Um, so, avoid burnout by not doing your job. It's cool that Jacques had that option and all, but how does that really help the vast majority of developers who don't? I'm burned out right now, but quitting my job isn't much of an option either.
I don't know your situation, and I'm only speaking from my own experience, but I've been in a situation where I was absolutely certain that quitting was not an option (because of mortgage/bills/the usual). Once truly burnt out, I had no choice but to leave, and it was only then that I saw, in hindsight, that not only had quitting been an option all along, but that it would have been far less damaging in every way (financially, mentally, career-wise) to quit before I got burnt out. And there were plenty of other, better jobs waiting.
But read the article - the author didn't find a better job, he stopped working altogether. Yes, he was futzing around on his "farm," but he wasn't being paid for it and wasn't working a "job" in the traditional sense.
Moving jobs is always an option, yes, but people who are truly burned out won't suddenly be better because they changed jobs - the issue goes deeper than that, and a mere change of venue won't fix it.
Generally you're probably right, but people do get stuck in jobs for real because of external constraints. A mortgage is not always one of them because it usually means you have capital to trade for your mental health.
Divorce, Healthcare needs, Child Support, Immigration Issues, are the kinds of thing that can leave people genuinely stuck. Not to mention the possibility of not being able to get a good reference because of being burned out.
Obviously, it's up to each person to avoid these kinds of trap, but they do exist and they do damage what could otherwise be productive lives.
It is an option if you're willing to lower the bar on your standard of living, and if you have a family, your family's standard of living. Eventually, you weigh everything and decide whether or not the effort and experience is worth the pay or life itself.
Sad to say, but isn't that why some people end up committing suicide? Because they don't see how anything's of value?
Of course, such quitting-income decisions are easier to make if you're single and young. Looking at yardie's experience, that's a great example of just going and doing whatever, without requiring the huge cash one would need to do what OP did. OP was obviously in a very fortunate position.
