By J.M. Auron, Expert IT Resume Writer—Providing Professional IT Resume Writing Services for More than 15 Years.
So, over the last couple of weeks, I've written about a couple of things that are keeping IT pros awake at night; fears of the AI apocalypse (which I believe are exaggerated) ATS paranoia (which I also think has been blown up online to be a bigger problem than it is), and job application burnout (which is, alas, all too real).
Today, though, I want to talk about something that I believe many IT pros are feeling—but may not always be saying out loud: tech just isn't as fun or fulfilling as it used to be for a growing number technology professionals at all levels. I've seen the change in clients in my IT resume service—there's a level of stress, of frustration, of burnout, that I haven't seen in the now 16 years I've been a professional IT resume writer.
I don't want to be negative, by any means. But I do think this topic is serious enough that we should start talking about it openly. That's the only way to chart a wise and effective course in the choppy waters that tech professionals are facing in 2026—and possibly beyond.
Burnout, Uncertainty, and Loss of Connection
As I mentioned, I'm hearing this from clients in my IT resume writing service—but I'm not seeing these issues addressed nearly enough. So I'll break these down, piece by piece, but I'm going to start off with something that a lot of people are feeling—but not many are saying.
Why Isn't Tech Fun Anymore?
There are a lot of reasons. The constant direction pivots. Then endless changes in senior and middle leadership. The move to more and more busywork—putting out endless updates that do nothing—to demonstrate "agile velocity." The smaller number of really interesting, really challenging projects that technologist can sink their teeth into.
All of this is, as Mal Reynolds said in Firfly, "A recipe for unpleasantness."
Let's take these apart one by one:
1) Constant Strategic Pivots
Too often these days, the need to be (or appear?) agile—in both business objectives and technology goals—translates to pivots every quarter. Too often, there's no clear direction, no clear strategy. There's a sense of desperation on the part of some senior leadership, and that translates, unfortunately, into, "Well, let's just try something new!" without really thinking things through.
Of course, I'm not criticizing all, or even most technology (or business!) executives and leaders—this is a much broader issue in business culture (especially in the US) in the 2020s. Things are tough. People are trying to find a way forward. I absolutely get that. But while changes in direction are hard across the enterprise, they can be particularly stressful for tech pros.
2) Frequent Changes in Upper Management
Another issue, related to the first, is the increasing frequency of upper management changes. I've had several clients, just this year, tell me about how they've had a different CTO every couple of years—or even more frequently—and that every new CTO brings in his or her own team. Again, this isn't the fault of the CTO, but this is extremely disruptive. It's disruptive to strategy and execution—and it builds a lot of anxiety about whether your position is going to be stable through this and future shakeups.
3) Less Interesting Projects
Finally, a lot of projects just aren't as interesting as they were. Part of that, of course, is just the increasing maturity of the tech market. Fewer and fewer big applications need to be build. We live in a time of updates (which I believe are generally too frequent, rushed, and without sufficient QA—but that's a topic for another article). This may change, at least on the infrastructure side—I, and others, think that there may be a significant move back to on-prem in the coming years, given the disastrous outages we've faced in the last 12 months (I'll be writing on that in the next couple of weeks, by the way, so check back). That said, though, a more mature technology and more mature processes, may not provide the scope for creativity that we had in the days of the "wild west."
No Answers—But a Few Suggestions
Now, these are complex issues. There aren't any easy answers—and I'm not going to give you a list of convenient bullet points that will, supposedly suddenly change the tech job landscape.
I wish I could—but that's rather beyond my abilities or scope.
But I will say a few things that may help you—if what I've said here resonates—to help you navigate the tech career landscape in 2026—and hopefully beyond.
First, I think it's important to take a good, honest look at your stress level. One of the strengths that technologists have is the ability to deal with, and even normalize, crushing stress. That's an admirable character trait—but it can backfire when the stress just gets to be too much.
So I'd suggest that sit down for a couple of minutes—a couple of minutes is a fine, at least for a start—and try to sense how stressed you really are.
Now, I'll be honest with you. This may be pretty uncomfortable, initially, but it's ultimately very valuable.
If your stress level is just the "normal" stress of life in the 21st century? Well, then there may not be a need for a change. Instead, it may be a question of managing the stress we all feel these days. That's not always easy, but it is doable.
Is Your Stress Level Your Current Job, Burnout, or Tech in 2026?
But if you're really feeling like your stress level is more than you want to deal with?
That leads to a decision point. It may be helpful to think about whether the stress your feeling is your job, your boss, the projects you're working on—or whether it's deeper, whether tech isn't fun anymore.
If you really think, after due reflection, that the problem is your current job? Than it makes sense to get started on a proactive job search—focusing on opportunities that won't have the stress you're experiencing, and will have more satisfaction.
If, though, you really feel that technology isn't where your interests lie now? That the things that got you interested in a career in tech in the first place are just getting to scarce on the ground? Then there are a series of larger decisions ahead of you. It's important, of course, to think about whether it's really the world of tech in 2026, or whether you're just burned out. But if it's more than burnout? It may be time to think about a career change. A career change isn't easy; I'm not going to lie to you about that. Nor is a career change something to be undertaken lightly. But it can be done—and if you're interests have really changed, it may be worth thinking about.
If you'd like to set up a time to talk about my tech career coaching and IT resume services just set up a time on my Calendly or drop me a message on my contact form.