I started working with IT in 2001, but long before that, I was passionate about the possibilities, using an old MSX connected to a TV to code stupid things, and later helping my sister with her college degree, writing and debugging Delphi programs.
As anyone who started low at the beginning of the century, it was just trivial work: fix the printer, can't access the network, where's the "any" key, can you replace my mouse, etc. But again, I was passionate about tech. Every spare time I got was spent studying Linux and Open Source and applying it to my work. Later on, most of the IT department processes were running via bash and cron.
But I was still loved everything about tech and the future. In 2006 Social Media started blooming, and CMSs were the new thing. So I mastered WordPress, and in a few months, I got hired by a media agency and moved to a new city.
And, oh boy, I did things since then:
- worked for a bunch of big companies, directly or indirectly;
- lectured on huge events like Campus Parties;
- wrote for respected tech blogs in Brazil;
- which led me to interview Linus Torvalds (actually, let me rephrase it: I cried in front of Linus Torvalds);
This is the abridged version, as I don't plan to paste a resume here - And I was always passionate about the future and how tech was changing it. I felt like being part of it, creating things with it.
Until 2018, when a series of unfortunate events led me to a little mental breakdown.
It took time to recover. Burnout, depression, anxiety. The pandemic hit and I'm not saying it was something good, but at least I could work from home, which helped me a lot. And I had time to do things for me, not for others. Learn/advance in new languages, create my projects, etc.
But the passion is... gone. Even with AI and the world of possibilities it offers, I just look at it and... meh? "Do I still want to do it? For whom? For what reason? Is money the only reason I code?"
My first post here may look like a huge rant and in fact, it is 🤷🏽♂️ - but after more than 20 years solving problems in tech, the feel of "OK, what now?" just can't pass.
So, I'm asking thousands of other people who love tech: what now? :P
I started around the same time. I haven't done half the things you did. I'm still curious how things are evolving in the tech world.
I saw blockchain an thought this is not the way I want to code.
I see AI and my opinion is that it never going to be a replacement for jobs you have to think to get to a solution. It is more a replacement for people who work on a production line. I really want to see how an AI will solve problems with more than a few parameters.
I'm sorry to hear you went though a ruff time. I hope you are doing better now.
Sometimes I wonder what I would do when I lose the joy of solving problems with code. I have no idea.
I love dogs, maybe I could work for a shelter and learn how to start my own.
I love biking, maybe I learn how to become a better bike mechanic and start helping people.
If you can't find the passion anymore in your work, don't force it. Try things that make you feel good. It will feel scary, but after the scary part is over you will feel good.
Before I did my first bike vacation, a 500 km ride in 10 days. I didn't know I could do it. I did multiple 100 km rides in one day, but it was mostly flat. I never did very hilly rides , I never did rides with luggage and I never did multiple days.
But I planned it with multiple off days to recover. It was still a big task, and the last days I just wanted to take the train. But I didn't give up.
And the next year I went on a 500 km bike trip in 7 days. I had to stop at 400 km due to an unfortunate injury. But I rode with it for 200 km.
I hope you can find goals you still want to achieve, with or without code. And just go for it.
I recently read another article about programming for a long time, liw.fi/40/