1 link tagged with all of: retirement + energy transition + tech burnout + career transition + purpose
Links
A Lobsters discussion where people who've left tech careers share what they actually do next — most keep coding for fun, some pivot to teaching or environmental work, and burnout on the job itself (not the tech) is the common culprit.
- People rarely fully retire from tech; they burn out on meetings and corporate structures, not on programming itself, so many continue coding through open source or personal projects.
- Energy transition work offers experienced engineers meaningful impact (electrifying transport and heating accounts for ~60% of emissions vs. data centers at ~1%), appealing to those tired of optimizing ecommerce platforms.
- Post-tech plans vary widely — teaching, music, writing, gardening, environmental activism — but the thread shows most people need some form of purpose and "being needed" to stay mentally healthy in retirement.
career transition
tech burnout
energy transition
purpose
retirement