Ask HN: Being Highly Sensitive (HSP), can I find fulfilling work in tech?
»Do you get rattled when you have a lot to do in a short amount of time? (...) Do you make it a high priority to arrange your life to avoid upsetting or overwhelming situations? (...) If you notice everything, you are naturally going to be overstimulated when things are too intense, complex, chaotic, or novel for a long time.« [1]
After my studies I have worked for 2 years in one of The Big Five. I take this as a proof that I have sufficient intellect for the field, but the time has also pretty much burned me out and badly damaged my professional confidence. Because I'm accurate but also kinda slow, sorting through the load of corporate e-mail alone I found overwhelming. Add a demanding environment, with time pressure, peer reviews and the like, and you have enough to brake me. Later, I co-founded a start-up and participated in another, both as a tech lead, and I enjoyed that time and role — but both companies failed. Since then, I have the occasional freelance work and earn a ridiculously little amount of money. I find it depressing that I tried different types of work (corp., start-ups and freelancing), and none seem to be able to provide a sane environment combined with appropriate income.
Now I wonder whether I have chosen the right industry. As an HSP, can one be a good fit for the tech world? If yes, what would be a fitting environment or role?
[0]: https://highlysensitiverefuge.com/
[1]: https://hsperson.com/
10 comments
[ 2.2 ms ] story [ 37.3 ms ] threadI don't think it would be considered a disability
Quality or speed you cant have both, there is lots of work in the tech world for people that can produce quality. You also talk about wanting to be organised, lots of work for organised people in the tech world. All of your personality traits that make you feel overwhelmed are probably your greatest assets if you can find work that makes use of them.
You have tried a lot of different types of work in the tech sector but there are more still, lots more. Try smaller businesses and other less corporate overlord tech companies.
In my experience there is more shitty work than there is good work, keep trying shit until you find something that works for you.
You can succeed in tech. Tech is so, so vast. There are so many areas and facets to it that have nothing to do with FAANG or the Big 5 or whatever.
What's worked for me, and what may work for you, is to stay away from "sexy" tech. I'm at a relatively unsexy tech company in an office on the east coast, and I've found a group that's working on cool stuff without the pressure and ego of stereotypical SV ("move fast and break things"). The environment and culture is rigorous but much more relaxed, and my team places a lot more value in correctness and runtime speed over development speed.
Not everyplace in tech is pressure cooker. Not every person is ego driven. Even though I'm in a relaxed environment, I still struggle with comparing myself to my colleagues and dealing with feelings of inadequacy, but because I can recognize that tendency in myself I can do things to address it. Many of those things end up being spending my time away from work _truly_ away from work and finding my identity outside of my job. That might be antithetical to running startups, or it may not.
My emotional intelligence is ultimately a benefit to my team if I can keep it in check, just as the drive to get things done from one of my colleagues is a benefit if kept in check, and the cautious nature of another if kept in check, and the devil-may-care optimism of another if kept in check, etc.
We all need the strengths of each other, and your sensitivity, if kept in check, will be a benefit in the right environment.