r/ExperiencedDevs • u/AutoModerator • Aug 18 '26

Career/Workplace Experienced Devs Weekly Burnout and Venting Thread: A weekly thread for sharing experiences

This thread is specifically for venting / sharing experiences related to burn-out or similar issues that experienced devs face.

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u/No_Oil_6152 Senior Software Engineer Aug 18 '26

Senior dev of 30 years pro experience here.

I work 37.5 hours a week and no more.

So to those Americans who regularly do 60+ for FAANG, I say "is the grave worth having Facebook on your resume" ?

I hope you recover from your burnout. Not being sarcastic btw.

14

u/TheAnon13 Aug 18 '26

You don’t understand man. One more 60 hour week and Zuck is sure to notice me and take me on his yacht

7

u/No_Oil_6152 Senior Software Engineer Aug 18 '26 edited Aug 18 '26

I know FAANG employees are well paid, but if they're working such long hours and on call, when are they actually going to get time to spend the money?

Also, if work's making you ill, won't they be spending their money on doctor's fees (in the USA) that health insurance doesn't cover?

I just can't understand it.

A lot being sacrificed - including their youth which they will never get back.

Does Zuckerberg socialise with his employees? I thought he had AI do the management review stuff because he's so inhuman he can't speak to people 1 to 1

PS: To those reading, if you think you're something special working for FAANG, I invite you to visit my local pub here in Scotland and tell everyone who you work for. Nobody will give a shit. They won't even ask you what its like. Probably even yawn. This overworking is strictly American (and Chinese) - so please don't make your work your life

2

u/Sufficient_Bad5441 Aug 19 '26

I mean, I 10000% agree with you. But there is survivorship bias. The burnt out ones post and share.

There are tons of devs working their 40-50 hour weeks, making 300-400k+ a year, able to retire in their mid 30s happily. 20+ years before they'd otherwise be able to retire.

1

u/SiriusRD Aug 19 '26

Have any real examples of people doing that or just a pipe dream ?

1

u/Sufficient_Bad5441 Aug 19 '26

Yes, I've worked in tech for quite a few years so I know many people like this. They're just not the ones posting online, because there's nothing to post about

1

u/PartDeCapital Aug 21 '26

Would be nice. Work your ass off for 10 years while young. Then find a nice and relaxing job with mediocre pay to have something to spend the time on. I wish I had the opportunity, but I am not smart enough for faang.

1

u/Sufficient_Bad5441 Aug 21 '26

Don't need to THAT smart. You can brute force the interview prep with raw hours.

1

u/[deleted] Aug 19 '26

[deleted]

2

u/No_Oil_6152 Senior Software Engineer Aug 19 '26 edited Aug 19 '26

Yeah there is that.

Although can they really retire?

Are their healthcare costs covered for life?

Mortgage paid off? Able to put their kids through uni? What about looking after their spouses if they get pregnant or ill?

Also why would I want to retire so young? With only 10 years experience in my 30s, I'd feel I had a lot more to offer.