I don’t agree. You can be well paid and well rewarded and burnt out. People need holiday, breaks and time to relax. If you are busy and stressed for a long period, hobbies don’t get time, life admin doesn’t get done and exhaustion comes to dominates weekends and evenings.
When you experience burnout, it’s not due to muscle fatigue or lack of sleep. Burnout happens when you aren’t getting something that you need psychologically, over a long period of time. Then the psychological deficit begins to have physical symptoms.
I experienced burnout quite a bit in the first half of my life; hardly any in the second half. I’m 57.
The advice I got that helped the most is to listen to that little voice in my mind that was telling me “stop, I don’t like this!”
Also, I learned that when I am helping people and I feel respected in what I do my mind will happily endure whatever must be done.
Burnout is the result of a spiritual vitamin deficiency. I realize that is a metaphor for “chronic cortisol poisoning” or some biochemical thing, but the solution is to discover and stop the dynamic on the level of your mind.
Also strangely enough, for me starting freelancing has helped a lot. I have a feeling that if I get “ stop, I don’t like this!” thoughts, I can just leave the project. I have never done it yet but that is a possibility and I have saved some money so that it is a true alternative. Also now that I am not employed at some startup/big company anymore, I don’t need to think career or continue at work place I don’t enjoy because of stocks/options. Moneywise not a best solution but it has made my life better and I don’t have burnouts anymore.
Most important thing for me is my business, and most important thing for my business is my happiness and well-being because without me my business doesn’t survive.
All of those devs were well-compensated. I don't see even a hint that the level of compensation enters into it in my small, not-statistically-significant sampling.
I think that's way too simplistic of a definition of what causes burnout.
That’s my point - many are.
Some put in effort but don't get an A. That can cause burnout.
Some put in effort, get A's, but don't get the dream job. That's a massive source of burnout and depression.
It can stretch on further too. Some land the dream job but don't land the dream home. Another source of grief.
But for the most part, the grading system can also shield you from burnout because it feeds you the results you expect to get from the effort.