I started my IT career in 2011, I have enjoyed it, I have got to do a lot of interesting stuff and meet interesting people, I will treasure those memories forever.
But, starting with crypto turing general computing from being:
“Wow, this machine can run so many apps at the same time!” or “Holy shit, those graphics look epic!” or “Amazing, this computer has really sped up that annoying task!”
To being:
Yo! Look at how many numbers I can generate!
That brought down my enthusiasm severely, but hey, figuring out solutions to problems was still fun.
Then came AI/LLMs.
And with it, a mountain of slop.
Finding help about an issue has gone from googling and reading help articles written by something with an actual brain to mostly being rephrased manuals that only provide working answers to semi standard answers.
Add to that a general push to us AI in anything and everything, no matter how little relevance it holds for the task at hand.
I also remember how AI was sold to the us at first, we were promised to do away with boring paperwork, so we could get on with our actual job.
What did we get? An AI that takes the fun and creative parts, leaving the paperwork for the workers.
We got an AI that we need to expect to be stealing our work and data at every point, giving us shit work back, while being told that we should applaude it and be grateful for it.
And the worst thing, the worst thing is that people seem happy with it. I keep getting requests to buy another Copilot license or asking for another AI service to be added to our tenant, I am sick of it!
We got an AI that somehow has slithered onto the golden throne and can’t be questioned.
I am not able to leave the tech market at this time, but I will focus on more tangible hobbies going forward.
This year, I have given myself a project, I will try to build a model railway in a suitcase. That will be a Z-scale tiny world in a suitcase.
I have never done anything remotely like it, but I feel like I need something physical to take my mind off tech.
Sorry for the rant, but I just came off of a high from realizing and putting words to my feelings.
I can relate. I have been in tech for about 30 years now and have never been less interested in it. I used to love learning and implementing new things, and now I’d rather not. I think part of it is the changing landscape for tech but a lot of it is just me. I’m not really playing video games anymore, don’t read the tech-based posts on Lemmy or videos on any of the creator platforms. I don’t care about upgrading my devices, it just seems like a waste of money to drop $1000 on an incremental upgrade and AI that I don’t want.
Part of it is that I’ve just reached an age where I’m starting to think about what I have done, what I haven’t done and what I’m going to leave behind and what I’m leaving behind is game consoles and a collection of cables that I’ll never use. So, I’ve decided to move on. I’m volunteering at a local living history museum where we are restoring the waterway of a late 1700s grist and woolen mill, rebuilding and preserving something that the community can enjoy long after I’m gone. I’m also learning how to make things. I’m learning woodworking to start making shaker-style furniture and how to process wool and crochet. I’m crocheting a nice wool blanket for my wife so she has something tangible to remember me by if I’m lucky enough to go first. What woodworking tools I don’t have, I’m making. I’ve made a mallet, marking gauge, shooting board, and am just finishing a turning saw that I can use now and will still be usable to someone else long after I’m gone.
Anyways, to close out this ramble, take a step back from tech and think about legacy. Tech is just a tool and it’s rare that it will allow you leave behind anything lasting. It’s frustrating and lonely and it’s only getting worse. Get out and do something for your community or make something for your loved ones. Find the ability to take personal satisfaction in doing instead of consuming. You’ll be happier.