Is working in tech sustainable?

About five months ago, I quit my job as a senior software engineer working in Silicon Valley. I had many personal reasons for why I wanted to leave, but amongst my friends and past coworkers, the desire to take a break from the tech industry is quite commonplace.

With this thought, I wonder why so many of us are working at companies renowned for their fantastic pay, benefits, and perks, feel compelled to leave our jobs to take time off?

Because it is challenging to figure out how to build sustainable work habits in the tech industry. For the sake of my mental health, I’ve learned to place more boundaries between work. But learning to do so has not been easy.

I have felt my lack of work boundaries when I take my lunch break and leave with homework about an industry that grows far faster than I can keep up with.

I have felt my lack of boundaries when I know there’s an unspoken expectation that I should respond to messages and emails outside of work hours.