Ask HN: What are some comfy/stress-free jobs a SWE can do? (LCOL country)

Been working as a SWE for almost 7 years, burned out, quit to recover. Thankfully savings are good, so doing well now, but I am starting to think of what comes next.

Living in a pretty cheap country, 20k/year would be more than enough to have a good life, anything over that would go into investments.

Any ideas what kinds I work I should seek out? Sacrificed a lot these past few years to progress my career, so I am looking to minimize stress and enjoy life for the next couple of years.

7 points | by ejlanor 17 hours ago

4 comments

  • thorin 8 hours ago
    If you want to live in a low cost of living country you need to learn to live as the locals live. My friends that live overseas in Asia or in Eastern Europe probably spend as much as I do on rent and have servants, drivers etc so they still need to earn quite a bit.

    If you don't have any family you could try somewhere relatively close by for short periods and see how you get on e.g. USA->Panama/Costa Rica, Western Europe -> Eastern Europe, or maybe consider Thailand/Vietnam.

  • TheCapeGreek 13 hours ago
    Woah, where is 20k buying a comfy life these days?

    Genuinely curious. I'm supposed to be in the third world but COL has become ridiculous in the last few years.

    I felt similarly to you not long ago, sometimes still do. Honestly right now SWE is still a valuable skill to get paid for. Leverage your network to find calmer waters after taking a break, or freelance part time instead.

    Recovering from burnout in my experience is a combination of changing environment, finding tools to help with mental health, and lots of patience with yourself. If can take years to feel like your old self again, and even then your output never quite comes back the same.

    • throwaway3b03 7 hours ago
      I live in The Netherlands and my yearly expenses are less than 20k EUR per year, and also have a car (major expense around here). But I don't pay rent. Several years ago I used to live in Romania, and similarly, had expenses a lot lower than 10k EUR per year.

      So I think it's possible just about anywhere in the world, if you're ready to do a lot of things yourself (don't rely on services such as a car/bike mechanic, fix plumbing, house issues yourself, don't pay a lot of money on going out etc).

      • ailef 7 hours ago
        Not paying rent is kind of a problem for most people.
    • Lionga 6 hours ago
      Less then 20k is easy possible in >90% of Europe outside of the expensive cities.
  • FlopV 16 hours ago
    How much time are you looking to commit ? Are you looking to work remote ? How much $ you looking for a year ?

    All that matters

    • ejlanor 15 hours ago
      Flexible on time, just looking to minimize stress.

      Remote jobs of course, local scene is not great both in terms of salary and work culture.

      Money wise, my living expenses are around $20k/year. And last full time job I was making around $60k/year in a senior level role.

  • vatican_banker 16 hours ago
    What hobbies are you passioned about? You hobbies is usually a good place to start looking.
    • ejlanor 15 hours ago
      Music, programming, gaming.

      I feel like programming is the only one that is realistically monetizeable out of those.