Rant: IT career boredom

Warning: Rant ahead.

I've been in this industry for a decade now, and this whole IT career thing is boring me to death sometimes. I'm doing well money-wise, and I whenever I target a certain position in a certain company/industry, I end up getting there. Still I can't help but feel bored to tears sometimes.

I do maintain a very active life-style outside IT with many hobbies. I don't like to sound like an ungrateful person.

Does anyone feel this way?

Any tips/suggestions?

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Comments

Deathmage

UnixGuy wrote: »

oh yes that's nearby

Never know, I could work with you indirectly then.

LinuxNerd

Spend the next 5-10 years buying Condos. Manage money well try to get at least 5, rent them all out and you'll be bringing in $65k a year minimum (assuming $120k for each condo and renting at around $1200). Florida has lots of condos in that range.

Then just retire or do IT for fun.

Gotta have an exit plan. Just make sure to consult with a good real estate attorney and put all the properties in a Trust so you will never be sued so you can enjoy your income worry free.

chrisone

Look into doing some type of franchise thats non IT related. Owning your own business is the final frontier lol

JoJoCal19

LinuxNerd wrote: »

Spend the next 5-10 years buying Condos. Manage money well try to get at least 5, rent them all out and you'll be bringing in $65k a year minimum (assuming $120k for each condo and renting at around $1200). Florida has lots of condos in that range.

Then just retire or do IT for fun.

Gotta have an exit plan. Just make sure to consult with a good real estate attorney and put all the properties in a Trust so you will never be sued so you can enjoy your income worry free.

I prefer SFRs. But yes, that is my plan and really the reason I do what I do in IT, to finance my ultimate goals. I agree that everyone should have an exit plan, and not just an exit plan, but multiple streams of income.

ccnpninja

one trick that worked for me: go out in the streets and watch for beggers, homeless people,.. Imagine yourself in their feet. Imagine you only have what they have. Really. Imagine it.
Now, look at your current situation and what you have. Look at the amount of opportunities you have, compared to a homeless guy. The comparison is absurd, but it still is doable. You'll probably feel better

EngRob

I went through exactly the same thing about 4 years ago. I had been in IT for over 12 years and although I was making nice money, I was tired and bored where I was at. I'd also gone through so personal life changes around the same time (divorce) so i'd started to question life and my career. If it weren't for having kids to support I would have probably quit my job and travelled the world or moved to LA to be a Server/actor.

During my "should I stay or should I go" phase I countered my boredom with exploring my artistic side - writing and performing stand-up comedy (improved my public speaking, and was plain fun!), wrote and recorded a retro-rock album (sounds awful but was a blast), created a band and toured locally playing the album (sounded better live), learned animation and film editing, etc.

Hang in there, there's always other areas of IT to move into just don't do something drastic out of pure frustration or emotion. I was fortunate and lucky enough to move into the Security field, which is something that i'd always wanted to do, and now i'm in love with IT again.

LinuxNerd

EngRob wrote: »

I went through exactly the same thing about 4 years ago. I had been in IT for over 12 years and although I was making nice money, I was tired and bored where I was at. I'd also gone through so personal life changes around the same time (divorce) so i'd started to question life and my career. If it weren't for having kids to support I would have probably quit my job and travelled the world or moved to LA to be a Server/actor.

During my "should I stay or should I go" phase I countered my boredom with exploring my artistic side - writing and performing stand-up comedy (improved my public speaking, and was plain fun!), wrote and recorded a retro-rock album (sounds awful but was a blast), created a band and toured locally playing the album (sounded better live), learned animation and film editing, etc.

Hang in there, there's always other areas of IT to move into just don't do something drastic out of pure frustration or emotion. I was fortunate and lucky enough to move into the Security field, which is something that i'd always wanted to do, and now i'm in love with IT again.

^ That's a cool story right there. I've always wanted to do stand-up but I don't have the guts to get on stage. At least I'm funny to look at in the mirror, lol.

5502george

Having a similar experience. I have come to a point in my life where I am asking myself, "what is the point of my life!"

I feel like IT is only a job for me now. I am in search for something more, something that I do and I feel amazing doing. I paid off all of my debt and am now in a position to make a HUGE career change.

My ideology is that we should all strive to make as big of a difference in the world as we can.

Many will disagree with me on this but I feel that if you can minimize your material belongings, you can find your true passion. I don’t think it is possible to find your true passion with money being part of the equation, or on your mind.

Heero

LinuxNerd wrote: »

Spend the next 5-10 years buying Condos. Manage money well try to get at least 5, rent them all out and you'll be bringing in $65k a year minimum (assuming $120k for each condo and renting at around $1200). Florida has lots of condos in that range.

Then just retire or do IT for fun.

Gotta have an exit plan. Just make sure to consult with a good real estate attorney and put all the properties in a Trust so you will never be sued so you can enjoy your income worry free.

Just gotta come up with $600k in cash. Oh, and those pesky things like maintenance and property tax which are going to eat into the profit.

Real Estate can be a good way to make money, but it is NOT easy or simple.

LinuxNerd

Heero wrote: »

Just gotta come up with $600k in cash.

You buy the properties as you go... one every 2 or 3 years if applicable.

The mentality of "I can!" versus, "But!" is one that is real. I'm in the former category.

Regards all.

Heero

Sure you can buy them over the years, but If you wanted to buy them in the timeframe you listed it would be really difficult. $60k every year for 10 years. And the $65k income is crap. Rent is not pure profit. Property taxes, maintenance, and just a single bad tenant can massively eat into that $65k.

I have a bit of experience with this since my brother has a couple properties he rents. It is not easy, it is not cheap, it takes more of your time than you would think, and you never make as much money as you plan to. All that being said, it can still be a great way to build wealth if you know what you are doing and you are in the right market.

W Stewart

ccnpninja wrote: »

one trick that worked for me: go out in the streets and watch for beggers, homeless people,.. Imagine yourself in their feet. Imagine you only have what they have. Really. Imagine it.
Now, look at your current situation and what you have. Look at the amount of opportunities you have, compared to a homeless guy. The comparison is absurd, but it still is doable. You'll probably feel better

Around where I live I see this homeless guy just walking down the street listening to music and dancing everyday just as happy as can be. It just gets me thinking that maybe at one point he was the guy who had it all but realized it couldn't bring him happiness. That kind of lifestyle also looks tempting compared to all the pressure and stress that we go through trying to live a comfortable life. Unfortunately, I've got a kid so it's not an option for me.

ccnpninja

W Stewart wrote: »

Around where I live I see this homeless guy just walking down the street listening to music and dancing everyday just as happy as can be. It just gets me thinking that maybe at one point he was the guy who had it all but realized it couldn't bring him happiness. That kind of lifestyle also looks tempting compared to all the pressure and stress that we go through trying to live a comfortable life. Unfortunately, I've got a kid so it's not an option for me.

Maybe that homeless guy seems happy because he does not possess any material things. I think our deep attachement to "stuff" contributes to life stress and the lack of inner happiness..

paul78

@unixguy - As I was reading this thread, I couldn't help commiserating with what you wrote. I too get that itchy feeling. I think for me it's a combination of boredom and frustration with the current job. However, I love technology so I find that if I can get a dose of some hands-on work on a project, I get rejuvenated for a few weeks. I often fantasize about doing other things but than again - I wonder if it's just a case of the grass being greener. Right now, my job pays the bills and that's really all I see it as. As for career - I struggle with the next step.

Ultimately, there's no quick solution. It's just life I suppose.

I wish you well.

UnixGuy

There is one more point that I think is relevant...

I noticed that a lot (the majority actually) of everyone that I worked with in IT kind of try to prove themselves through achievements at work. They somehow feed their ego by doing more work or something. I'm not like that!

LinuxNerd

Yeah I hear what you're saying. Maybe a different cultural work environment would be the ticket?