One of the issues I have with the whole tech scene in this regard is that the “work” is never ending and we are taught that this is expected if you want to succeed.
Read books outside of work, do courses, side projects, contribute to open source, work as a consultant on the side, write a blog, …
It really annoys me. It’s this “Always Be Coding” mentality that puts so much pressure on me. Of course at some point the pressure gets too much and I start to crack.
It almost feels like this is the “burden” you have to take on when you decide to work in tech. Any hour of free time should be spent in front of the computer growing and improving your “craft”.
It sucks and as somebody who suffers from depression, it really is a contributing factor to my ongoing issues. When is it enough? When am I really a good programmer? If I only do my 40hrs at work and don’t read or develop any side projects, I suck. But even 40hrs a week almost take me to my limit sometimes.