Big tech Software Dev. ~6 years ago I had housing problems and assumed I’d live in poverty for the rest of my life.

Tech is nice. It’s stressful work though, and harder still to convince myself I’m burning out when I used to have it so much worse. It’s not not my job’s fault (I mean everyone is doing layoffs lately…), but I also have a lot of anxiety around financial stability.

This is literally a dream job for me. I mean I used to daydream about working here, and it’s genuinely worth that praise (at least with respect to my old jobs, though recent economics have dampened the hype.)

But despite my boss’s assurance to the contrary, it seems like my default assumption is that I’m a week away from getting fired at all times. The layoffs honestly helped that some, since (without getting into details I might get in trouble for) it wasnt really about individual performance. I’d be angrier about it happening, sure, but the fact that it’s so out of my control means worrying doesn’t help.

That, and the fact that I just hit a year of tenure here. I have a resume of industry experience, and that helps. And I’m not going to say that I’m infinitely hireable. But I know I’m good at my job, and having a year of this place on my resume is enough that I know I’ll always have work.

This didn’t answer the question as well as I could have, but whatever. There you go.

Happy to answer questions about tech and industry work as best I can though.

Edit: Actually I’m annoyed that I never really answered the post.

• What’s your work like? Lot of brain power and problem solving. It’s weird to see how much it affects me at the end of the day vs the more physically demanding work I’ve done. There’s a difference between coming home tired but mentally buzzing, and the sort of whole-body exhaustion I get from thinking all day.

There’s lot of coding. Yes, lots of meetings. That’s honestly more tolerable than the documentation I keep writing, and promising to write for some reason.

• What do you do? Back end software dev.

• Do you enjoy it? So much. I know I just went on this whole diatribe, but I really do love using my brain. They aren’t world saving issues, but it’s like a million little logic puzzles I’m getting paid to solve.

• Is there something you wish you could be doing professionally instead? OS or compilers. More interesting problems. I’m thinking I’ll try to change my team once I’m comfortable with the way I’d be leaving things here.

• What are some past workplace experiences you’d like to share? My boss is great. I keep getting great bosses. The thing about any place that has a good or bad reputation, it’s going to depend on the team. There will be shitty bosses here. Same withal any workplace I think. Someone here hates their job because the boss makes it suck. Mine doesn’t, and usually dont. I’m lucky in that, Ive seen friends who have shitty bosses when I’m doing great, and it sucks.

my point there is, don’t assume your work will be great because your company is.