This was tough for me to read. I get panic attacks thinking about this regularly. I’ve heard all sorts of answers to this question, “accept what you can’t control” being the prevailing theme.
The issue for me has been that while that advice is easy to hand out and to some degree I agree with it, it doesn’t say anything about how to reach that point of acceptance.
I’ve tried a lot of things to alleviate these panic attacks, and that’s as successful as I’ve been so far.
The answer: meditation and medication.
I visited a psychiatrist this year after a particularly difficult time and got diagnosed with an anxiety disorder. The doctor put me on a program where I started with natural alternatives, I was hesitant to try medication. But eventually, once it was clear that the natural remedies were not working, I put my reservations aside and tried the medication the doctor prescribed. And lo and behold, it’s actually helped. I don’t get the panic attacks as often and when I do they are not as bad.
There is only so much that medication will do for you however. My psychiatrist recommended I a read a book called “10 percent happier”, and this has helped become more aware about what goes on in my mind and what my body is trying to tell me.
> Are there companies where people are motivated by the company's vision or impact on humanity?
Check out any relatively young startup unable to pay FAANG salaries and you’ll find people who are there because they actually care about the work. You’ll also find people who are there purely for the potential upside when/if the company exists.
I think what you’re really trying to ask is: Are we all destined to end up jaded by the tech industry and in turn end up trying to maximize our salaries in order to get out as quickly as possible?
So far the only place where I have seen most of the employees give a damn are companies that hire mostly senior people, that pay above market and that are fully bootstrapped, so they don’t offer stock/options.
Once you reach a “senior role”, you’re going to be getting compensated well enough that slaving to squeeze a little extra money every year is just not a great return on that investment. So you either show up and just do work that you’re happy with and find fulfilling or you leave and build your thing.