The higher you go up, the more ruthless and soulless you have to be in order to maintain status quo.

The politics of the workplace is the worst. It really takes the fun out of things - and that's everywhere. I don't think it's just a tech thing. I am an architectural designer, and it's never enough either. I am glad you are working towards a life of happiness and peace.

"If you don't do more, you're seen as a non-performer" is so true.. and honestly such an outdated way to view things from our managers. My job description clearly outlines what my job duties are, and if I execute all those listed duties, then I AM a performer. I am performing to the expectations set. Anything beyond needs to be determined by my motivation and wage bonus/raise.

I don't work in tech. Work in healthcare. The whole on call system is definitely brutal. Left my corporate healthcare job and took many months for my burnout to heal. For people who have options, backup plans, or financial security, I highly encourage to not let work burnout take over your life. I understand everyone's situation is different, but burnout is no joke. Glad you made a choice that is in the best interest for you! Thanks for sharing!

This is exactly my experience. I worked in the graphic section for 7 years before burnout. I was really embarrassed about it because I'm in my late 20s and it's unheard of to be burnt out at that age in my country. I also quit without being able to even say farewell to the team, I just dropped everything and lived off of my savings. I got into therapy, rested and slept many many hours and slowly regained my physical health and strength. It was a horrible experience but I'm very grateful for it. It changes one's perspective and I really hope I can change my outlook on the importance of work in my life. Thank you for sharing your experiences. It really helps knowing I'm not alone in this and seeing how it gets better and better with time.

4 months unemployed after resigning from a toxic job that had been giving me intense anxiety , im living off my savings currently and i feel good, i love slow mornings. Im glad I saved a lot of money. I live frugally also

An advice to all fellow coders having a burnout -- DON'T QUIT! I mean, don't just quit by sending a resignation letter. Here is the proper algorithm how to quit the right way (for FTE): 1) Talk to HR and find out how many sick days you have (you may be eligible to up to 5 or even more). Tell your manager that you are feeling very sick and take all of them at once. You will get paid for that time while recovering. 2) Schedule and take all the vacation days for that year. Depending on the company it could be up to 4 weeks, or more if you are in Europe. Just tell your manager that you need to take that vacation because your health comes first before anything else, yes, even before the deadlines. You will get paid for that time while recovering. At this point, there are 2 options. 3a) (Optional step) If you can find a doctor who will be willing to acknowledge that you have severe mental health issues, you can apply for Medical Leave benefits and go on the medical leave for as long the doctor is willing to approve it. You will get paid for that time while recovering. 3b) After the vacation or medical leave is over, talk to HR and go to Unpaid Leave. This costs nothing to the firm and they will readily provide it to you. You can be on the Unpaid Leave for several months. ATTENTION: during this time, after a few weeks or months, the HR may contact you requesting to come back on a certain date. DO NOT REJECT this demand -- come back as requested. Don't worry - they have already put you on their black list and you won't stay there for too long anyway. 4) Once the Unpaid Leave is over (or you came back on their demand), come back and join the team. Citing the health issues, ask your manager to excuse you from participation in all meetings, except the most essential ones. Do some PR's at your own pace, but don't strain yourself. You are already on your way out because of the Unpaid Leave you took, such things are usually not forgiven, so take it easy. It's only a matter of time that they will kick you out, most likely it's a matter of only a few weeks. You will get paid for that time, while not straining yourself too much. Because you missed so much time, your performance evaluation during that period will be awful. That makes sense, because you didn't perform anything during that period. Therefore, 5) Quietly wait for you manager to urgently contact you to give you the news. This can happen any day and it won't take too long. Just be patient. There is 95% chance that they will tell you that your position has been eliminated. IMPORTANT: that means that you lost your job not because of your misconduct, but due to unrelated circumstances, which will later make you eligible for Unemployment Benefits. You will get paid the unemployment benefits for the next few months while recovering from the burnout. 6) Within the first week after the termination, apply for the Unemployment Insurance benefits; 7) Downsize, move to a tiny apartment, and reduce all the expenses to a bare minimum. Get rid of all your addictions if you had any (drugs, booze, whores, smoking, etc.). They are expensive and will prevent your full recovery. 8) During the recovery period, pray every day to God to fully heal you, and after a few weeks or months, after you have sufficiently recovered, start doing something small, like a leetcode problem every day, or learning something new at your own pace (for example, for certifications), and think of ideas of your own projects that you can do with your skills. With these new skills, start implementing a new portfolio project that you might later showcase or maybe at some point even develop it into a platform for generating some income. Here are the advantages of the above approach: - You will get paid by the firm for several extra weeks of you burnout recovery (sick days + vacation + couple weeks of waiting for termination); - Because you lost your job not for any fault of your own and, most importantly, YOU DID NOT QUIT, you will be eligible for Unemployment Insurance benefits for up to a year (practically, at least a few months); - Because you didn't quit, you will be eligible for a decent SEVERANCE PACKAGE, which could be at least 10k+ or so. - If this was you first year of employment and you had a sign-up bonus, YOU WON'T NEED TO RETURN IT. If you just quit, you will have to return any sign-up bonus in full, which will probably be a nasty surprise for you if you didn't read the small print when accepting it. - All in all, with the above approach, you will collect ~50k+ extra income that will allow you to stay home for at least couple years to fully recover -- which may possibly save your life.

Great testimony! I was in tech, and got burned out at my last job, which had become toxic (microaggressions, passive-aggresive manager, no growth, taking a coworker to HR for hostile behavior ((and this was a REMOTE job!))). I actually had gotten on a healthy kick the year prior to my resignation (I actually got rid of type 2 Diabetes); the stress I was feeling at work threatened to undo all of that hard work-I was having trouble sleeping, getting headaches, and at 45 years old, was getting pimples LOL. I resigned and immediately felt better. I've gone through the stages of "recovering" (going from being angry to relaxed and at peace) and have been enjoying my time off. Like you, I had good savings because life has taught me that these companies will run you ragged if. you let them, and sometimes you gotta blow the hatch and escape!

I’m at a burnout spot now and really contemplating quitting as my company was acquired and the new management is constantly threatening, toxic and completely lacking any vision or competence. Thank you for sharing your story.

I feel this, I also had to leave a difficult job, the work was easy but the mental toll of working there was too much, I'm so glad I did it, took some time to heal but we got there 😊 thanks for sharing!

Thanks for sharing Andrew! The relentless pace of learning, delivering, and still dealing with complaints

Appreciate you sharing your story man, honestly don't know how this got recommended to me but I'm glad I clicked and watched this. I got laid off from my last job a few months ago and now I'm kind of taking a break while trying to break into Cyber Security. Quitting the corpa life is never an easy choice. I'm glad you're mental health is a lot better now. I subbed to your channel, look forward to more videos

Andrew, it felt so good to hear someone who has gone through and overcome similar struggles with mental health and work stress. I’m on a journey myself, at an earlier stage. Really excited for your next vlog!

I come back to this video every few days. It's good to hear someone who can relate, and you articulated it perfectly.

I totally feel you on this, Andrew. Thanks for sharing this and helping others think about this. My 1-year plan is to be outta corporate as well. Good luck bud!

This is why I love my job so much, it's incredibly flexible, I've got a cool boss and the team and I are always helping each other out.

Pulled straight on my heart strings. Been in corporate tech for 10 years and it is tough realizing that all this time I was never able to give myself the trust and kindness to be able to do anything different.

I am literally watching this at 5am as I prep for interviews after taking a 3 month very much needed break of just not applying to jobs anymore. I completely understand where you are coming from as a student who worked full-time for the past 2 years. The tech industry is so BRUTAL and so is being on a daily 9-5 schedule. You are not crazy at all, all of your feelings are completely valid as I have experienced them too. I am so glad you did not wait any longer to take care of your mental and physical well-being first. Props to you from another hustling Asian! Your story is so inspiring and heartfelt, thank you for sharing and validating my burnout experience too 👏

Love this for you! Definitely hard to put yourself first when you are used to being so work focused

Glad you are doing great and thanks for sharing your story! I've experienced some of what you are saying. Taking a break is essential and mental health is the first priority in life!

Kudos to you doing the right thing for your health and yourself. Bravery will be appreciated.

Thanks Andrew for sharing your story. I’ve in SWE longer than you and had many burnt out in the past when I just wanted to quit. But I couldn’t do it b/c of my kids. Fast forward, I balanced my life by playing tennis at competitive levels and it worked out for me since. Good luck to you!

I just wanna thank you for sharing such a personal story. You seem pretty relaxed now, I hope you are. Just subscribed to get some inspiration, because I am going through a burn out right now. It’s hard to not feel bad about not going to work. And I also get bored if I don’t do anything, so sometimes I do too much at home. I probably shouldn’t, but in a way it’s helping me heal when I’m doing all of the creative things that I couldn’t do before. I’m trying to document some things as well, just starting out 😊

Thank you for sharing your expirience! I am a current CS student and have been feeling this even before my offical career has started with school, internships and peer pressure around me. I have found that mental health isn't talked about a lot in this space of grind and I constantly feel like I am not pushing myself hard enough to seek out thoses coveted jobs and titles. have a good week !! look forward to more videos

great video btw. thanks for sharing. i'm sure burn out is a lot of people face but aren't brave enough to get away from and share about.

I love that we're getting more of these candid discussions about life and burnout in the industry. Been seeing more and more people willing to talk about it in the wake of the pandemic. I know you don't attribute your burnout to the pandemic, and thats probably true, but I do think there's this sense of needing to vent and let go of something now that we're "back to normal". For myself I never really felt burnout DURING the pandemic, I just buckled down and worked my ass off. It's only post-pandemic that I've had a chance to pause and reflect and realize - holy shit, I've given my entire young adult life to my career and I think, I think I need to re-evaluate my priorities.

I don't know how I ended up here but I'm doing what you did 3 years ago now. Thank you for sharing!

I love this video, its so nice your story! I work in Healthcare in the UK and I most certainly feel I can relate to you. I have definitely had this experience on many occasions. To me health is wealth, whether that is physical or mental health. It's so refreshing to hear your story Andrew, and also that you are recovering well from this experience! We only have 1 life and we should live every moment of it!

Thanks for being vulnerable and sharing your story. Im going through a similar experience and this video has made me feel much better about what I’m going through

Congratulations for your bravery!

Thanks for sharing! I know that KZfaq has been recently promoting smaller channels and I'm glad that I found this one. You have a way of speaking. Keep @ it and this channel will explode. I'm lucky that I'm subscribing as one of your first 500 subscribers (when you reach like 1M)

praying for healing in the corporate world - things need to change!

Really nice to hear your story! Thank you for sharing!

An excellent video indeed. I was burned out after working in a tough sales environment for many years. The real issues were not just the brutal workload but also the negative people around me. I had colleagues trying to destroy me. After battling with toxic people and a tough work schedule for years, i eventually moved on. When i ended that chapter of my life, i was surprised at how long it took to recover from burnout. Exercise and going to the gym was a true blessing and also taking refuge in my spiritual faith has been vital. I spent time slowing down, simplify my life, avoiding toxic people, spending time in nature and just practicing gratitude for the little things of life. As you say, our bodies do tell us (warn us) and we do recover once we listen and prioritize our health over wealth. Thank you for making such an important and insightful video. So many of us need to hear this message of hope and wisdom.

Wow. Thanks for sharing. I'm here right now. I'm not sure if I'll leave, but it's great to hear someone talk about this so openly. Mental and Physical Health is so much more important that anything else.

Thanks for sharing this! It 100% resonated with me; I especially second the gym aspect of COVID (or lack thereof) contributing. I've since discovered how important regular exercise is in my life...the endorphins and I think just the physical release of potential aggression is so essential for me staying somewhat sane.

Thank you for sharing your story. I am watching this a second time because it is therapeutic to what I am going through now. Will probably watch it over and over again when I am feeling bad about what I am going through.

hey andrew thanks for the video. this really resonates with me as im going through something similar and noticing that mental health is health and that needs to come first. thanks again for the vid

Went through this a year and a half ago. Still haven’t gone back to tech, couldn’t be happier about my life and new goals and direction. Thanks for sharing

Glad to know i am not weird or alone. Burn out mentally is really terrible, corporate politics erodes all my passion, confidence and energy. Hope I could learn from your experience and appreciate what the true meaning of life is. Thanks for sharing.

Thank you for sharing this! All the best and very happy for you to have found peace 🔥💪

It's my story, I worked for 2 years as web developer, I did my best for gain experience and grow up as web dev, I lived 2 years at home thinking about just work, I gain weight, I starded to lost more hair and I didn't want to go out.... this only because I loved coding and I spent 2 years learning it by my self; for that reason I couldn't left the great opportunity easily; but you know what? Life is not only about money and career, life is all about experiences and having a good mental and health conditions makes them great! I just come back to make pizza ( I'm italian😂) , is hard physically but when I'm done at work I'm not thinking about when I sleep or when I'm with my girlfriend. I'm recovering well and I'll make coding a good hobby. Thanks for sharing

Been through that and still going through… thanks for sharing this!

thanks for sharing. hope we can see more of this type of content in the future

This is so relatable. I quit software development last year for similar reasons and it's taken a while to feel motivated to do anything. Feeling better day by day and trying to make up for the lost time by traveling and feeling okay with doing nothing some days. I know you said doing silent vlogs is your thing but I would be really interested to hear more about that transition period and how you manage living in a hustle culture while being essentially retired. Cheers!

I can totally relate to you and your situation. I am in the similar place, software engineer, mid 20s, but already been working for over 6 years as SW engineer. I also work on my own side projects on the side of my full-time job and it's getting out of hand now. And I have a really strong feeling that I cannot do this anymore - working for a company, I just don't enjoy it. I really see myself going full-time working on my side projects that already generate some money and pursue this journey. I can always come back to work if this won't work out.

Awesome video, thank you for sharing your thoughts!

Man, thanks for sharing this part of your journey! I'm 31, also a dev and feeling a lot of what you described (i didnt even know if i could put it all in words as you did). I think I might be going to my 2nd burnout and it's so scary. But you gave me some peace by telling about your recovery process and I wanna say thanks for that! Feeling a little better already and more optimistic to deal with all of this. See ya!

Hey Andrew, thanks for sharing your experience. I recently joined a very big (and very old) corporation as an engineer (wannabe software dev) and am incredibly frustrated by the corporate culture. I think I'm currently at an early career phase you discussed in your video - eager and ambitious to get something done. Even though the work is not terribly stressful (I just wish it was more relevant to what I want to do in the future... I'm stuck staring at excel spread sheets most days...), I feel like my ego is inducing unnecessary pressure on me to do more.I feel stuck and miserable, but I also do not want the opposite where I am ground to dust and burned out... Watching your video has given me much insight on being kinder to myself, and I'll do my best to be mindful of my mental health. I can't imagine doing this job for the rest of my life, and I am in the process of trying to discover my life's purpose and drive. Looking forward to your next update!

Thank you for sharing your story!

thank you so much for sharing your story. I also quit my stressful tech job 2 years ago and have been feeling very unproductive and getting lots of judgement from people for not working, it's good to hear about others also taking a long break

Thank you, Andrew for such an insightful video. Tech is a solid career track and pays great but is not for everyone (especially in light of how the tech / dev culture has been shaped e.g. daily stand meetings, sprint retros and more). Essentially routine events to create pressure and trigger anxiety stemming out of FLAWED corp strategy thinking more will get done using such tactics.

You’re so adorable, relatable and insightful. Lucky guy who gets you!

I rarely if ever comment. You are wise beyond your years. I am so very happy for you. I’m on the journey towards minimalism and a simpler life. This is the first video I see from you but not the last! I just subscribed. Yeah I foresee you making it big and you deserve it.

I burned out a year ago. I took 6 months to heal and then I went back to work. I’m in my second job in 6 months. I feel crazy because I’m not back to normal… but I’m still figuring out how to exist post burnout. I still don’t have my health in order. I gained 50 pounds from the stress. It’s good to see you reflecting 3 years later. Maybe I just need more time.

thank you for sharing your story. it means a lot for those people who have the same experience and feeling.

Hi Andrew! Glad to have found your channel. I am in the middle of the same thing. I quit 4 months due to burn-out and sought therapy. I am still looking to put in another few more years in the same domain area (same role, different industry), to boost my savings before I reconsider my trajectory completely. Thanks for sharing!

Definitely can relate here as well. I had a total mental breakdown with a job a few years ago but actually ended up being laid off. Turned out to be the best thing that ever happened to me and incredibly grateful that it did

Thanks for sharing your story. I was let go this year due to the RIF; although I was not burned out per se, I also put a lot of pride in my work. I rarely took vacations ( not proud of it at all), and work is a central part of my self-identity, which makes the experience challenging. I agree with putting the self-care as the top priority and giving myself the space to unpack it. Subscribed to your channel and wish you all the best!

I like this video. Thank you for making it. I like what you said that "minimalism for me is not minimalism for you".

So glad you broke away! I have had bosses that literally made me cry! I was ON THEIR TEAM! Working as hard as I could and they would SCREAM at me!!! Narcissism is rampant in the higher echelons!

I was a corporate engineer who changed careers several years ago, so feel it there. Actually loved my job, at least as a craft, but couldnt deal with the corporate atmosphere, lack of work/life balance, and social scene. Ended up resigning and starting a new career elsewhere. Great to see a new channel come up, I'm also a finance and careers channel as well, so just subbed to yours!

I’m also a millennial trying to figure this out! We’ve got to support one another! I just posted my first video. It was so scary, but your video is inspiring. Thank you!

Good stuff - thanks for sharing!

Good job Andrew! Be kind to yourself is the key! ❤

Don't feel bad about it. I just quit my tech job this morning, too. I have over 20 years in the space, started with a new company about 2 months ago. tons of red flags that I ignored in the beginning because the money was supposed to be good, and I thought I'd be learning new skills. But...then we got the speech about the company needing to cut costs, and possible layoffs coming this summer (i.e. in a couple of months). I figured it's best not to stick around and get laid off. Thankfully, I still have a good relationship with my previous (now current) boss, who was able to find a place for me back at my prior place of employment.

I appreciate this video and your perspective on simple living esp coming from a high income field! I feel v validated

Thank you. I got laid off earlier this month and I felt relieved. It felt wrong but after some weeks, I now realized I am mentally, physically, and emotionally at the bottom. I'm going through the emotions: shame, guilt, doubt, anxiety, and disappointment. I am exhausted and rot in bed most days. I did break down a few days ago and hopefully I'll come out the other side soon. Your video popped up today and it gives me hope. Thank you.

Thanks for sharing. This year, I feel like I'm truly out of the burnout phase and ready to start living again. I don't know exactly but it feels like it has taken 2 years to heal. In-between this, I actually changed jobs, so I never exactly stopped working during the recovery phase but I took it slow. The thing that made it easier was during my job interview for my current job, I talked about the importance of looking after myself and other colleagues (I can't remember the question) and now that I'm in the job, they really do promote work/life balance. Don't get me wrong, it's busy but knowing that they care about you makes a world of a difference. I also just want to state working out has been a massive stress reliever and something I have to do at least twice a week otherwise I don't feel right!

Thank you so very much for sharing your story. I am much older but man the way things are managed these days, is so draining So many people are clueless oh how stressful work environments can be. It was so vastly different when I entered the work force. I have just taken a year off. I feel like a person again.❤

Thank you for sharing. As a senior software engineer, I can totally resonate with your experience in the past. I've been considering time off myself. Good luck!

Love the video. I was similar to you but in the construction industry. Glad I wasn't the only one feeling that way. I wanted to climb the corporate ladder as quickly as possible but it backfired causing me to burn out. I just recently recovered and back to work but now have a different outlook in life and learn to find the balance.

thank you for sharing. I also had similiar experience, I had constant shoulder pain and couldn't sleep at night. and that's when I knew I had to submit my resignation.

Thank you for sharing your story Andrew! I relate to this so much. Take one day at a time and give yourself grace everyone. Wishing everyone peace and better days to come. 🤎🙏🏾🌿

I had a similar experience. I was in the construction engineering field for 17 years. Then had a relationship breakup, that really devastated my mental being. Add in the fact that I saw the company moral getting worse, and as a result, told myself its either now or never, and decided to quit my job. All this happened exactly when the pandemic happened in April 2020. Funny thing is when I quit during that week, that's when everyone had to start working from home. Took 2 years and just learned a bunch of new things. Those 2 years, I learned so much more about myself, and it really heightened my awareness. I learned, its about who you work for, and who you are surrounded with, the "feel goods" for the company. If we are not appreciated somewhere, there is always another person or company that will appreciate you.

I also changed to two different jobs during the pandemic. It was stressful! I can resonate with this.

I really like the part „I didn’t know how I would get references once I want to get started again… but I didn’t care at that point“. Totally can relate. What was a horrible experience though was that my parents would be more worried about my ongoing career instead of me and my current situation. So often you also have to go through those situations on your own, as others don’t understand the severity of the situation.

So, ill maybe reach out in a couple of weeks as a different channel, but I wanted to at least say thank you for this. I am experiencing severe burnout in my tech life. And I am beginning my recovery journey this year. KZfaq recommended this video and I picked up my phone and am going to journal my own road to recovery after burnout. Just wanted to say thank you and Ill be shouting you out when I begin my channel. I needed this

Our mental health is very important. We are all replaceable at jobs, whether we believe it or not. I’m glad you did what was best for you.

I hope you don’t have any regrets from it. More people should have the courage to do this!

Thank you for making this video.

I definitely see a younger version of myself in you. Thanks for sharing; it can feel really isolating. You're such a cutie!

my gf needs to hear this, I'll send this to her and I hope it helps, thank you for sharing.

Damn bro, I resonate with you 100%, I’m also a software engineer and I really hate on call. I am also very frugal and I’m giving myself at most 2 years before I quit my corporate life. Currently 3 years into my engineer journey and I have to say the amount of responsibility is getting heavier and even during my off days I feel tired. Cheers

Thanks for being so transparent about your story, I went through something similar. Thought I was crazy too 😅

Love your video and specially your quitting story as a thirty something year old, in the same boat here! I am 34 and I quit my Big Tech job late last year on account of severe burnout . Thanks so much for making this video☺️

Just subscribed 💛 Funny thing, I’m trying to get into cybersecurity but now all these tech burnout videos are popping up 😅. But I took 14 months off in 2020 and it was SOOO liberating. Now that I’m back to work, I’m chasing that time freedom again, rather than material things. Currently getting things in order to take another sabbatical and live more slowly.

I have around 10 years of experience in tech..started as software engineer and slowly moved into product management (always thought this is what I wanted) but soon I realised that product management is too stressful for me. I am currently trying to navigate through that stress but haven't yet quit my job..the company I work for is on its downfall and hence a lot of politics and chaos and my manager is never happy or satisfied with what I do. I can so much relate to the mental and physical health part you are talking about. I am planning to talk to my managers to put me in a less stressful project (not sure if it's gonna work) :/

I subscribed at 'watching paint dry' lol Thank you for sharing your story and life lessons

awesome bro. focus on your happiness.

Love your vibe and relate so much to your story. I have worked as a software designer and product manager for the past decade-ish as an independent contractor and consultant. This past summer I wrapped up the projects I was on and "left the tech industry". I had a similar experience as you where it felt like the most insane and yet the most sane decision to make. I started a business in the gardening industry specifically to take things easier and live a healthier lifestyle. Staring at computers all day long thinking about computers all day long is no way for this human to live. I rather poke around in the dirt. Can't wait for more of your new content. You have already inspired me by showing me how powerful it is to share burn out stories with others. Thank you!

Some workplaces are better than others but some issues are common to all. Make your money, try to detach emotionally from work and all the drama/issues and get out when you can. After experiencing burnout a few times, I have adopted the mentally of the independent contractor at my salaried jobs. It helps me let some of the stress roll off and not care too much about what’s happening with work politics.

I've went through the same thing as well (minus the "not giving notice"). I listened to my body and had to leave. My mental health thanked me. I'm also happy I was not the only one that left a job because of stress. In my 20s/30s I would usually have something lined up as well but as stress grew, my body can't take it anymore.

Thank you so much this is really helpful

Your story does resonate reasonably to me. For me, I quite like my job despite the challenges and get along very well with my team, and I count myself very lucky that my Manager is very considerate and smart and professional.

Thanks for sharing your story, it sounds a lot like mine. I quit my tech job over a year ago and didn't have the energy or motivation to do anything else for a whole year. Only recently did I get a teaching job to explore different avenues. Also visited Japan after quitting and fell in love. That finally gave me a goal to work towards, which is to live there for an extended amount of time.

It’s so sad that teachers and educators don’t tell people that software development is 99% social and 1% code

Thanks for sharing it. ✌️

This is a really great post. Thank you for sharing your experience - you are helping people; can relate to a lot you have said here. My two cents is that it's not just you; tech got especially strange the last fifteen years or so. Frankly, most of these tech jobs could be split in half the pay for two people - including options, and we'd all be doing much better; the companies would be more productive; more people would have good paying jobs. Anyhow, wishing you well in your future adventures.

I was telling my colleague on my last day of work last Friday, "Why could we study so much (for postgraduate) and never learn how to live a life simply and be contented, but instead we strived and worked till we dropped? We thought we could live a better life getting high pay and doing professional work, but instead we became a slave to work. Tech, teaching, design, UX, Research... I've tried them, and I gave up on them all from that day. It's not worth paying my life to, professional work. I want to live frugally like you do.