Ep13 - Burnout (with Nav Rao)

In this episode we chat about burn out. Yes, again... because this topic deserves an always ongoing conversation.This time Nav Rao, a self-described "floating software engineer" with experience in early-stage startups across New Zealand and Australia, joins us to discuss the topic.Nav shares his candid experiences of burning out multiple times throughout his career, warning signs that indicate you are heading towards burnout, and we discuss how burnout manifests: from overwhelming stress to crushing boredom, feeling lack of purpose, and organizational dysfunction, plus the compounding effects of repeated burnout cycles.The conversation covers strategies for recovery and why traditional advice like "touch grass" goes only so far without addressing systemic workplace issues. We also reflect on how the current state of the tech industry, including AI pressure and current market status is affecting engineers and driving them towards burn out.