I turn 39 this month and have burned out of tech after my first full time role at 24. My last role Finished end of '23.

I don't blame the industry.. I have been diagnosed with ADHD which ultimately led to me not being great at finishing stuff after the intellectual problems are solved. Highly likely ASD which affected the interpersonal stuff too... In 2017 I moved into contracting in in a very buoyant London FinTech market.. I coasted between contracts for between 3-12 months at a time and getting more money for each new gig. (That looks very bad in hindsight)

I would quit each gig after getting a bit overwhelmed and depressed and no longer being able to get out of bed. My problems were swept under the carpet because the high rate of paid made me feel successful.

I crashed out at the end of '23 and didn't really look for a job after.

One of my core distractions in the COVID years was cars and a physical workshop stuff. In that time I build a decent setup.

Currently I have very little cash, a bunch of cars and a decent workshop. I run a small IT support business which I am trying to grow. Alongside that I repair cars for people, do engine tuning (read/write atleast) and am building up a capability repair/reprogram other automotive control units. I rent the shop.

Some would say I don't have a pot to pi$$ in.. new business is hard, it can be very stressful to work "on" the business while working "in" it. ADHD also hinders this.

I've been doing this about 18 months.. and I THINK I AM HAPPY. I say think because arguably I shouldn't be, but I am. I don't report to anybody and my business runs at a pace I can handle. Since starting this 12 months ago, I have had only 1 or 2 bed rotting weeks. I can easily get out of bed most days. For me that is a big win.

There is nobody to blame, not even myself. It is what it is. I have personal issues that make me impulsive and irresponsible. I'm eternally grateful that I have the safety net of my parents roof over my head.

I am curious if anybody else has gone through a similar type of journey. I feel like in every down turn, a percentage of people will abandon their career and move into something different.

user:	Egg-Man
created:	September 9, 2026
karma:	0