Stay or leave?
For context, I’m working as an SDE at a remote startup. Over the past year, my performance has declined, and my manager has lost trust in whether I’m putting in enough effort. I also don’t feel engaged or motivated right now, and I’m not entirely sure why, it could be burnout, family-related stress, or a combination of factors. At this point, I’m struggling to understand what’s wrong with me and how to fix it.
Recently, after growing frustrated, my manager told me I have two options: either take a break from work or immediately get back on track; otherwise, they’re prepared to let me go. They mentioned that similar concerns had been raised in the past, but no significant improvement has been observed.
I graduated in 2021 and have been working in this field since then. Software engineering was dream job for me but now i am somehow not able to put in work for this. I’ve always considered myself a hardworking and sincere person, and I never imagined I’d end up in this situation. Being here has taken a toll on my self-confidence, and I’ve started questioning whether I’m good enough.
I’m leaning toward taking a short break (around a month) to reset, but stepping away from a job feels scary given the current market.
On the other hand, if I stay, I worry that the pressure to perform, especially after already struggling, might make things worse. I’ve tried to improve my performance before, but whenever something comes up mentally or personally, I end up avoiding work again. I’m also unsure whether the remote nature of the job is contributing to this, or if the issue is entirely on my side.
Need your help in figuring this out. Would appreciate any pointers or advice you have for me.
If you have enough financial runway, take a break, recharge, and then jump back into your career. That's always better than continuing to drag on after feeling burnt out.
If you’re not too financially constrained and have good amount of savings, I think it’d be a good idea to take a break. But, the more important thing is you need to be honest with yourself and be disciplined during the break. Otherwise there’ll be phases where you might get too comfortable and go on a hedonistic spree. As long as you take this informed plunge, a break will be the best thing to happen to you.
I think you should man up. Life won't get any easier. Working as a salaried employee is a modern day slavery. Imagine like this, we are like field slaves who work on paddy fields or cotton fields or climb coconut trees. You can quit your current farm owner and move to another farm.but it will be the same paddy or cotton or coconut tree.
