I’m in my 30s, single, and have saved about $3M across taxable and retirement accounts. Mostly index funds, some cash, and a chunk in RSUs. I spend around $50K/year living in a HCOL area, and don’t own a home. So I’m in a position where I don’t have to work right away, but that hasn’t really made things clearer.

Friends have brought up FIRE, but I’m not sure early retirement would feel fulfilling. Honestly, having more options has made things feel more paralyzing, not less.

The burnout wasn’t really about long hours. It came more from feeling ineffective and having no clear direction. My role felt fuzzy, leadership was inconsistent, and I started feeling like I was falling behind while other people kept progressing. That wore me down over time and chipped away at my confidence.

Now I’m considering a few paths:

Return to my old job — I left on good terms and could probably go back. I’ve been wondering if this was more of a me problem than a company problem, and going back might help clarify that. Extend the sabbatical — travel or focus on non-career interests for a few more months, then reassess. Start job searching now — not super motivated, but with the current job market, it might take a while anyway. Career change — no clear direction or passion, just vague curiosity about doing something different.

If you’ve taken a break, pivoted careers, or dealt with burnout like this — how did you figure out your next step? Especially curious how people figured out whether the problem was the job… or themselves.

Comments URL: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=44496470

Points: 10

# Comments: 19

I would advise even more caution when considering actions that are not easily reversed like quitting.

Lastly, I would try to get some distance from your thoughts and feelings, to get out of them temporarily so you can view them with some skepticism. It could help you see other causes that are feeding into your situation. Hard physical exercise might help here.

Had you posted this just two months ago (and had I managed to take it to heart), I might have saved myself from disappointment and regret. I quit my job after going through a six-month stretch of burnout. I thought I had nothing left to give, and that staying would do more harm than good—for both myself and my team. When you've been in that kind of negative mental state for an extended period, your decision-making skills become compromised. I began to believe my negative thoughts and feelings, and I couldn’t see a way past them. When I left, I used words different from "leaving to do what I love," but the sentiment was similar.

I'm now considering asking for my job back, though I’m unsure whether it will succeed. I was told I left on good terms, but I wonder if that was simply a reflection of good business etiquette from my boss and coworkers. I’m afraid I may have shown myself to be unreliable, despite a solid four-year track record of consistent performance. I also don’t know if I’ve learned enough to keep myself from relapsing.

Another thing often left out of these kinds of posts: what supporting factors help a person persevere? Friends, family, hobbies, religion—pursuits they can turn to for some respite? One of the thought patterns that contributed to my burnout was dwelling on the amount of competition and dishonesty in the world, when perhaps I should have made more room for gratitude.

I think it's possible to be disillusioned with work and yet still do a good job and find satisfaction in it. Maybe it's just a matter of finding the proper distance between you and your work.