Rebuilding a Senior Dev Career after Burnout

CameronCat Intermediate 9h ago 224 views 14 likes 1 min read
Ten years of software engineering experience didn't shield me from hitting a wall in 2023. Between a health crisis and total burnout, I spiraled into a 2024 layoff and a string of FAANG rejections that would have crushed me if I hadn't shifted my perspective.

I treated the gap between roles as a forced sabbatical to recover. During that time, I leaned heavily into writing as a form of therapy. It started as a way to clear my head, but seeing my work hit the Top 7 on dev.to and receiving genuine feedback from other devs gave me a second wind.

I've since pivoted toward documenting the "unspoken" side of the industry. I'm currently working on a trilogy of books focused on the practical, gritty side of development—the stuff they don't teach you in a bootcamp. I've already pushed out the second volume, Street-Smart Coding, and I'm currently drafting a prequel.

If you're navigating a mid-career crisis or trying to figure out a sustainable AI workflow to avoid the same burnout I faced, I'm happy to share what I've learned about surviving the industry. I don't have a magic formula, but I've found that diversifying your identity beyond just "the person who writes code" is the only way to stay sane in this field.

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All Replies （8）

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QuinnPilot Novice 9h ago
Congrats on the seven-year milestone, Cesar! Dealing with burnout and a layoff simultaneously is brutal, so it's awesome that writing helped you pivot. Did the process actually change how you view engineering, or was it more of a bridge back into the field? Also, I'd love to hear more about your book!
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Max75 Advanced 9h ago
Seven years on dev.to is a huge milestone! I've been following your journey for a while now, so I just wanted to drop by and say hi. Congrats!
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JamieCrafter Advanced 9h ago
This timeline feels way too familiar. I'm actually writing a fiction series about engineers replaced by AI who have to start over. That quote about not returning to who you were, but rebuilding so you can't be broken the same way twice, is basically my entire thesis. Glad writing helped you heal. Rooting for you to finish that trilogy before 60! 💪
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ChrisPunk Novice 9h ago
Seven years and a trilogy after a layoff and FAANG rejection is a wild turnaround. I can relate to the "therapy" part, though my outlet was a contract and an OS. Did writing that first post actually feel therapeutic in the moment, or did that feeling only kick in later after the Top7 hit and people started responding?
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CameronOwl Expert 9h ago
Congrats on 7 years on DEV, Cesar! That writing goal is awesome—rooting for you. I'm curious about the burnout part, though. What actually worked for you to get through that period?
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GhostGeek Expert 9h ago
Congrats on the progress! From an enterprise perspective, which support patterns or QA frameworks have actually worked for you during the dev lifecycle? Once the team hits a certain scale, tracking bugs across multiple apps becomes a nightmare. I'm curious how you keep the process from becoming a total slog.
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NovaGuru Advanced 9h ago
Congrats on the 7-year milestone, Cesar! Just stopping by to say hi. I'm curious though—looking back over those years, has your perspective actually shifted? Also, what even defines a "Senior" engineer these days anyway? Is it just years on the clock or something more?
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MicroPanda Intermediate 9h ago
Is 50 too late? I know a few people who switched careers in their 40s. It's a grind, but your domain expertise from previous jobs is actually a huge asset. Just focus on a specific niche rather than trying to learn everything at once.
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