finished (for testing of course) My life was basically like the IT Crowd show. Now i just sit here getting moaned at via the cyber team for not fixing CVEs that i fixed last month,
View on Reddit #73627091

Impossible_IT@reddit

I started out in IT in 1998. I’ve been in the public sector the entire 27 years. I may go another 5 years, only time will tell though.
View on Reddit #73603337

Ill-Union-8960@reddit

it actually got easier for me when I realized I hate all technology and don't care what happens anymore. I brought a guitar to work and I work on my hobbies between putting out fires, which is rare enough
View on Reddit #73614664

Elrox@reddit

I'm 30 years in, this week we merged with another company and I'm building a new hyper V server to replace an ESXi one, importing mail and drives and the like. And of course my boss keeps dragging me off to do things like show him how to cut and paste again for the 1000th time. I'm having a very stressful week as I'm doing it all myself.
View on Reddit #73612336

NorthernVenomFang@reddit

21 years myself; was going to post the exact same thing. - The entry level techs seem to get worse at troubleshooting. - Something new comes along: Kubernetes, Docker, AI, "Cloud", SaaS... Somehow everyone thought these are new concepts... Not really. We had most of this for a couple decades (at least) now. - Manuals... What are those? Basically hold on tight, it's not going to get any better 🙂
View on Reddit #73611537

enthe0gen@reddit

Hang in there! It gets worse! 20 year veteran of the industry. Couldn't agree with you more.
View on Reddit #73610440

Delta31_Heavy@reddit

So today is the worst day of your life?
View on Reddit #73608120

Coldwarjarhead@reddit

37 years. Same. I'm just hanging on till I turn 65 and can get enough out of SS to get by. Kicking myself in the ass so hard these days for not sucking it up and re-enlisting when I could have. Could have retired from the military in 2002 with 20 years. Plenty of time for another career and the freedom to say shove it, I've got a pension if I got sick of the games.
View on Reddit #73607237

kungfu1@reddit

30 years. Can confirm.
View on Reddit #73606489

cruising_backroads@reddit

42 years here.. The end is near...
View on Reddit #73605539

Zealousideal_Ad642@reddit

Nearly 28 for me. Many times ive wanted to get out but I don't know what else to do now. I agree with it getting worse each year. It's certainly not a career I encourage anyone to enter any longer.
View on Reddit #73599375

jamblia@reddit

Damn, I'm tired at 25 years in! Same and I am on holiday this week. I did pass an interview to become a trainee paramedic many years ago, but my poor eyesight means no blue light training so I'm still in tech and maybe burned out a few times since. Now I coast and take the money until an AI takes my job /s at least a globalcompany looks good on my cv!
View on Reddit #73598904

Inner-Matter-4825@reddit

You guys are tired? what advice would you offer to those who are just beginning their careers, and what are the key factors for sustaining long-term success as an IT professional?”
View on Reddit #73868779

yonisherer@reddit

I've only been doing this for almost 2 years does it really get that bad?
View on Reddit #73801304

Xztnc@reddit

I hear ya. A change might be good for ya. Changing company or starting your own. For me I’m just tired of corporations in general. Everything is an emergency and stressful and important but when you take a step back you realize it’s not really important in life. Anyway I hope you feel better. Feeling like you’re gonna toss a printer through a windshield every moment isn’t good for your mental health. I recommend the book “the art of not giving a f**k” :)
View on Reddit #73760866

gabacus_39@reddit

Sounds like a lotta you folks just have shitty workplaces and shitty workplaces exist in every sector of the workforce. I've been in IT for over 25 years and I'm perfectly happy.
View on Reddit #73597740

IntelligentDay6896@reddit

I think its the state of IT right now, hire for "change and pushing new ideas" then give them horseshit budgets so they cant change shit.
View on Reddit #73752697

gabacus_39@reddit

Sounds more like the state of certain workplaces. This sub is generally full of complainers as people that have nothing to complain about wouldn't come here for the most part. It's not representative of the entire industry.
View on Reddit #73753017

IntelligentDay6896@reddit

I get it, but alot of younger people are in the workplace right now and the IT jobs they are getting bottom barrel shitholes. with either bad management or a shit show they have to clean up, I get why IT guys/gals hate this shit.
View on Reddit #73756921

chillzatl@reddit

maybe in some cases, but a lot of people on this sub you'd just never want to hire.
View on Reddit #73598527

MBILC@reddit

Would be curious of the average age of people who are fed up of IT, younger 30 something people burned out, or older 40,50 year old people who have seen it all and know it can be good and bad? or even those in their 20's who got some certs and thought they would get right to a 6 figure salary and corner office in IT fresh out of school...
View on Reddit #73604873

sybrwookie@reddit

I hit that point twice in my career so far. It had nothing to do with how long I had been doing it, but companies which had taken advantage of me hard, treated me like shit, and were not paying me even CLOSE to enough for what I was doing. At least for now, I'm happy with my job and salary, so I have no thought about needing to get out of IT, despite having those thoughts before. (now I'm just counting down till I can retire)
View on Reddit #73644899

MBILC@reddit

This was me, after leaving my first real IT career job, after 16 years of 24/7 365 working (started when I was 20 and learned alot)...built the company from the ground up "IT" wise, and then a new CEO decided I was not worth a raise, which I had not had one in 5 years (CEO had only been there 3 years) and tried to claim I did the same job as I did 5 years ago..... Even my CTO and CFO were upset about it, so I quit!
View on Reddit #73657492

sybrwookie@reddit

Yup, first time was what sounds like a VERY similar job to yours. On call 24/7, I was around the same age, building the IT department for a small company from the ground up by myself. It was the only time in my life I got migraines. Second time, was after being promised a promotion as long as I showed hard work, worked extra hard, then when it came time for a promotion, was turned down and my boss then became vengeful that I tried to move out of her group (as I was doing the vast majority of the work for the group).
View on Reddit #73659316

chillzatl@reddit

There were quite a few 20-30+ year people that responded. I'm not so surprised by the 20+ year people because they would have gotten into IT when it was purely a money play. Early 2000's you could go in just about any direction and even entry level paid well. The paths you could take were also fairly well established so you didn't necessarily have to have some geeky passion for the work to learn and do really well. I could see someone like that, with no real love for the work, just getting broken by it. It's even easier to see it in the 10 and less crowd. There's no magic or money left in it now, at least early on. The 30+ year guys surprise me though. They would have gotten into it when there was still a lot of passion behind you being there. It's surprising to see someone lose that.
View on Reddit #73605851

sybrwookie@reddit

As someone who graduated in the early 2000's, no, you couldn't get a job anywhere as the economy crashed after 9/11, and whenever anything entry-level opened, it was so flooded with applicants that salaries were driven WAY down on entry level. If you got in the late 90's, you were in the fucking money.
View on Reddit #73644054

Hegemonikon138@reddit

I'm an exception as I'm 30+ in the industry and love it, as you mentioned it's a lifelong passion for me. I only do new projects so it's always interesting, I am fully remote and set my own hours. It just feels like bragging so I don't talk about it. I feel bad for new people entering the industry.
View on Reddit #73607496

EagerSleeper@reddit

I’m in my early 30s, and it often feels like this industry asks you to accept ongoing exploitation in a “stable” role or risk homelessness. I thought an IT degree, a decade of experience, and consistently building skills would lead to a decent company, fair pay, a modest home, real time off, and reasonable after-hours expectations... Instead, it’s salary-exempt work, long unpaid hours, constant on-call pressure, and living paycheck to paycheck while supporting disorganized companies. Lots of free time goes to learning more and more new tools and obtaining certs on one's own time just to stay employable, navigating an endless maze of specializations before you’re even eligible for roles that barely keep up with cost of living. Becky sends emails, runs a meeting, makes a spreadsheet, and her day is done. She doesn’t spend nights and weekends proving mastery of new systems just to be considered for a sub-CoL raise. Her job is stable by default. Mine feels conditional. There are good roles out there, but the gap between what this field promised and what it actually currently delivers is hard to ignore.
View on Reddit #73615786

MainzDestiny@reddit

I'll tap in! 12 years in and I can attest to the burn out. I'm mid 30's now and I love most days. There's just this back of mind/anxious bit as every day has new problems. Often times, as I get to comfortable or proficient in something...I'm a week or two behind on the next "thing" i should/would/want to be tackling. Then it updates. Then M$ does their thing. T1-2 walks in asking questions. I'm stumped on some stupid Layer 2 issue I should be better at, and Bob wants to talk about their 3rd basement servers damn ram cost increases.. There's just a gnawing feeling of never catching up. My home and costs are rising while wages barely move and there's this brooding cowl lurking above me that feels like a wave about to break on my back and every day I'm just barely out pacing it. Fuck, I have some anxiety I think? With that said. I love learning, and I do so everyday so it feels progressive. I just feel like I can't apply myself hard enough, in addition to being a part of my beautiful family, manging broken house/car things. Lawn maintenance. Friendships. Hobbies. "Downtime" w.e the fuck that is. I just need to hit the lottery and I would really love work. I want to live to work. Currently I work to live and that doesn't feelen good.
View on Reddit #73611748

gabacus_39@reddit

True that
View on Reddit #73599572

Fair-Morning-4182@reddit

I dunno man. I don’t think I could do anything for 25 years straight and be happy. Sounds like a nightmare of boredom. 
View on Reddit #73625040

kuahara@reddit

Glad to be one of the ones loving their job.
View on Reddit #73600896

Optimist1975@reddit

I feel you on this. The industry is moving so fast it is impossible to keep up with everything and it is very easy to burn out these days
View on Reddit #73751176

Slight_Incident_3131@reddit

Ah y’all are preaching to the choir… 32 years in for me. Burnt out on the whole thing, unfortunately I still have 12yrs till I’m at retirement… doesn’t seem too far away, but it’s really an eternity. Just feel stuck, and not really enjoying it anymore….
View on Reddit #73740351

Centremass@reddit

39 years in IT, too close to retirement to consider doing something else. I'd never find anything else even remotely close to my current salary, and nobody wants to hire a 63 year old greybeard this close to retirement. I'm stuck with 5 years left...
View on Reddit #73596511

rspydir@reddit

Don't put it off if you can retire now. I left IT at 67 and wish I had retired earlier.
View on Reddit #73612720

Drakoolya@reddit

And what do you do for a living?
View on Reddit #73615811

GoyimDeleter2025@reddit

He's retired.. can't you read?
View on Reddit #73642965

Drakoolya@reddit

Yeah mate anyone can retire if you have the savings, my question really is what you do for living if you retire from IT that late into your career. But apparently being a D**k is covered if you quit yours.
View on Reddit #73691723

unitAtype2@reddit

Doesn't *retire* imply they don't do anything? Do we know different meanings of the word?
View on Reddit #73699037

Drakoolya@reddit

Well, a decent human being could have attempted to clear the confusion but ....
View on Reddit #73738650

rspydir@reddit

Whatever I want. Travel some. Hobbies. Spend time with grandkids. I thought I would freelance some but have no desire to answer to jump back into that pool.
View on Reddit #73689845

ProfessionalEven296@reddit

Me too. Scared of layoffs at this point, though!
View on Reddit #73596651

AnotherCableGuy@reddit

Got layed off a year ago. Best thing ever. Forced me to a career change that wouldn't happen otherwise. Much happier now.
View on Reddit #73672143

Klutzy_Scheme_9871@reddit

What did you get into?
View on Reddit #73718185

AnotherCableGuy@reddit

From embedded dev to sysadmin
View on Reddit #73721041

Klutzy_Scheme_9871@reddit

embedded dev just sounds horrible lol so good move.
View on Reddit #73721451

__420_@reddit

This. The idea of being layedoff or stay with the sinking ship... and with all the ways "AI" can cause issues with the network. Im tired boss.
View on Reddit #73600068

ElectricOne55@reddit

I thought of switching to Accounting or becoming an electrician, but then I'd have to go back to school and start over again.
View on Reddit #73614295

Klutzy_Scheme_9871@reddit

Yea but would you rather bask in your frustrations, anger and stagnation?
View on Reddit #73718247

ElectricOne55@reddit

Are you referring to staying in tech would be stagnating or going back to school for accounting or electrical work? I'm making 100k right now and work remote. I don't trust my current job long term because they recently had layoffs. The goals have been r3ally intense and unreachable as well. If I went back for accounting or electrical work I'd have to start all over and probably take a 40k job. It may be easier to get an interview since tech jobs are really picky. Idk if that would actually be true or not?
View on Reddit #73719260

Klutzy_Scheme_9871@reddit

staying in tech would be stagnating if you don't like it.
View on Reddit #73721342

nytel@reddit

A high elder amongst us
View on Reddit #73609566

skrando@reddit

Hang in there brother
View on Reddit #73599659

gclary@reddit

Do a shift at Wendy's to calibrate yourself.
View on Reddit #73731634

PrivateEDUdirector@reddit

Okay, what’s next?
View on Reddit #73726288

Wolflikeshotsauce@reddit

Join the club, I’m just waiting till the dog dies to check out at this point
View on Reddit #73724484

q-admin007@reddit

Unix admin for 30 years. Stopped giving a fuck 10 years ago. ![gif](giphy|qixJFUXq1UNLa) I recommend it.
View on Reddit #73711285

humandib@reddit

I'm on that path. The not giving a fuck path, not the UNIX admin path. I started as a knowledge enthusiast then moved on to working on my own. Breached a physical system from a big entity and got tricked by an employee into getting hired. Went from service desk to sysadmin. Loved both jobs essentially. Moved on to a different environment then realized that I hate all aspects of nowadays management and that made me give up on giving more of me to the field. Also, the whole thing with management wanting results and making everything a numbers game combined with the ever changing state of technology made me less enthusiastic about the field. I'm currently working on minimizing debt and expenses so I can get out of the enterprise field and move into something more pleasant.
View on Reddit #73721388

IronyNotFound_777@reddit

same here, but I'm thinking that it's mostly related to life around, news, business models + 11 years is a solid experience, meaning you're not becoming younger...
View on Reddit #73702874

cnydox@reddit

I mean I wish the world would be like what those CEOs promise where I don't have to work my ass to get food and pay the bills
View on Reddit #73687928

FyrStrike@reddit

That burnout is real. A lot of people don’t fall out of love with IT, they fall out of love with their environment. A different role, company, or problem set can make it feel new again. Sometimes all it takes is something that actually challenges you instead of draining you.
View on Reddit #73601307

AdmRL_@reddit

Eh, seems different today. Standards have been decimated by SaaS models. When I started in IT in 2010, even in SME's you could get to grips with an environment because even if they'd never heard of change control or documentation, change took effort, it was hard for it to happen without some warning. Maybe someone decided to quietly install a new tool or whatever, but it's not like someone was making sweeping changes to your Exchange or SharePoint server without you knowing. Today though, even if you have the sexiest change control in the world, and well documented processes and systems, you're at the mercy of some third party prick deciding their UI needs a refresh, or deciding to drop a new always-on feature and that you *must* have it immediately and without announcement, or deciding a feature needs a completely new name that better aligns with their "brand vision".
View on Reddit #73651842

theweidy@reddit

Excuse me, I MUST have my santa hat decorations in JIRA!
View on Reddit #73687390

BluesPuckHard@reddit

I only work in Azure and because I'm at an MSP, we have a shit ton of customers. Getting new customers and learning their environments and building relationships makes it fun for me. I can't imagine working on one or two environments for days/weeks/years at a time.
View on Reddit #73669861

bgdz2020@reddit

It can also make it feel bad again very fast. Wind came out of my sails after a week at new job. Nothing really wrong with it, just the same old Bs Microsoft/cisco shop. I’m bored
View on Reddit #73660965

MrTrism@reddit

That's a beautiful way to put it. Many of us don't fall out of love with IT and technology; The rose-colored glasses come off and we realize a sizable chunk of working IT, is dealing with people.
View on Reddit #73644366

m5daystrom@reddit

45 years for me. I still love it. From my first RPG program using an IBM System 34 I was hooked!
View on Reddit #73685797

The_RaptorCannon@reddit

What is wearing out? The grind of constantly learning? Unrealistic goals, burning the candle at both ends or are you a ticket jockey?
View on Reddit #73604586

ElectricOne55@reddit

I feel the same. Managers wanting you to do all these extra goals to where it feels like going to college or doing the job of multiple people.
View on Reddit #73614343

The_RaptorCannon@reddit

My manager at my current place is actually pretty good. This is why I prefer managers and directors that have been in the trenches and experienced the struggles that us technical people go through. I had worked with a SVP at a company that was beyond disconnected with the level of effort to achieve various goals and uncompromising like a true sociopath....I can deal with it for a short time but found employment else where as a result.
View on Reddit #73649640

ElectricOne55@reddit

My current manager added 4 sets of goals which seem borderline unreachable. Each of these goals are rated on a scale of 3 to 5. These are in addition to the 3 to 10 cloud migration projects we are doing at one time throughout the year too. Get a google workspace cert for a 3, do 40 hours of linkedinlearning on powershell and the cert for a 4, and write a script for a 5. Do 6 migration improvements for a 3, 12 for a 4, and 15 for a 5 Do 9 support tickets or 18 hours of work for a 3, 15 tickets or 25 hours of work for a 4, 25 tickets or 80 hours of work for a 5. 40 hours of linkedinlearning on soft skills for a 3, do a 1 hour presentation and that for a 4, do 2 presentations and the courses for a 5.
View on Reddit #73662275

The_RaptorCannon@reddit

Man, what do you gain from accomplishing those goals would be my first question. I had a manager say in order to get your bonus of 5k you needed to do X. I'd be like if I don't accomplish these goals what happens because it's almost not worth my sanity to accomplish what you have set out on top of my existing workload. I would rather go for another position at a different company and take a 10-15k pay increase. I'm assuming you have a lot to do anyways, let alone trying to accomplish that, those goals are so vague like they just threw something on paper to say look I've tasked one of my guys with Goals that way that upper management wanted. I take notes throughout the year for things I see that can be improved or what I would like to learn. I set my own goals when asked that's important to meet company values and objectives vs having arbitrary goals set for me.
View on Reddit #73667450

ElectricOne55@reddit

I agree the goals seem unachievable like 80 hours of work wtf. I asked him about the 5 being unreachable. He said that supposedly the goals were done wrong before and that to get a 5 someone should be going above and beyond doing work outside of work hours. They gave me bonuses 2 years I've been here achieving goals. Then my old manager left and this new one is really technical and constantly wants us to be improving things, writing scrips, giving presentations, or making improvements to the dashboard. To me it seems like he's just grabbing at straws trying to do all this extra stuff that probably isn't even part of the role. For instance, with the support tickets goal we were getting may 4 to 6 tickets a month and they barely trained me on them. He just had me join in video calls with the senior manager who would ramble on for an hour with the client. That other guy would be very unhelpful and he knowledge hoards too. It also makes it difficult that he's in England and the rest of us are in the US. It would also be annoying that he would schedule those ticket calls mostly on Fridays. He would say it helps get through the day as something to do. Like wtf, he sounded happy about doing calls on a Friday. This other lady was brown nosing too saying we could volunteer and do support work for other teams so that we're learning new things or looking valuable to upper management. But, I was thinking isn't that not part of our job? And like you were saying it's not like they will raise our pay for doing all that extra stuff or coming up with these improvements. One was to test a Dropbox to Google Workspace migration, but how many clients would even do that? It seems so random and niche. I asked if I could get Microsoft of Cisco certs as a goal and he said no because it had to be related to Google. From what I've seen I've not seen many job postings list Google certs. Nor have I had a recruiter say ya bro we need you, you got that Google Workspace cert lol. It also seems like he's getting me to do the job of what could be multiple people. When I first got this job the first manager said I'd just be doing migrations. Now I'm doing provisioning tickets. Since there wasn't many coming in, I asked if I could do another goal. Then he asked the manager above him supposedly, and he said I could replace it with getting a Google Data Engineer certification, doing a 1 hour presentation and the cert for a 4, and doing 10 data engineer tickets and those other 2 things for a 5. Like wtf, who can do a data engineer certificate in a month and a half? I wonder if it even came from the manager above me or if my main manager is just trying to weed me out? The only thing that sucks is my current job is 100k and remote. When I apply to jobs I'll get maybe 2 interviews per every 50 applications. The jobs I do get responses from are suspect small startups that were bought out by private equity firms. The pay is often lower too at around 75k for most roles I applied to. Or I'd have to move to Atlanta and work in person. I'm currently in the Augusta area. I could work for a school, hospital, or university in the area. The workload would be a lot easier but the salaries for these roles are around 40 to 60k.
View on Reddit #73668542

The_RaptorCannon@reddit

Google is on the lower end of the public cloud platforms so it's going to be tougher to land those jobs. I'm 100% remote and I work in Azure with some GCP and AWS experience and a lot of MSP work history. You do whatever makes the most sense but personally I would probably attempt one of those goals and it's not going to be the google cert. I've never heard of someone being fired for not hitting their goals just not getting their pay bump. Then I would probably study for a certificate or something that is beneficial to me based on jobs I'm applying for. If you're all GCP then go for an AWS and Azure Certificate; look out for yourself first and formost and always put your health and well being before any company goals. Your new manager sounds unrealistic, Good Managers actively engage with the people they manage and find middle grounds and figure out what their team members enjoy doing and what their future goals are and help them align their goals with the business so the benefit is mutual. Your New Manager sounds like a paper pusher and just relaying agenda from upper management. I would be he was probably a strong technical person and it's his first management gig and he doens't know how to push back as a middle manager. Either way Good Luck man...that's rough.
View on Reddit #73669583

ElectricOne55@reddit

I have 4 Azure certs, but I haven't worked in a role where I've gotten to use Azure in a while. I still try to recertify my Azure certs yearly. I also have a CCNA but have never got to use it. I have the Comptia trio as well, but I've found that only the federal government jobs care about those certs, and the private sector doesn't even really acknowledge them. It's weird for next year that they want me to get a Google Data Engineering certs. They wanted me to do these data engineering tickets setting up connections for this third party provider to their clients' Data Lakes, even though we have no documentation except for what that other company may have. Is it me or does that sound like I'm just being thrown to the fire lol. The new manager and the senior technical guy will ramble about all these technical things in our daily standups and suggest all these other things. I think the rest of us 3 are just like wtf lol. It seems to me like he's just a huge suck up to upper management. Because he will constantly be liking posts on linkedin from others at the company and 2 months after becoming a manager he changed his profile picture to one of him in a suit lol. He will also schedule extra meetings for no reason to discuss things. We had one project where the client set a meeting for Jan 1st. We got on a call with them and moved the date. Then afterwards he set a meeting for Friday at 10 am to "talk about it." He wanted us to do closing call meetings with clients too even though we have a smaller staff and more projects are coming in. Good point about caring for your health and wellbeing because some of these meetings I feel really raise my blood pressure. I like this role because it's remote, but the workload feels insane. For my next role I'm not sure whether to live in a small town and buy a cheaper house while only looking for remote roles. Or to move to a bigger city where there's more jobs but housing is more expensive?
View on Reddit #73685042

Ok-Condition6866@reddit

I been in IT since 1997. So much B's now. I started my own company residential trash service. I make twice as much doing it. Like said something about the mundane tasks. About to retire from IT.
View on Reddit #73683396

motion2082@reddit

Only 6 years and I'm tired of MSP, give 150%, depleted by the end of the week, month, year. Rinse and Repeat. Still better than my Navy job which paid less and was a prisoner to the Gov of War
View on Reddit #73681986

-O-mega@reddit

25 years into it and still have fun. Every 4-5 years I am asking me is the job the right one. Sometimes I change the company, sometimes I change the work and sometimes I change nothing. I was some years into programming, then changed to infrastructure and virtualization, then changed to network, no I am Back to virtualization (network and compute). ATM I am on an architect level and I think about it to change again (4 years in the current company). Still have fun but I am not sure if I want to do the architecture stuff anymore. So maybe it is not the problem more your current position.
View on Reddit #73680828

bjisgooder@reddit

I spent the better part of 10 years in kitchens. No holidays off. No PTO. Health insurance either non-existant On my feet. Stressed. No light at the end of that tunnel. I've got a paid winter and summer holidays, PTO. Remote one or two days a week. Y'all are crazy.
View on Reddit #73601017

sybrwookie@reddit

Yea, just go in the other direction. People having shit experiences in IT doesn't mean there's something wrong with them because there's worse. People in even worse conditions need to be saying, "our conditions are even worse than people who have some horrible conditions at times, we need to fight for better." Fighting down to the worst conditions is not the way to go. Fight for better.
View on Reddit #73645565

RessiBear@reddit

One thing is admitting there's room for improvement, which I don't deny. The other is saying things like giving up on IT and then what? Unless you have good plans, savings, or another way out, the reality is that you will find that most jobs are waaaay worse. And while it should be improved, it is crazy the level of quality we have compared to 90% of the population so some perspective is good.
View on Reddit #73672901

RessiBear@reddit

I've seen 19yo interns who complain a lot about their job in IT and thinking of a way out already, and that's with a lot of benefits, well paid and fully remote. They never worked another job in their entire life so they lack a proper perspective of their life quality. That applies to everything, but it seems more common every day imo.
View on Reddit #73627694

1meanjellybean@reddit

I think everyone should have to work 3rd shift in a factory for at least one year. It builds character.
View on Reddit #73668666

_--_---__--_--_-_-_-@reddit

If we're at a point in the discussion where job environments can't be fucked up in their own legitimate, unique and unnecessary ways, maybe having the working class perpetually play the Suffering Olympics among each other is working a little too well
View on Reddit #73639757

bjisgooder@reddit

Wut? But yeah, no probably. Just saying everyone needs a little perspective. Myself included.
View on Reddit #73640423

Left-Measurement-461@reddit

Burn out is natural after working in any field for decades, even if it comes with good pay and benefits. I think it’s just human nature to burn out after a while ya know. I definitely get your point though. I transitioned to IT 4 years ago after working as a security guard for 4 with no light at the end of the tunnel lol. I couldn’t imagine wanting to switch to another field atm.
View on Reddit #73602115

bjisgooder@reddit

Definitely true. And I understand the grass-is-greener, but sometimes a little perspective is in order.
View on Reddit #73610850

Fr33Paco@reddit

Maybe look for a different company? I'm in about 10 now and have worked at like 7 different places and they have all had their up and downs... Most ups, current place is incredibly flexible. The opportunity to learn this if I want to is awesome and the money is fairly decent. Allows me to have a very happy outside of work, never bring home work. Unless it's something I enjoy and wanna learn more about. At the same time I don't know what else I would be doing if not Tech, automotive is a great hobby of mine but don't think I would want to do it full time ..
View on Reddit #73672415

OsgoodSlaughters@reddit

Change roles, do something with better life balance.
View on Reddit #73672016

m0henjo@reddit

This could be my cynical self (I'm 25 years in), but I'm slowly learning to just not care. In my area, I'm knowledgeable. I know how to troubleshoot, how to do research, how to design and think "big picture". I understand basic concepts, and realize when to lean on vendor supported reference architecture instead of reinventing wheels. BUT....for all of that, there are engineers, leaders, and other IT people who just don't know. They think AI is going to solve all their problems (just like NFT's, Block Chain, and all the other hyped technologies). The network isn't mine. My name isn't on any contract. I refuse to make the leap into management. My goal is to be one of the few IT people in my org that knows how any of this stuff is put together, and people fear asking me dumb questions. I'm still planning to do my job well, but between now and retirement I'm focused on increasing my earnings, increasing my education and certification, and watching the poor leadership decisions repeat history over, and over, and over again....
View on Reddit #73671156

drdewm@reddit

IT work is like being in college perpetually. Pop quizzes all the time and every year the subject matter changes. What you did before the current necessity is just a forgone memory, mostly just nostalgia for a perceived much simpler life that used to be. You got straight A's, that's nice.
View on Reddit #73671042

lolzapal00za@reddit

Unpopular point of view: 28 years of IT at the moment. From complete chaos to reasonable chaos. Sysadmin job is a lot more complex, but loads of tools came helping the poor lonely guy. Passion and curiosity. Still love it.
View on Reddit #73670800

Flying-T@reddit

Are you sure its the job and not the place you are doing it?
View on Reddit #73595993

TheAuldMan76@reddit

\+1 - u/ruzreddit \- I'm going through a hell of a bad case of burn out, and that's specifically from the company I'm working for. We're understaffed, underpaid, and doing a hell of a lot more work than is needed - easily hitting over 65+ hours a week for work, including increasing shorter cycles, before being forced to go back oncall. I'm trying to get another job sorted out, but the job market over here (the UK) is pretty rubbish - I'm hoping that next year, it will settle with more job opportunities coming through. Is there any chance, you can get some time off, to unwind, and allow you to recharge the batteries? How about looking into a job with another company, with hopefully a far better working environment and culture - that will help a hell of a lot.
View on Reddit #73601077

No_Gear_8618@reddit

65+hours a week???????
View on Reddit #73603629

TheAuldMan76@reddit

u/No_Gear_8618 \- Afraid so - I'm literally back home just now. I'm oncall, and I was phoned out from nearly midnight, through to 3:00am today (I'm in the UK). Got into work today for about nearly 9:00am - immediately dragged into projects, that I've had no previous involvement in (zero documentation on what's been done, testing, etc!) and then left work about 40 minutes ago (ended up sharing a taxi with a colleague). I'm absolutely shattered - between oncall, badly organised projects (managed by "trained" project delivery managers!), and increasingly large amounts of reactive support, it's just been non-stop chaos. Going to have a very late supper, a beer, and then bed...hopefully no callouts tonight, and into the early hours tomorrow.
View on Reddit #73668020

GreyGoosey@reddit

Seriously OP - consider this. It has renewed my interest in the field just hopping to another org.
View on Reddit #73598425

TomNooksRepoMan@reddit

Only problem is that hopping to another org is damn near impossible no matter how qualified you are right now. I gave up applying to jobs after hitting 500 applications. Maybe 6 or 7 interviews? Just too competitive out there.
View on Reddit #73644584

--TYGER--@reddit

Going through the same now. Another org will come with it's own problems but won't be as dysfunctional as this place
View on Reddit #73608610

ArthasDidNthingWrong@reddit

I was at a giant tech corp for almost 5 years, got laid off, hired back, and then completely burnt out… I consider myself so lucky to have found a job in local government. Super chill team in a small org. It’s the best. Definitely look around at all options. There are good places and people out there.
View on Reddit #73610088

MBILC@reddit

This! I have been in IT for....26 years now. I have had great times, bad times and in-between times from being in-house, to working with MSP's, to being back in-house, and overall, I have had a blast and learned, and still am, learning, so much along the way.... All jobs have their high's and lows....
View on Reddit #73604783

justmeandmyrobot@reddit

Switching jobs right now is super low stress. Ezpz
View on Reddit #73601286

roger_ramjett@reddit

26 years here. I retire next year. I may cancel internet at home so I never have to use a computer again.
View on Reddit #73668016

No_Call_9655@reddit

for all folks wanting to retire early, how would you pay medical insurance ?
View on Reddit #73603354

No_Investigator3369@reddit

start your own company. write off medical expenses and only buy emergency or catastrophic.
View on Reddit #73666177

sybrwookie@reddit

We'll see what the ACA plans look like at that point, I'll see what I end up wanting to do with my time and if that involves a different job that has insurance.
View on Reddit #73646898

stufforstuff@reddit

The good news, in this economy, there's only about 12 bazillion qualified candidates ready to take your position, and at a pay cut if required.
View on Reddit #73665165

trixalator@reddit

I love working with computers as opposed to people.. I got my first PC in the earliest 80's, yes, close to retirement. BOFH vintage! Toughen up..
View on Reddit #73664780

rufus_xavier_sr@reddit

2 quotes: 1. I'm tired boss 2. I'm getting too old for this shit! 30 years of this crap.
View on Reddit #73663839

TerrifiedRedneck@reddit

20 years. Sideways shifted into a team lead position to make sure my team are looked after and all have good, interesting work. Now I’m being ignored for work and training and all sorts. No respect from my team. No respect from seniors. No fun work because I’m always putting the team and the businesses we work for first. I handed my notice in last week and I’m so looking forward to seeing the new year in unemployed.
View on Reddit #73660936

Equal-Repair-8020@reddit

Its the people. If you work with shite people, IT can wear you out in a hurry.
View on Reddit #73660415

TomatilloBeautiful48@reddit

25 years for me. 58 years old. Retiring in 4 months. Just tired. Can't complain though, I have enjoyed the job for many of those years but so much has changed (public sector). Cuts coming, being dumbed down more and more, work being taken away. I will reinvent myself! I am lucky I won't have to work for money again.
View on Reddit #73659341

jdkc4d@reddit

If you dont want to do it, then do something else. No one said you had to pick one thing and stick with it forever.
View on Reddit #73658654

razorback6981@reddit

Join the club. Rolling over my 20th year. The burn out is real and my give a fuck is as low as it has ever been. But the money is decent and I am 100% full time remote.
View on Reddit #73658364

ebunky@reddit

Yup. I’ve been working in IT for 25 years. As a systems engineer and systems administrator. I was laid off in August. I’m trying to decide what to do with the rest of my life and I really get stressed out thinking of getting another position in IT. I am scared as hell to make a career change at age 57.
View on Reddit #73658304

Traditional-Heat-749@reddit

If I could get paid the same I’d love to quit and go be a detective or something interesting and that helps people.
View on Reddit #73654956

Custodian_Nelfe@reddit

I'm also sometimes considering completely leaving IT. My dreams ? Opening an irish pub, buy the bookshop of my town which is currently on sale, or be a carpenter. Then I remember I have a family to feed.
View on Reddit #73654843

Benevolent_Bacon22@reddit

Recently laid off from a small internal IT team. I've honestly been struggling to apply for IT jobs. Just seems the same shit at every company. I know it's not an IT specific thing but I worked at a huge enterprise, medium sized msp and small start up. All the same nonsense. But what else to do? I'm not sure at this point
View on Reddit #73654452

dbergman23@reddit

You're tired of the job, not the field. Take a look at the opportunities you have around you and see if you can side step. EVERYTIME i've complained to my wife about wanting to quit IT, i follow it up with a new job and suddenly excited of the possibilities.
View on Reddit #73653996

Mountain-One-811@reddit

tired of microsoft windows, and all the bullshit that goes with microsoft products
View on Reddit #73596346

sudonem@reddit

Gotta be honest - that’s a major part of why I refocused and specialized into the Linux side of the world. It’s difficult to get into a role that has zero exposure to windows, but I’m not dealing with M365/Entra at all and I never have to care about patch Tuesday or not. I cannot recommend it enough. Get comfy with bash, Python, Ansible and maybe a bit of golang and start pushing hard.
View on Reddit #73597913

NightOfTheLivingHam@reddit

Which is funny because everyone has told me there is no future in linux.. Which is funny because I cut my teeth on linux administration and learned windows server AFTER. Linux runs everything at this point, Microsoft has unofficially capitulated to this and shifted their focus away from the OS and toward the cloud and pushing everything into a wall garden like 365, where no one can hijack their position again. Office + windows + Windows server was their original walled garden, but the problem is, people were able to reverse engineer all of it and create windows compatible fileservers and even domain controllers. Even Exchange server. Where the only part that matters is EWS emulation. Now with 365 they can kill EWS and any clients that rely on it. Meanwhile Linux is eating away at the desktop share finally. Windows 11 at this point feels like microsoft giving up and training people to accept that their computers will soon just be thin clients to their cloud that monitors everything they do. Linux on the other hand has proven it can do almost everything windows can do and even what 365 can do. But being a Microsoft server admin was always a dead end path. If you were paying attention 23 years ago, you were aware that their long term goal was to ultimately control the user experience down to the file level. Once internet connections got fast enough, they aggressively moved everyone to the cloud.
View on Reddit #73599385

sprtpilot2@reddit

"Meanwhile Linux is eating away at the desktop share finally". LOl. It certainly is not.
View on Reddit #73639224

NightOfTheLivingHam@reddit

Up 22% this year. Not much but its finally happening after years of barely budging.
View on Reddit #73653972

neucjc@reddit

Mmmm… job demand though with Linux? Can’t imagine a heap of businesses are rushing for a Linux stack.
View on Reddit #73606411

sudonem@reddit

Counterpoint. The entire internet runs on Linux. Cloud operations? Micro services? DevOps? Linux all the way down. It’s true that it’s easier to find work as an M365/Entra admin - but the upward mobility / income ceiling is much lower.
View on Reddit #73607121

Imnotyoursupervisor@reddit

This. Kubernetes clusters.
View on Reddit #73618835

sudonem@reddit

Exactly. Of course it also means that finding a role as a “just a Linux sysadmin” is going to be pretty rare because the expectation is that you’ll be doing work more aligned with DevOps moving towards SRE / Platform engineering.
View on Reddit #73646848

Imnotyoursupervisor@reddit

I really no room to talk. I’m in SRE. Haven’t been on Reddit since Apollo died so I must have joined this sub a long time ago. But, looking at how things run at my company, we don’t even have sysadmins anymore. It’s pretty much rolled into SRE along with designing and deploying infrastructure and incident management, etc. We’re also a massive company so it might run different but it seems like that’s the future. We all need to know Windows and Linux administration.
View on Reddit #73649832

sudonem@reddit

RIP Apollo. *sigh* It’s much the same at my org - although I really do get to spend most of my time in Linux and only really have to fiddle with Windows to cover other engineers. We aren’t moving EVERYTHING to Kubernetes/microservices - but certainly as much as we can. There’s still plenty of Entra/M365 operations but I am fortunate in that it’s not my concern. I’m not an SRE necessarily but I feel fortunate in that most of my time is focused on Ansible/Python/Terraform/Kubernetes and very little time touching Windows systems. I’d be a happy camper if I could have a Linux OS on my workstation but it’s not a hill I am willing to die on and WSL gets me most of what I need.
View on Reddit #73650251

cvc75@reddit

That would be great, but what if I feel almost burnt out just trying to keep up with all the crap Microsoft keeps changing on us every day, and don't really have the spoons left over to learn more Linux? I guess there's very few places who'd hire someone with mostly MS knowledge just to train them in Linux administration.
View on Reddit #73600255

sudonem@reddit

Yeah. That’s going to be a heavy lift. When I made the decision it meant building a basic home lab and spent a few months grinding towards my RHCSA and RHCE - and admittedly I wasn’t starting from zero knowledge. Of course… I had the time because I was extremely unemployed. It was worth it in the end but definitely a commitment.
View on Reddit #73603484

davy_crockett_slayer@reddit

I’m in tech, and everything I do involves AWS/Azure, Linux containers, Kubernetes, CI/CD pipelines, and observability.
View on Reddit #73600963

fr33bird317@reddit

This. So very tired of Microsoft
View on Reddit #73597999

Lower-Forever7978@reddit

Puoi scaricare Windows X Lite che ha caricato sul sito la iso di Windows 11 26H1 veramente leggero!!!
View on Reddit #73597496

Doublestack00@reddit

Been in an all Google shop for years. While its better than MS, its still IT and still sucks.
View on Reddit #73597432

steamie_dan@reddit

Other operating systems exist
View on Reddit #73597345

Imprettystrong@reddit

It sucks doesn't it? I find my self doing anything I can to escape it. Writing, reading, exercising, climbing, working on projects around the house, anything that sitting in front of screens working on programming or updates or helping someone who can't help themselves. Ugh.
View on Reddit #73652883

arkiverge@reddit

I definitely think this is one of those “grass is greener” type situations. Almost all jobs, and/or their management, suck. It’s possible though the specific role and duties you’re fulfilling are taking their toll. Maybe you could find a different niche to focus on without fully transitioning careers (networking, cyber, etc). Good luck.
View on Reddit #73652872

Workadis@reddit

15 in networking; life's great
View on Reddit #73651117

RaysieRay@reddit

I got to 15 years before burning out and having a mental breakdown. Don't let yourself get to this point. I get to do what I love now in a completely different industry, but the damage left some scars I'm still trying to get over.
View on Reddit #73651084

BionicSecurityEngr@reddit

Been in the game 31 years. It’s all the same shit after 20 years. It’s just what you know and how you earn. Trust me if I could find a job that would pay half as much as I’m making right now and not involve technology… I’d hang up in a minute and move on. But if you’re able to still maintain your sense of passion, and your curiosity, still drives your Learning, the perhaps you’re just not working at the right place or the culture sucks and it’s not a good fit. I know right now is not a great time to be moving around, but keep your options. Open then always interview every year to make sure your skills are ready to go.
View on Reddit #73649785

brumsk33@reddit

I've been in for close to 20. Looking at early retirement. Already practicing my "Welcome to Costco, I love you" voice.
View on Reddit #73598440

Humble-Plankton2217@reddit

My dream job is Costco right now. IT since '99. I'm ready. Although, I have a friend that works at Costco and she says weekends are mandatory, which kind of blows. They try to spread it around but everyone works either a Saturday or a Sunday, every week.
View on Reddit #73647956

exposarts@reddit

at least costco got good benefits compared to most
View on Reddit #73617677

blk55@reddit

Almost 20 as well. Glad to have moved up to being paid for my brain, naps are great. I tolerated the grind in my 20s, burnt out in my 30s, enjoying life in my 40s. I have many other hobbies that keep me entertained. Walking the doggos, playing with my kid, working on the cars and motorcycle, started woodworking in the evening, etc. I go back to school once a year for something I'm interested in (sometimes IT, sometimes new hobby). Idle hands are the devil.
View on Reddit #73613384

Comfortable-Zone-218@reddit

Let's talk a little more about this. (Fwiw, I'm a 30+ years IT veteran as well and feel the same). The main question for me is "Do we all feel this burnt out for the same reason?" In my case, the 1st place winner are the big vendors approach to completely turning over the tech apple cart every few years. That means we have to keep learning and building all new enterprise IT systems, while still supporting all the old stuff that's been around for decades. 2nd place goes to upper management who never work on improving the processes and corporate maturity of our IT teams and processes. I feel like George Jetson on the dog-walking conveyor belt, where Astro jumps off but he gets thrashed repeatedly and perpetually. What about you?
View on Reddit #73647153

Indiesol@reddit

Man, you guys make me feel really lucky. 20+ years in (at MSPs no less), and I'm fine. Do you guys have a good work/life balance?
View on Reddit #73647068

agentfaux@reddit

Change company. It‘s always the company and the laziness to switch. Always.
View on Reddit #73646785

microbuildval@reddit

I feel you. Burnout is brutal in this field. One thing that helped me was being really intentional about taking breaks and setting hard boundaries (like no email after hours, actually using PTO). It doesn't fix everything, but it definitely helped me last longer without completely flaming out. 11 years is a long time to grind without that kind of reset.
View on Reddit #73646770

EscapeFacebook@reddit

I'll do IT forever as long as it keeps me from having to work with the general public. I've never been happier than getting away from customer facing work.
View on Reddit #73607190

LastTechStanding@reddit

IT is customer facing, just less general public I suppose
View on Reddit #73611421

sybrwookie@reddit

I pick up the phone for....maybe 10 people in my company? If anyone else calls, they get sent to VM and need to highly justify their reason for wanting to talk to me to get a call back (VERY rarely happens). When I used to be lower-tier, yea, being customer-facing, even in the company, was rough. I'm happy to be away from that.
View on Reddit #73646117

EscapeFacebook@reddit

You have to already work for my company to be talking to me, therefore we have the same HR department if you decide to curse me out. It's a difference you can feel.
View on Reddit #73614785

LastTechStanding@reddit

Huh, interesting
View on Reddit #73614969

Trump_sucks_d@reddit

Then quit
View on Reddit #73645792

asic5@reddit

Then find a new job and quit.
View on Reddit #73645555

TomNooksRepoMan@reddit

26 here. Job keeps piling on work, mostly on me. One of my other IT guys is genuinely stupid as fuck and makes nearly twice as much as me. No matter how much of his work I try to push off to him, it always finds its way back to me because everybody except my boss realizes he's dumb as shit. He also does shit that's wildly not cybersecure that will eventually get us all fired when we get pwned... Been looking for another workplace for awhile but am just not having any luck. Job market is quite cooked. Hate that I worked my ass of in school balancing a full course load and 45+ hours per week work to graduate into the worst tech job market since the 08 recession. I love technology, but I get more burnt out by the day, and given how little PTO we get in the states... seems the only way out is to burn myself out further getting more certs with time I don't have.
View on Reddit #73645326

AistoB@reddit

I had a redundancy on the cards and then it all fell through, I’m so disappointed
View on Reddit #73644645

Priests2112@reddit

IT sucks . You’re competing with automation and cheap labor in India and now AI. It’s been a decades long struggle to keep my chin above water and I don’t have a choice but to keep treading water or drown . Merry Christmas
View on Reddit #73644285

No-Error8675309@reddit

23-25 years in for me. Back in the day it was great, now it just sucks. Happy to say I have given my notice and I am already starting to recover from the constant stress… No more on call No more preventable emergencies
View on Reddit #73642566

Responsible_Oil_2369@reddit

Hey man, 18 years here. Please google the term burnout and pickup a self help book about it, if you feel like that’s hitting you maybe open a relationship with a therapist and talk about the anxiety you face every day. Saved my life, I was going to die at my desk saving everyone around me and not a single one of them would give me a hand while I was drowning daily, I’m sorry but you are the only one who saves yourself here.
View on Reddit #73640990

No-Error8675309@reddit

Best advice so far
View on Reddit #73642413

TheProle@reddit

I want to sell all my shit and move to the forest
View on Reddit #73641395

mini4x@reddit

About 35 in, hoping I can make it to retirement.
View on Reddit #73639940

pancakeman2018@reddit

Close to 15 years here. Nothing really gets better, but I think across all career paths, things have become incredibly more complex. The goal is to pump out as much product or money into the CEOs pocket, and this is at the expense of our sleep, energy, and cortisol levels. I almost hung it up after getting hit with ransomware and cleaning that mess up....company I was at just would *not* spend the money on security and tech infrastructure....definitely was the mid-life crisis of my career. But then I asked myself, what else would I do? Tried to pivot into CS, and found out after years of trying that the market does not want rural me working remotely as a programmer. I've also witnessed colleagues having fantastic WFH SWE jobs get canned because of budgetary concerns. tldr; IT is not an easy job by any stretch of the imagination. Someone once told me that they didn't know what I do, and thought I just punched keys on the computer and took some phone calls. I so badly want them to sit at my desk and do what we do and then say the same thing. I come home some nights after pulling 12s, eat, and crash. Then get woke up a few hours later to an emergency IT call. We are the computer emergency room.
View on Reddit #73639372

Intelligent-Magician@reddit

From my experience, it was never the job itself that made work enjoyable or miserable. It was always the company or bosses I worked for. Any job can fuck you up. My father was a craftsman, and he said the exact same thing on bad days because of bosses, coworkers, or shitty customers. The only difference is that I sit in an air-conditioned office, while he stood on construction sites, freezing in winter and working under much tougher physical conditions and get more money. Maybe IT simply isn’t for you, and that’s okay. Try something else. I did the same about 15 years ago. That experience made me realize that an office job actually suits me better. So I returned to IT. One company was great, until it wasn’t anymore. The next one was terrible. And the one after that gives me enough freedom and support to actually enjoy my work. Sometimes it’s not about changing your profession. It’s about finding the right environment.
View on Reddit #73620786

Metalfreak82@reddit

> From my experience, it was never the job itself that made work enjoyable or miserable. It was always the company or bosses I worked for. For me: no; nice work environment, great colleagues, great atmosphere but still: can't find the motivation to deal with the shit that big tech companies like Microsoft constantly throw at you.
View on Reddit #73639336

stromm@reddit

I’ve been tired of working in IT for thirty years.
View on Reddit #73638580

LeTrolleur@reddit

12 years here, nearly 13. Maybe you just need a change of scenery, the job can be really varied depending on the company you work for and their values/culture.
View on Reddit #73638176

MDParagon@reddit

Probably the work environment and not the field. I barely do work anymore and who doesn't want a passive income
View on Reddit #73637994

AuRon_The_Grey@reddit

I lost my job a few months ago and I really can't say I'm desperate to get back into tech again. Maybe there are places worth working but everything I've seen of the current direction of the industry feels me with disgust.
View on Reddit #73637692

Random3007@reddit

18 years as SysAdmin and still yet to feel the burn out. I've been changing domains every  5 or 6 years though: rotating between networking, endpoint management, Identity, Automations, etc. 
View on Reddit #73637423

NysexBG@reddit

I am new to IT. 2 years of apprenticeship. 3 years in to actuall work ( half as service desk and half as a SysAdmin and going ). Seeing people with 20+ years here talking about IT like they have been to war. Considering i have worked in Logistics and physically heavy job outside in winter. I have to say this is a win! It is not perfect but conditions are way better then my previous experience. I don't know if its because of some bad choices or the lack of it that people are that beat up from the job. I understand i am new to the job and i even do extra stuff at home to learn and play with tech, but guys... It is a job! See the positives. P.S : I work in Centra Europe so i do not know how it is in USA.
View on Reddit #73637318

Supersjors@reddit

Been doing it for 22 years, always liked the challenge. But I've always worked as a contractor, never stuck around in the same company long enough. I expect that I would get frustrated if I'd work at the same company all this time.
View on Reddit #73635839

SamuelVimesTrained@reddit

18 years. And corporate management is really trying their damnedest to suck out every drop of joy. It is that the people I work with / are my clients are awesome - but otherwise..
View on Reddit #73635278

sharpied79@reddit

Did nearly 25 years, 1997-2021. Got out, never looked back...
View on Reddit #73633567

s_schadenfreude@reddit

25 years in. I'm tired boss...
View on Reddit #73633223

Tricuna@reddit

6 years in and it this point I'd rather be working a job where I don't have to think and and turn off at 5 o'clock but I've got bills to pay.....
View on Reddit #73633083

olinwalnut@reddit

Yeah I mean, I don’t know if you’ll get an uplifting ra ra go IT speech from any of us. I’ve been working in the field since literally the week after I graduated high school and that was in 2004. I look at it as…I don’t know if it would do anything differently in terms of “career” (which I hate that word - it’s a business transaction of being paid money for my skills) because not to toot my own horn but I’m great at what I do, but I don’t really enjoy it anymore. I enjoy the paycheck every two weeks but in terms of waking up every day to sign in to support morons and deal with the horrible modern UIs and terrible companies and no support from management and all of those things, nah I don’t have fun with that. But I am with a great company that for the most part has an incredible work life balance so my plan is to hopefully ride this place out to retirement. I don’t care about advancement or more responsibility. I don’t think on my deathbed I’m going to be like, “Man I’m glad I got that lead title back in 2025 and then lost my personal time where I went for long walks with my wife and dog.” Anyway sorry we’re all old and broken and miserable but at least we’re all old and broken and miserable together.
View on Reddit #73630712

BudahBlah@reddit

23 years. trying to move into something else, something more basic.
View on Reddit #73629614

Fladnarus@reddit

Almost 28 years here, i'm a little burned, but i keep enjoying my work.
View on Reddit #73629602

Honky_Town@reddit

Lemme guess, smart people pretending everything is nice while shutting out reality?
View on Reddit #73629431

ipreferanothername@reddit

the best thing i found for me was to check out mentally - i had to find away to stop caring so much. its just a job. i build a process, someone ruins it, i just go meh and circle back eventually. im in a project waiting on x or y person all the time, my manager wants to know why im behind, and i just say jimmy on security will not respond to me, cant get my work done, kthxbye and let the manager deal with it. I have worked myself into a niche role on my team by doing a lot of automation in powershell and some reporting. my managers are pretty chill, i can take pto any time and go to any appointments/errands i need to whenever i want. all i have to do is manage my \[usually\] light load of time sensitive work. a few guys on my team are technically solid and we keep up as friends and as coworkers - and i work from home. but most of my team and department are lazy button clickers at best, and luddites at worst, and that holds back my opportunity to learn and implement things. I cant exactly be the only windows admin on the team interested in ansible, terraform, and other modern tooling - im not going to be the only person supporting a technology around here, thats a trap. the department i work in is a disaster - we have constant self inflicted headaches and outages from our infra people, standards and processes are just theory, and the pace of improvement is glacial. its a real ballache to constantly find out that a process you built is getting screwed over because your own coworker ignored emails and documentation, or because your net/sec group just likes to make random changes without communication. we have just enough activity in CAB that all the activity that happens without a change ticket anywhere never stops, no matter how many things break. i would like to do something else, maybe even just be a sales engineer or consultant or something but....my wife is disabled and i am her caregiver, so i gave up on really pushing my career into other paths since the job i have is pretty cozy.
View on Reddit #73629276

Warm-Reporter8965@reddit

I'm in the same boat. I have an interview with HR later today to become their new recruiter and it's paying me $20k more and giving me an option of either a hybrid schedule or fully remote. I'm only 32, I can't stay in a career forever, I feel like you have to at some point you have to explore more opportunities and find your purpose.
View on Reddit #73628872

Jolly-Ad-8088@reddit

Make a plan. What do you like doing? What would make you happy? Write it out as a goal to aim for, but don’t be afraid to change it as you deepen your thinking.
View on Reddit #73627986

Obvious-Water569@reddit

Oh mate... I feel you. I've been in this line of work for a little over 20 years and, if anything, that feeling gets worse. The problem is, I've reached a point where there's almost no way of me making even close to the amount of money I earn now. My dream would be to open a hole in the wall breakfast spot, but I simply couldn't justify working 100 hours a week for less than minimum wage, no matter how much I enjoy the work.
View on Reddit #73626977

Chris_Stealth@reddit

Yeah this is me. But I found a way out. I leave my IT career in January to pursue Marketing using the skills I've picked up as hobbies over the last 10 years. If you have the will, there is a way.
View on Reddit #73626976

Alaknar@reddit

Just shy of 20 years in IT here. Fucking love it. Can't imagine doing anything else. Every problem is like a puzzle I need to figure out. Sure, sometimes the users are annoying, but if you get support from your manager, it's not really a big deal.
View on Reddit #73621116

Redhawks83@reddit

Just over 30 years. I've been lucky. I've had very few moments where I have felt unappreciated. The last 25 years -- and this may be key -- I've worked on an engineer-heavy environment. They seem to understand that when unexpected things happen it may not be my fault.
View on Reddit #73626964

Ordinary-Freedom-611@reddit

I'm just wanting to go in, lol, tired of cleaning up poop.
View on Reddit #73626100

MajStealth@reddit

we def. need something on the side that is easy but also rewarding, like growing some plants/others might call them weeds(not the stuff to smoke, unless thats what you want). just a simple and steady thing that is somewhat rewarding, because i def. know we will not get that from our bosses or coworkers.
View on Reddit #73625879

UffTaTa123@reddit

Yeah, try something different. I#m in that since 30years and i got enough as well.
View on Reddit #73624719

Opposite_Ad9233@reddit

Take a big leave but don't quit. Try other jobs and you may come back to IT. Other jobs and pay are way tough.
View on Reddit #73624536

StiffAssedBrit@reddit

Over 30 years and now I just wake up every morning wondering what I did, in a past life, to end up in IT as punishment. It is, honestly, the most thankless occupation going. If you perform a project well, and everything goes smoothly, no one even notices that you've done it, while a single mistake will have everyone on your back, and screaming at you! I'm done, but I only have a few years before I retire and then I'm going to ensure that nothing, in my house or car, requires an Internet connection. Especially me!
View on Reddit #73621400

Icy-Willingness-590@reddit

Been saying for years that IT is a thankless task 🫤
View on Reddit #73623794

Bitter_Mulberry3936@reddit

Same, over 30 years. Everyday is a thankless struggle. I have daily stand ups where I have to pretend to “excited” by what’s happening when it’s dross and drudgery
View on Reddit #73622128

StiffAssedBrit@reddit

I know what you mean. I'm just done with the constant new buzz words for, essentially, the same things! Endless 'technical' articles full of acronyms that the writer has made up on the spot, and the constantly increasing demands to do more with less and less. I get to the end of every year wondering how the hell I haven't rage quit yet!
View on Reddit #73622980

Familiar-Coconut90@reddit

A bunch of whining winners, it's better to think about how much worse your life could be. Be grateful and praise the lord.
View on Reddit #73623330

FarToe1@reddit

Depression is a bitch. Talk to your doctor, they can help. (BTDT and been medicated for work related stress - which wasn't IT at the time and anti depression medication really helped get some perspective.)
View on Reddit #73623128

goobervision@reddit

30 years and ended up working for an Indian GSI for the lowest lows in my professional career. Hated IT and wanted to get out. Today after a short gap, back in a young local tech delivery focused role and loving it. Back up to 2am doing IT stuff. Home network rebuilt, server at home back alive, coding to all hours. Is it the work or the environment?
View on Reddit #73622597

matt95110@reddit

I think about leaving IT every year but the only thing keeping me coming back is the money.
View on Reddit #73599637

ElectricOne55@reddit

I thought of switching to Accounting or becoming an electrician, but then I'd have to go back to school and start over again.
View on Reddit #73614312

No_Abbreviations3231@reddit

Theres lots of electricians that dont have a degree. Same with plumbers.
View on Reddit #73621217

gruftwerk@reddit

I think about leaving all the time myself. Nearly 10years in and it's draining. Vacations are a temporary relief. At least I get to work from home most of my days and my manager is chill. I'd rather be making coffee somewhere.
View on Reddit #73599989

No_Abbreviations3231@reddit

I live One of the opossite scenarios of you,but I also lived the exact same scenario u dream of,serving coffes to clients. And I dream of a remote IT job. The grass is always green on the others side indeed.
View on Reddit #73621138

thatirishguyyyyy@reddit

20 years, work for myself.  Clients are cheap and everyone is broke all the time till something breaks.  Now I have every Tom, Dick, and Harry trying to compete with my business because times are tough. I'm actually making more money onsote because I'm going behind a lot of people who have no fucking idea what they're doing.  It sucks working in IT, but it's a slightly better if you work for yourself.
View on Reddit #73620046

JustFrogot@reddit

Is there simmering you'd rather be doing and does it financially make sense, If so then gobfor it, if not, welcome to the grind
View on Reddit #73619320

_RouteThe_Switch@reddit

This thread is sad for me at 25+ years.. maybe it's good to not be alone in how we feel but to know I have 10 years to retire... It isn't exciting...
View on Reddit #73619146

plbrdmn@reddit

28 years in. Im some way from retirement. I don’t mind when I learn something new but every day is a chore. I get a few years into a new role, get bored and look for something else. Im thinking of retraining to be a mental health counsellor to be honest. Could take 3-5 years but that take me up to 55ish.
View on Reddit #73618779

dont_remember_eatin@reddit

Me too, but it's the only thing I know how to do for good money. So... Heigh Ho!
View on Reddit #73618702

I_am_not_doing_this@reddit

it wont get better but it IS better than some of other jobs rn
View on Reddit #73618301

rollingstone1@reddit

tech is dog shit now. Has been rubbish for at least 10 years now. Expectations, learning, salaries etc all out of whack. Its just not worth it.
View on Reddit #73600673

exposarts@reddit

what field do you recomend then? People keep telling me to get into nursing or hvac but I imagine the grass isnt greener in those fields too.
View on Reddit #73617647

eclipse75@reddit

depends on where you work. some places make me hate tech and some reinvigorate me.
View on Reddit #73609160

JDogg1329@reddit

Do something you love and you'll grow to hate every second of it
View on Reddit #73617620

ylluminate@reddit

Always love the "we don't have a budget for IT, but we are making a couple hundred million, but yeah, no, bootstrap it."
View on Reddit #73617404

MechanicFun777@reddit

I am not an oldie like other people in the comments, but my 17 years of experience in IT and over life, have taught me that every other business/industry is the same: employers want a lot from employees for less pay, employees want more pay for less work or difficulty, customers want better prices and more quality, etc. The push/pull dance is the same in every corner of the economy.
View on Reddit #73617123

UsedTableSalt@reddit

Never realized there are people are miserable in IT. I mean I would do my job for free if it’s possible. But I need to eat and pay is good so I’m not complaining.
View on Reddit #73616852

Drakoolya@reddit

I don't think I can do anything else to be honest. Well I could if it paid as well and offered the same job stability.
View on Reddit #73615699

Livid-Champion8783@reddit

Working in it for 34 years. How much tired I would be. Can you imagine I am still working?
View on Reddit #73615575

badaccount99@reddit

Then don't work in IT... ;) Seriously though, companies vary wildly. A single IT guy at a small company super super SUPER sucks. I did that and won't anymore unless I'm paid like $500k/year or more. Having done that I now lead a team, and try as hard as I can to make them take vacation, to trade off on-call, etc. But you IT guys who didn't do the worst of it are super hard to treat nice - you all just want to be punished it seems. I've got Christmas week off after asking them over and over to trade on-call. Not going to get them raises. But I go out of my way to be the opposite of the guy I used to work for who was the "butts in seats" manager. Half of my people are over 500 miles away now, so that's a bit difficult to enforce anyway. But don't give up. IT is great. People quit bosses, not jobs.
View on Reddit #73615572

lunchbox651@reddit

13 years, it helps not sitting in the same role all the time. I love what I do now but support was starting to kill me before this. I've been L1 support > L2 support > L3 support > NOC > sysadmin New company: L1 support > L2 support > L3 support > Technical SME (partner education) Keeping my roles from going stale is paramount in my opinion
View on Reddit #73614389

Wickedtek@reddit

I agree...for the last 12 years I have been an IT Manager which has a variety of duties, for the 14 years before that I had my own IT tech company in So Cal, do I did it all. In college I focused on coding, but I ended up more of a hardware/networking guy. I cannot imagine going to a job I hate.
View on Reddit #73615569

el_seano@reddit

Same boat, hello. I'm attempting to deal with this/my midlife crisis by going to grad school to pivot back into work I think has a more meaningful impact. I might be making a huge mistake, who knows. But I feel compelled to do something, anything to deal with the level of disillusionment I feel about everything.
View on Reddit #73614832

Wickedtek@reddit

What a bunches of bitches....I have been in IT for over 30 years....I love what I do.....currently I work at a ski resort in NM. I work for a great company....the worst part of my job is I am forced to go snowboarding while on the clock!! :) Don't get me wrong...I have had crappy jobs...the last place I worked the owner was a tool....SO I LEFT!! You make your own destiny....you r victims by choice! My "lawn mowing" moments r when I run cable!! "You never have to work a day in your life if you love what you do!"
View on Reddit #73614814

Va1crist@reddit

Yup I’ve been done for awhile but I don’t know what to do instead
View on Reddit #73614690

thaneliness@reddit

The only thing keeping me is in IT is the paycheck 🤣
View on Reddit #73608387

ElectricOne55@reddit

I thought of switching to Accounting or becoming an electrician, but then I'd have to go back to school and start over again.
View on Reddit #73614324

HooveHearted1962@reddit

27 Years. Burned out a few times. Tired of putting Humpty together again. 22 months to go.
View on Reddit #73614319

nccon1@reddit

28 years here. I echo the sentiment. It doesn’t get better.
View on Reddit #73614208

OmoSec@reddit

Dude, I’ve been trying to get IN for 3 years. If you’re in, DO NOT QUIT YOUR JOB. This market is an absolute nightmare. There are no good prospects out there right now unless you have an influential personal network to lean on. Be grateful for what you have, there are thousands of us out here wishing to be where you are. Job security is the hottest commodity going in this country right now.
View on Reddit #73614133

TYO_HXC@reddit

...go do something else instead, then?
View on Reddit #73614039

Jaxberry@reddit

I've been having break downs since lay off in feb, managed to find something and this year marks 11 years outside of college in IT and honestly I feel the same. I'm young ish enough to maybe pivot to electrical or maybe some other trade maybe but just not sure where would truly pivot.
View on Reddit #73614017

Specken_zee_Doitch@reddit

18 years in I started building a motorcycle in my garage. When I finished it I looked at it for a few months, quit my job and started riding around the world. I’ll be in country 27 next month.
View on Reddit #73613972

darkaznf0b@reddit

use pto every year and get out. dont burn over a desk
View on Reddit #73613911

Lemonwater925@reddit

39 years. 3 months until my final restart!
View on Reddit #73613823

Longjumping-Cry269@reddit

40 years in the business 3 to go I’m done I’m tired challenging good pay 💰 but it’s time.
View on Reddit #73613796

Adept-Pomegranate-46@reddit

I'd be raisin' my lonely dental floss.
View on Reddit #73613205

SixDerv1sh@reddit

Just retired after 34-odd years in IT, as a second career. My last job clocked in at just over 18 years, where my burnout became acute. One last complex, involved project and I cashed out. Not looking back.
View on Reddit #73613169

YeastyPants@reddit

I feel ya! I made it 20 years before I finally retired. It was great while it lasted, but the 70-hour weeks were absolutely killing me. I truly don't miss getting up at 4:30 AM in order to be on global conference calls. Thanks Bill Gates! You made me a great living supporting your products.
View on Reddit #73612769

s3xynanigoat@reddit

11 years? What is this, a number for ants??
View on Reddit #73607136

Mr_Dobalina71@reddit

Ants that can’t read good.
View on Reddit #73612297

PowerSlave666_@reddit

27 years for me. Feel more cooked with each passing year. My last 2 managers have suffocated me to the point I have lost passion for the field. It just feels like a paycheck for the last 5 years now. My career never fruited for me the way I dreamed, probably because of the people who have I have crossed paths with me, always willing to walk over you and advance their careers with my work results, if that makes sense. Pretty much buttered the bread for alot of people and got left behind in return. Not sure I want to continue this cycle.
View on Reddit #73612290

clkw@reddit

22 years in IT and correlated areas and started to questioning my profession on my third job.. it’s a roller coaster for me, sometimes gets better a little and sometimes gets worst..
View on Reddit #73612129

NorthernVenomFang@reddit

21 years in. Burnt out probably a couple times. The tech isn't the problem; that can just be frustrating and time consuming. It's the people that we end up dealing with; the ones where they will die before "thank you" when you fix there issue, the soul sucking meetings where nothing gets done/moves forward, the constant moving goal post that IT security had turned into. I've got 16-20 years left. High enough up in our Org that I determine what I do day to day, with my managers blessing. So I am in a decent spot finally, but it took years, got a job at a school district 10 years ago and just kept moving up.
View on Reddit #73612090

ThreadParticipant@reddit

I’m 30ys in the industry next year and, looking back, I’ve changed roles roughly every three years. For me, that’s helped keep things interesting and has probably contributed to career progression, even if it came with more stress than was strictly necessary at times. I’m coming up on three years with my current employer now, and honestly I’m not in a rush to move. The local job market isn’t great, and jumping ship just for the sake of it doesn’t feel sensible. If anything, my takeaway would be to look around within the broader IT space and see if there are adjacent roles or specialisations that might spark your interest, rather than feeling pressured to bail out of IT totally.
View on Reddit #73611965

gratefuldad619@reddit

25yrs in and 15 to go. I'm too old and tired to change. My dream job would be a camp host. I'd just cruise around the US in my RV.
View on Reddit #73600089

boli99@reddit

> My dream job would be a camp host. Richard Simmons or Graham Norton?
View on Reddit #73611863

flexcabana21@reddit

All depends on what work you’re doing and who you are doing for it as well. But you need to progress or branch out. In saying that it’s not as easy as that once was. Also depends on your location.
View on Reddit #73611648

LastTechStanding@reddit

That feeling comes and goes… I’ve been in it for just over 21 years. I got tired of life in general honestly. Every day just bleeds into the next.
View on Reddit #73611368

JPNer@reddit

So do I
View on Reddit #73611331

No-Blueberry-1823@reddit

I just get used to it. I'm approaching 30 years. If I'm lucky I'll hit another 20 or 25 before I die haha
View on Reddit #73609900

xueimelb@reddit

> 11 years  Sweet summer child 
View on Reddit #73609827

iccccceman@reddit

Welcome to having a job. You got like 20 more years.
View on Reddit #73609492

fadingroads@reddit

I've worked in service jobs, freelance jobs, construction jobs and even kitchens. Even the worst IT job is easier/less stressful than everything I just mentioned, and I used to work rotating on-call shifts. There are good IT jobs and there are bad IT jobs. Even the most fulfilling career can be ruined by the wrong environment.
View on Reddit #73609185

InterestingMedium500@reddit

More than 20 years here, it's not something I love doing, but I believe I'm good at it, because I'm recognized and earn well.
View on Reddit #73608370

rdldr1@reddit

Request a sabbatical. During that time find an IT job at another company.
View on Reddit #73608146

Delta31_Heavy@reddit

30 years here. Going to retire in 8 years. This feeling happens and for me the antidote was change. Change something in your career. Learn a new system or ask to move to a different team…
View on Reddit #73608093

DULUXR1R2L1L2@reddit

I don't really like IT as much as I used to. I try to do at least a little bit of work I find interesting, otherwise I'll go crazy. I left IT like 4 years ago to drive trucks. Turns out that sucks way more than IT does. Doesn't mean I don't think about it all the time though. But it helped give me perspective. I started my current gig a year ago and it's meh. I try to stay positive because the people are mostly cool, and the company is actually decent (which I've never really felt before), but leadership is dumb, and incompetent colleagues mean more work for me. Overall it's ok though. I just try to remind myself that work is just work and it's there to fund fun stuff outside of work. Even if you can only do that stuff 2/7 days a week. It might seem impossible right now, but try looking for a new gig. Learning some new stuff might revive whatever passion brought you into IT in the first place. Or try learning something new, like automation. Reach out to people in your network and see if they're hiring, or have a connection.
View on Reddit #73607825

nvmuskie@reddit

Approaching 30. Doesn’t improve with age.
View on Reddit #73607253

ThisIsMyalt2012@reddit

Have not read all the comments, but I don’t feel so alone. Been doing IT for close to 27 years and still have 15-20 left…if I make it. Burned out, everything changes so fast now (even more than it did in the late 90s early 2000s), things don’t work like it’s supposed to, security wants you to update all the things but don’t have to deal with office update that broke someone’s macro, users clicking links they shouldn’t. The list goes on. But like a lot of folks, I wouldn’t be able to find a job that pays what I’m getting now plus I’m getting older.
View on Reddit #73607146

chiapeterson@reddit

Started in IT in 1979. Still love it!
View on Reddit #73606981

Terriblyboard@reddit

burnout is real.
View on Reddit #73606655

chas31av@reddit

30 years in IT as well. Just got a Security Clearance (TS/SCI) a few years back and things are interesting once again (DoW). Retail IT was getting to be a grind.
View on Reddit #73606399

TheCodesterr@reddit

Try doing help desk for 8+ years and trying to make a move out for a long time
View on Reddit #73605542

craigyceee@reddit

We're all tired of working nomatter what industry it's in. Just be glad you're not a roofer in Britain.
View on Reddit #73604939

ChampionshipComplex@reddit

Must be where you work - Ive been in IT 40 years and every time I think its getting boring, something interesting kicks in. The GUIs, virtualisation, remote working, the web, automation, AI, citizen programming, cloud - never stays still. Maybe you just have to love it for its own sake - I spend 40 hours a week working in IT, and then go straight on the computer for fun. If I wasnt getting paid, I quite honestly would still want to be doing it for fun. The only time it gets boring is when you get promoted into too much of a management role, where you dont get to spend any time doing technical stuff. Then you're not really in IT - you're a manager. If you're in that position, better to move into a technical management role, owning some technology rather than a people manager.
View on Reddit #73599683

battmain@reddit

Agree completely. Tried the management thing and simply could not deal with the BS politics. I started IT in 1987 and still at it. I have my heathkit luggable in the closet and it worked when I last tried it. Who's old enough to remember the orange screens competing with the green screens? Now I will admit the last job did cause some burnout where I wanted nothing to do with computers and technology when I got home. The home labs kinda' fell by the wayside, but with a new place, reduced blood pressure, more satisfying projects, actually starting to fix/replace those forgotten items.
View on Reddit #73604173

pobruno@reddit

I've been here for 11 years and now that I've finally managed to get started and have financial stability, I'm the pipeline engineer on the DevOps team. However, it has always come at the expense of my social life. I even ended a marriage because I've made my work my life, working from home, always inventing something, creating more VLANs for my house that I'll never actually use, developing a tool. I'm starting to feel it.
View on Reddit #73603767

Competitive-Group-80@reddit

I have been doing it for 2.5 years and I feel like jumping off a bridge in the way to work every day. What a shot existence. Only saving grace is my age and the fact I can and should go back to school.
View on Reddit #73603719

Miwwies@reddit

Been doing this for 17 years. Some days are good, some days are bad. The job itself isn't the most satisfying out there but it pays well and has a lot of perks (remote work). Considering I just have a college degree and some certs, I'm doing pretty good! What I think makes it better is the team you work with. At the end of the day, my coworkers are like-minded and I get along very well with some of them. We even play video games together in the evening. My boss will join from time to time. The job may be shit but if the team holding everything together is good, it's much better.
View on Reddit #73603664

iwaseatenbyagrue@reddit

I have to ask, why? I think IT is great.
View on Reddit #73596524

chillzatl@reddit

Seriously, been doing this for 30+ years and I love it as much now as I did when I started.
View on Reddit #73597420

battmain@reddit

Geez, some young people in this thread! 39 years in a few months and I think I might start collecting early retirement in a few years since none of us know how long we will live. We're fast tracking some application testing to go into production Jan 1st. I have quite a few other projects on my to do list. The place does make a difference. It's empowering as heck to be _able_ to get things done instead of having to wait days/months for another team. I feel like I have accomplished so much this last quarter compared to years at the old place where I just ran into road block after road block. Granted, the old place had certifications that created those road blocks and we will get there eventually but hopefully by then I will be retired by choice.
View on Reddit #73603560

munche@reddit

My workplace is absolutely awful but the computery part of it is the least awful bit. It's all the other stuff that's miserable.
View on Reddit #73598563

VeryRareHuman@reddit

You are not tired of IT. You are tired of the company you work at.
View on Reddit #73603494

Practical-Alarm1763@reddit

For everyone suggesting Goat Farming, as a former Goat Farmer, it's a very difficult profession and way of life. I'm offended that those in IT believe Goat Farming is an easy or simple trade. I assure you goat farming is extremely complex, ruthless, and demanding work. I left Goat Farming decades ago because it was low paying and more importantly, over saturated. Becoming a modern goat farmer is like winning the lottery now. Goat Farming is even more over saturated than IT in this day and age in 2025. Everyone wants to be a Goat Farmer nowadays. Glad I made the jump decades ago, all my Goat Farming buddies have all been laid off the last 3 years and are having trouble finding work.
View on Reddit #73601756

nut-sack@reddit

I think its more of a metaphor. When you step in pig shit, the problem in front of you is... You stepped in pig shit. With tech these days, thats just never the case. Its always some long convoluted trail of bullshit that leads to something you wouldnt expect like DNS being the culprit. So I dont think they mean easy, as in "easy", but easy as in "it is what it appears to be."
View on Reddit #73603304

save_me_jeebus@reddit

You would be surprised what kind of opportunities there are in fields where tech is lacking. I moved into horticulture, and have made incredible strides for the business and getting them caught up technologically in today's day and age.
View on Reddit #73603032

MainTechnician6@reddit

30 years this one. It's a friggin rate race. And we are training our replacement machines.
View on Reddit #73602837

540991@reddit

16 years here, it doesn't get better, and every year the job itself seems a little worse
View on Reddit #73602792

AudienceSolid6582@reddit

I’m not sure where your faith is right now. But I want you to know that god has you right where he needs you. His path and plan is so perfect, I hope you can find piece in that. I’m praying for you
View on Reddit #73602437

BBO1007@reddit

We’re all tired boss. All of us.
View on Reddit #73602132

VNDMG@reddit

Can you get into something specialized and maybe switch to another company? I didn’t truly love IT until I picked a specialization and started leading projects.
View on Reddit #73601739

sasiki_@reddit

41 years old and 24 years in as a career. I have been with my current employer almost 20 years and am still loving it. We’ve changed so much over that course of time it’s like I’ve had 5 different jobs with the same coworkers each time.
View on Reddit #73601018

whiskeyjak1985@reddit

Same.
View on Reddit #73600750

Zromaus@reddit

I'm joining the National Guard to go do Infantry shit for a few years to help curb this feeling, come join me lol
View on Reddit #73596429

osh-rang5D@reddit

Lol how old are you
View on Reddit #73597048

Zromaus@reddit

29 :D
View on Reddit #73597243

osh-rang5D@reddit

Me2. You going full time or how does it work with job placement
View on Reddit #73597762

Zromaus@reddit

Nooo Guard is weekend only unless you go AGR which doesn’t happen right away, and not in my plans. I’d have to step away from work for about 6 months for training, and then it’s just a weekend (plus a day or two sometimes) a month, and two to three weeks in the summer. Then the potential one deployment at most unless you volunteer for more. I’m in a small shop gig so I’d likely lose this one in the process even with the protections in place, it would hurt em too much. Ideally I’ll be in a corporate gig that’s veteran friendly coming back from basic.
View on Reddit #73599857

chwang1989@reddit

It can always be worse like not having a job lol
View on Reddit #73598723

Ch4rl13_P3pp3r@reddit

Been in it since 1989 and love working in IT. There have been times that I’ve hated it, but in all cases it has always been toxic management and toxic customers. I’ve always enjoyed the work itself.
View on Reddit #73598485

67camaro_guy@reddit

im just tired of working with idiots, all the training doesnt help. lazy ass attitudes and entitied bs...im glad i dumped money into foriegn investments long ago so eventually i can get the fuck outta here before 55...tech has been in my dna since television started broadcasting, even in my moms womb i wanted to write code and build machines....but not dealing with the bragging ( foreign workers) about 5 years of F' up people's shit that counts as experience...our industry is polluted to the point senior seasoned pros fix there crap..when we exit, hells going to take 5 gear....lol...if your rwading this and suck at IT....do us a favour and move on..canada is terrible right now....
View on Reddit #73598330

ultimatebob@reddit

25 years for me. I'd like to say that it gets better, but... nah. I'm not going to BS you. If you weren't in IT, what was your Plan B? I never really had one, which might explain why I'm still doing it.
View on Reddit #73598156

drkstar1982@reddit

I've been working in IT for almost 18 years, and im right there too. If I could work as a forest ranger for the same I make now, I would walk away from IT. I'm super ready for the promotion to farmer!
View on Reddit #73598140

whatdoido8383@reddit

20 year in. I reached that point after \~15 years in as a Sysadmin. I retrained in a different area of IT and have been doing that for \~5 years. I'd do something else but not much else provides the flexibility of IT and the $$.
View on Reddit #73598101

dagamore12@reddit

Have you thought about raising goats?
View on Reddit #73598013

chillzatl@reddit

Then go do something else... Were you looking for advice or just curious to see how many other people roped themselves into a career they had no passion for?
View on Reddit #73597789

Lakatos_00@reddit

Give up then. It's not going to get better.
View on Reddit #73597731

gaybatman75-6@reddit

Same, the second we can get my wife a new job with a fat pay raise I'm dipping out of IT for some menial office job.
View on Reddit #73597696

p3t3or@reddit

What industry are you supporting and what other industries have you experience with?
View on Reddit #73597677

RestartRebootRetire@reddit

27 years here. Wish I could make the same cleaning carpets or working at Costco. I just turned 55 and realized I cannot do this until I am 65 or 67, especially with the global encrapification tainting everything I work on. I am literally considering moving to somewhere cheap and living on the cheap with regular jobs, then retiring at 62 with only partial social security. First I am going to try to get more time off during slow seasons with my company as a compromise.
View on Reddit #73596936

Coldsmoke888@reddit

Is it the job or your company/manager? I’ve done a lot of different fields in my life and usually my feelings of discontent had nothing to with the actual work.
View on Reddit #73596615

HavenHexed@reddit

I feel this on a deep level. I moved into a management role this year and it has been miserable. Can't leave though because I'm trapped financially.
View on Reddit #73596271

jonbonesjonesjohnson@reddit

I'd love to be able to work at anything else and actually have energy and willpower for my PC hobbies. Working with PCs all day drain me out.
View on Reddit #73596114