By the end of 2024, I had spent over a decade as a passionate software engineer… and was deep into my third burnout. I had enough. I reflected upon the reasons, budgeted for the exit, and planned for a break in 2025. Eight months later, I returned to coding full time with a new set of guiding principles.

No regrets. Here’s what I did to recognise when to stop, rest, and prepare for the next phase of my career.