Welcome to the 48th edition of The Catch Block!

In this edition, we introduce a new series about burnout and its causes. Plus: EF Core, HTML-over-WebSockets, procrastination, nitpicking, and insanity.

Introducing the Burnout Series

I've always been fascinated by the idea of burnout, largely because it hasn't hit me yet. How is it that something which was once so enjoyable can become so debilitating, or seem so pointless, or be the reason we don't want to get out of bed in the morning?

A woman lays in bed, covering her face with a pillow, and clutching her glasses with her right hand.
Do I HAVE to? Photo by Isabella and Louisa Fischer / Unsplash

More appropriately, why is burnout such an issue in this field of software development? What is it about our job that causes so many bright minds to want to stop coding altogether?

In this edition of The Catch Block, we're going to talk about one of the forces that causes software developers to burnout and leave this field behind. In the next several editions, we'll turn our attention to other reasons why developers burn out, and explore ways we can counteract the stress those circumstances cause. I've had this series circling my mind for quite a while now, and it feels good to finally get it written down.

(Note: I am not, by any means, an expert in dealing with these kinds of situations. I am merely an experienced programmer, and have seen friends and colleagues be claimed by burnout in many different ways, including all of the ones in this series.)

Burnout Cause # 1 - Bad Managers

IMO this is the number one reason why junior or inexperienced developers burn out, and it's probably a leading cause of burnout for all skill levels.

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