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Comment by sethammons | Hacker News Reader

I've been a teacher (and a manager, all levels of software engineer up to principal, a construction worker, an inner-city and high gang-presence high school math teacher, a graphic designer, and worked under a yard maintenance guy from Mexico, and several other small jobs. The software stuff has been among the easiest jobs (even with mission critical systems failing in the middle of the night affecting millions of dollars in revenue) I've experienced.

Software developers at many, many companies are absolutely spoiled. I know there have to be negative stories, but on the whole, pay, benefits, perks, and even hours are better than a great many industries. Even game shop crunch hours seem about on par for doctors in residency, some (most?) finance shops, and I'm sure other less notable roles like my friend who works in water distribution who puts in 90 hour weeks regularly and just got off a 39 hour shift.

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On the same logic, you can find tons of other 'easier' jobs that still experience burnout or boreout. What you're unconsciously doing is a form of the `fallacy of relative privation`. Sure, software engineering is an easier job than resident doctors or inner city math teachers or whatever. That doesn't mean it doesn't come with it's own baggage/challenges/frustrations/mental health issues and that engineers don't get to complain about them just because they're the least fucked in your view of what an 'easy' job is.

Software engineers are classified by the CDC wrt to suicide incidence higher than a lot of the jobs you're mentioning there (8th place out of 22). I guess being spoiled comes with the price of offing yourself more often than doctors, lawyers or teachers.

Your life isn't just your job. And your other qualities influence your career choice. Software attracts different people than law and medicine and teaching. If I had to bet, for example, I would guess that loneliness is more common among software engineers than lawyers, doctors, and teachers.

I've had many trades as well, before ending up as a software engineer. My hardest, most exhausting job was in the food industry. Entering office live was easy, work a picnic. Plenty of energy coming home after work. With my previous attained 'work mentality' I could way more done! ... and last year I had an extreme burn-out event (hospitalised). In my experience burn-out is a combination of steadily (for a longer period of time) putting in more energy then available, not taking enough rest and most importantly: emotional disturbance (going against your nature/ will)

For example: Work hard, have a bad relationship at home or at work can easily lead to burn-out.

Furthermore, software engineering seem to have some unique combined traits which sets it apart: 1. Creative proces which is hard to manage and easily leads to misunderstandings and conflict with customer or employer. 2. Screen-working enables stretching concentration well beyond human limits. 3. Modern western society tends to personally identify oneself with work too much (which is an easy trigger for emotional disturbance) 4. Programming is fun! Devs are being treated so well! So why not endure those problems a bit longer ...

Sure, but that has little or nothing to do with life satisfaction. Which is related to suicide rate.

In fact, being spoiled can lead to dissatisfaction. It's part of the problem I imagine.

Somebody doing something really hard for a tangible benefit to people they know, have really healthy life satisfaction. Like the plow truck driver in winter, folks like that. For the obvious reasons.

We're all social animals. Suicide has to do with that. Not how easy your job is!

You are considering only anecdata from one person.

Only in one country.

And comparing software development only with stressful jobs.

And if you still think that burnout is not a bigger issue in the software world, go around and look at how many 40+ or 50+ years old work in software.

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