It's painfully common, more than you could ever imagine. I've been stuck in this industry for what feels like an eternity, and let me tell you, the number of people who escape the clutches of software engineering is mind-bogglingly high.
Just think about it for a moment. This job is the epitome of abstraction. Day after day, I find myself trapped in front of a soul-sucking screen, whether it's the cold walls of a cubicle or the suffocating isolation of my room. I mechanically type away at an IDE that's supposed to be fancy with its vibrant colors, but it's all just smoke and mirrors. I'm essentially begging computers to shuffle meaningless data from one place to another.
Nobody outside the tech world understands what the hell I do, and even most of my colleagues are clueless. How can anyone truly feel satisfied when they spend their days invisible, creating intangible nothingness? There's no real sense of accomplishment like building something tangible with your bare hands, something that people can actually see and appreciate. Instead, I'm nothing more than a cog in a gargantuan machine, churning out code for insignificant services that the general public doesn't even know exist, let alone care about. And on the rare occasion someone does interact with what I've slaved over, they remain blissfully ignorant of the blood, sweat, and tears poured into its creation.
But it's not just the abstract nature of the work that eats away at my soul. Oh no, it's far worse. It's the relentless deadlines that hang over my head like a dark cloud, ready to crush me at any moment. Most of these deadlines are utterly insane, imposed by people who wouldn't know a line of code from a coffee stain. And let's not forget the daily status reports. Every damn day, I'm expected to justify my existence, to explain what I did yesterday and what I plan to do today. It's like living under a microscope, constantly scrutinized and judged. When will it be done? That's the question that haunts me, and the answer never seems to satisfy anyone.
And let me tell you, the pointlessness of it all is suffocating. I can't help but question the purpose of my existence every damn day. They try to sell us the idea that software engineering has the power to make a positive impact, to revolutionize industries and transform lives. But let's face the harsh reality: my work doesn't amount to much in the grand scheme of things. I'm just a cog, a tiny insignificant piece in this vast machinery.
In fact, when I look at the top companies in the industry, the so-called FAANGs, I can't help but see them as a detriment to society. They create addictive social media platforms that exploit our vulnerabilities, manipulate our behavior, and erode the very fabric of human connection. They encourage shallow interactions, fuel misinformation, and amplify division in our already fragmented world. Is this the impact I'm supposed to be proud of? Is this the legacy I want to leave behind?
My work, buried within the codebase, feels like a drop in the ocean of technological mediocrity. I'm not creating life-saving software or solving pressing global issues. No, I'm just contributing to the never-ending cycle of consumerism and virtual distractions. It's disheartening to think that my skills, my potential, are wasted on building products that offer little more than fleeting entertainment or superficial conveniences.
The weight of this knowledge gnaws at my soul, eroding any sense of motivation or purpose. How can I find fulfillment when my talents are channeled towards perpetuating a system that values profit over the well-being of individuals and society as a whole? It's a disheartening realization, a constant reminder that my efforts, no matter how much I pour into them, ultimately fall short of creating meaningful change.
So, in the face of this bleak reality, I'm left grappling with the existential question: What's the damn point? How can I find purpose in an industry that often seems to prioritize exploitation and contribute to the very problems we face? These thoughts haunt me, leaving me adrift in a sea of disillusionment, yearning for a path that aligns with my values and allows me to make a genuine positive impact on the world.
Depression, that's what this profession breeds. It's a black hole that swallows your dreams, leaving you hollow and broken. So many of us yearn for something more, for a chance to escape this digital prison and find meaning in the real world. Whether it's embracing a hands-on craft, pursuing interdisciplinary projects, or abandoning this wretched career altogether, the desire to break free from the chains of software engineering is a desperate cry for salvation.
View: https://www.reddit.com/r/cscareerquestions/comments/13x4uhu/has_anyone_ever_said_fuck_it_and_left_engineering/jmf97bw/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=ioscss&utm_content=1&utm_term=1&context=3
Just think about it for a moment. This job is the epitome of abstraction. Day after day, I find myself trapped in front of a soul-sucking screen, whether it's the cold walls of a cubicle or the suffocating isolation of my room. I mechanically type away at an IDE that's supposed to be fancy with its vibrant colors, but it's all just smoke and mirrors. I'm essentially begging computers to shuffle meaningless data from one place to another.
Nobody outside the tech world understands what the hell I do, and even most of my colleagues are clueless. How can anyone truly feel satisfied when they spend their days invisible, creating intangible nothingness? There's no real sense of accomplishment like building something tangible with your bare hands, something that people can actually see and appreciate. Instead, I'm nothing more than a cog in a gargantuan machine, churning out code for insignificant services that the general public doesn't even know exist, let alone care about. And on the rare occasion someone does interact with what I've slaved over, they remain blissfully ignorant of the blood, sweat, and tears poured into its creation.
But it's not just the abstract nature of the work that eats away at my soul. Oh no, it's far worse. It's the relentless deadlines that hang over my head like a dark cloud, ready to crush me at any moment. Most of these deadlines are utterly insane, imposed by people who wouldn't know a line of code from a coffee stain. And let's not forget the daily status reports. Every damn day, I'm expected to justify my existence, to explain what I did yesterday and what I plan to do today. It's like living under a microscope, constantly scrutinized and judged. When will it be done? That's the question that haunts me, and the answer never seems to satisfy anyone.
And let me tell you, the pointlessness of it all is suffocating. I can't help but question the purpose of my existence every damn day. They try to sell us the idea that software engineering has the power to make a positive impact, to revolutionize industries and transform lives. But let's face the harsh reality: my work doesn't amount to much in the grand scheme of things. I'm just a cog, a tiny insignificant piece in this vast machinery.
In fact, when I look at the top companies in the industry, the so-called FAANGs, I can't help but see them as a detriment to society. They create addictive social media platforms that exploit our vulnerabilities, manipulate our behavior, and erode the very fabric of human connection. They encourage shallow interactions, fuel misinformation, and amplify division in our already fragmented world. Is this the impact I'm supposed to be proud of? Is this the legacy I want to leave behind?
My work, buried within the codebase, feels like a drop in the ocean of technological mediocrity. I'm not creating life-saving software or solving pressing global issues. No, I'm just contributing to the never-ending cycle of consumerism and virtual distractions. It's disheartening to think that my skills, my potential, are wasted on building products that offer little more than fleeting entertainment or superficial conveniences.
The weight of this knowledge gnaws at my soul, eroding any sense of motivation or purpose. How can I find fulfillment when my talents are channeled towards perpetuating a system that values profit over the well-being of individuals and society as a whole? It's a disheartening realization, a constant reminder that my efforts, no matter how much I pour into them, ultimately fall short of creating meaningful change.
So, in the face of this bleak reality, I'm left grappling with the existential question: What's the damn point? How can I find purpose in an industry that often seems to prioritize exploitation and contribute to the very problems we face? These thoughts haunt me, leaving me adrift in a sea of disillusionment, yearning for a path that aligns with my values and allows me to make a genuine positive impact on the world.
Depression, that's what this profession breeds. It's a black hole that swallows your dreams, leaving you hollow and broken. So many of us yearn for something more, for a chance to escape this digital prison and find meaning in the real world. Whether it's embracing a hands-on craft, pursuing interdisciplinary projects, or abandoning this wretched career altogether, the desire to break free from the chains of software engineering is a desperate cry for salvation.
View: https://www.reddit.com/r/cscareerquestions/comments/13x4uhu/has_anyone_ever_said_fuck_it_and_left_engineering/jmf97bw/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=ioscss&utm_content=1&utm_term=1&context=3
