I recently switched from manual electronics assembly/manufacturing work to process automation engineering which is for the most part just software development, and while the pay is great, I’m struggling with boundaries. This is my dream job by the way, I was clearly meant for it. But in assembly, I could flip the screwdriver down at 5pm, smell the flux one last time, and head home. Now I’m staying late working on exciting features, getting way too emotionally invested in code, and can’t maintain a proper schedule.
It’s affecting my gym routine, sleep, hobbies, and personal projects – I dropped from 4 days of gym to barely 1-2 days a week, I am staying up late coding or overthinking solutions, and I haven’t touched my game dev projects in ages.
It’s not the management – I now have free reign to come late and leave equally late, and work from home, and mix these as I please. That is actually the problem. Over the past year, I’ve gradually lost the structure I used to have, and it’s getting worse.
The weird part is, I was perfectly fine doing 8-5 in assembly because the work allowed for easier states of flow and easier stops to that flow. Like, it’s way easier to put down a screwdriver than walk away from a bug you’re this close to fixing. My natural time blindness isn’t helping either. When I have the free reign over my schedule I have 26 hour days and my sleep schedule drifts over time.
For context, I’m doing manufacturing automation development now in C#, which also happens to be my favorite language to write in. While this role is connected to my previous work, the mental engagement is completely different. I’ve noticed that over the past year, as I’ve integrated more into the dev role and social environment, I’ve become increasingly consumed by it.
Most of my new colleagues work 9-6, and I’m thinking of officially switching to that schedule as a first step in addressing my schedule, I noticed it’s easier to leave when I’m not consumed by conversations. At the same time it is also easier to stay when I have the peace and quiet at the office.. But the bigger issue is that I’ve made this new role my whole personality, when I never did that with assembly work (even though I kinda liked it and was good at it). Back then, I could be fully engaged while maintaining healthy boundaries – now I can’t seem to find that balance.
Anyone else deal with this transition? How do you maintain emotional distance while still doing quality work? I miss the physical satisfaction of assembly work, the clear boundaries and the stricter schedule it had. Any advice on treating programming more like a craft and less like an obsession?
submitted by /u/Vectole
[link] [comments]
r/cscareerquestions I recently switched from manual electronics assembly/manufacturing work to process automation engineering which is for the most part just software development, and while the pay is great, I’m struggling with boundaries. This is my dream job by the way, I was clearly meant for it. But in assembly, I could flip the screwdriver down at 5pm, smell the flux one last time, and head home. Now I’m staying late working on exciting features, getting way too emotionally invested in code, and can’t maintain a proper schedule. It’s affecting my gym routine, sleep, hobbies, and personal projects – I dropped from 4 days of gym to barely 1-2 days a week, I am staying up late coding or overthinking solutions, and I haven’t touched my game dev projects in ages. It’s not the management – I now have free reign to come late and leave equally late, and work from home, and mix these as I please. That is actually the problem. Over the past year, I’ve gradually lost the structure I used to have, and it’s getting worse. The weird part is, I was perfectly fine doing 8-5 in assembly because the work allowed for easier states of flow and easier stops to that flow. Like, it’s way easier to put down a screwdriver than walk away from a bug you’re this close to fixing. My natural time blindness isn’t helping either. When I have the free reign over my schedule I have 26 hour days and my sleep schedule drifts over time. For context, I’m doing manufacturing automation development now in C#, which also happens to be my favorite language to write in. While this role is connected to my previous work, the mental engagement is completely different. I’ve noticed that over the past year, as I’ve integrated more into the dev role and social environment, I’ve become increasingly consumed by it. Most of my new colleagues work 9-6, and I’m thinking of officially switching to that schedule as a first step in addressing my schedule, I noticed it’s easier to leave when I’m not consumed by conversations. At the same time it is also easier to stay when I have the peace and quiet at the office.. But the bigger issue is that I’ve made this new role my whole personality, when I never did that with assembly work (even though I kinda liked it and was good at it). Back then, I could be fully engaged while maintaining healthy boundaries – now I can’t seem to find that balance. Anyone else deal with this transition? How do you maintain emotional distance while still doing quality work? I miss the physical satisfaction of assembly work, the clear boundaries and the stricter schedule it had. Any advice on treating programming more like a craft and less like an obsession? submitted by /u/Vectole [link] [comments]
I recently switched from manual electronics assembly/manufacturing work to process automation engineering which is for the most part just software development, and while the pay is great, I’m struggling with boundaries. This is my dream job by the way, I was clearly meant for it. But in assembly, I could flip the screwdriver down at 5pm, smell the flux one last time, and head home. Now I’m staying late working on exciting features, getting way too emotionally invested in code, and can’t maintain a proper schedule.
It’s affecting my gym routine, sleep, hobbies, and personal projects – I dropped from 4 days of gym to barely 1-2 days a week, I am staying up late coding or overthinking solutions, and I haven’t touched my game dev projects in ages.
It’s not the management – I now have free reign to come late and leave equally late, and work from home, and mix these as I please. That is actually the problem. Over the past year, I’ve gradually lost the structure I used to have, and it’s getting worse.
The weird part is, I was perfectly fine doing 8-5 in assembly because the work allowed for easier states of flow and easier stops to that flow. Like, it’s way easier to put down a screwdriver than walk away from a bug you’re this close to fixing. My natural time blindness isn’t helping either. When I have the free reign over my schedule I have 26 hour days and my sleep schedule drifts over time.
For context, I’m doing manufacturing automation development now in C#, which also happens to be my favorite language to write in. While this role is connected to my previous work, the mental engagement is completely different. I’ve noticed that over the past year, as I’ve integrated more into the dev role and social environment, I’ve become increasingly consumed by it.
Most of my new colleagues work 9-6, and I’m thinking of officially switching to that schedule as a first step in addressing my schedule, I noticed it’s easier to leave when I’m not consumed by conversations. At the same time it is also easier to stay when I have the peace and quiet at the office.. But the bigger issue is that I’ve made this new role my whole personality, when I never did that with assembly work (even though I kinda liked it and was good at it). Back then, I could be fully engaged while maintaining healthy boundaries – now I can’t seem to find that balance.
Anyone else deal with this transition? How do you maintain emotional distance while still doing quality work? I miss the physical satisfaction of assembly work, the clear boundaries and the stricter schedule it had. Any advice on treating programming more like a craft and less like an obsession?
submitted by /u/Vectole
[link] [comments]