74. Avoiding Burnout as a Tech Worker with Michael Lin

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April 5, 2023 • 47 mins

Picture this: you’re working for one of the FANG companies, in a high-paying role, with unlimited PTO, free food, and plenty of responsibility -- sounds pretty ideal right? But there’s one big problem: you can’t take it anymore. On one hand, you feel guilty because you’ve ascended to a position many of your peers could only dream of. On the other, you’re unmotivated, unproductive, and struggling to make the commute to the office--or perhaps more telling--your kitchen table. What was once a challenging and fulfilling endeavor has soured. And the pressing question isn’t if you should leave, but when?

Don’t get me wrong, feeling stuck in a high-paying white collar gig is a good problem to have, but it’s not sustainable. Regardless of your annual salary and all the bells and whistles, nobody is immune to career burnout. And worst of all, the cost of staying in a role that no longer serves you can steal your time, freedom, and creativity. And after the life-altering experience of living through the COVID-19 pandemic and plenty of introspection, many workers made the tough decision to protect their peace of mind and walked away. But aside from the financial implications, many more stayed in jobs they hated due to the fear of disappointing their parents and/or their cultural expectations, possible backlash from colleagues left holding the bag, or even just the fear of being seen as ungrateful.

On this episode, Malcolm Ethridge sits down with Michael Lin, Founder of All-In Engineering Consulting, to discuss why he walked away from a nearly half a million dollar a year job at Netflix. In 2022, Michael made headlines after publishing a letter titled “Why I Quit a $450k Engineering Job at Netflix.” His words illuminated the reality of career burnout from high-demand, high-paying roles. So, he and Malcolm sat down to discuss his journey and lessons learned that other tech employees can benefit from.

Michael Lin Discusses:

The true cost of staying in a job you hate
The importance of taking your career into your own hands
Aligning your professional work with your life’s purpose
How to know when you’re reaching burnout and what to do about it

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About our guest:

Michael Lin is an ex-Netflix tech lead turned entrepreneur. By day, he runs All-In Engineering Consulting, where they help VC-backed startups build MVP’s. By night, he writes a weekly newsletter about entrepreneurship, engineering, and life.

Mentioned in this episode:

Capital Area Tax Consultants - www.capgllc.com

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