Thread by @mary_grace

I'm re-reading articles about #burnout before finishing up this section of my #DevRel book and stumbled on this oldie-but-goodie from @aprilwensel:

"What burns people out is not doing hard work, but rather feeling like their work doesn’t matter."

medium.com/compassionate-…

Don't get me wrong... as long as I know my work still matters, I'm ok with doing the basic, repetitive work that I'm overqualified for but that needs to happen to keep the team going. It's a part of every job, right?

The difference is when I'm told that my time is best spent doing that drudge work rather than doing the work that I love & care deeply about. The message that sends me is that the work that I care about the most is essentially worthless & is doing nothing to further the company.

Being told that the majority of your time is best spent on work that is far below your skill level is demoralizing, both because it's not what you enjoy doing, and because it says that your mgr doesn't see your true worth.

My opinion? A job that says this to you on a consistent basis isn't one worth staying at.

Now I'll admit that I'm incredibly privileged to have my skillset & live in SF, where there are 50 companies within 2 miles of my house that are hiring for roles I likely qualify for.

That being said, any company that makes you feel like your best work isn't valuable likely doesn't deserve your best work. Do what you can to find a company that's both able to support you in your work and willing to invest in your future.