Were you able to have a work-life balance doing a coding job?

It's been tricky. I've worked in a number of software development roles now, and (like many engineers, I expect) I really enjoy solving technical problems, and find it difficult to push back on social pressure.

Recently I've begun time tracking at work. That's not something I've done much in the past - and it's been challenging to adjust to the idea of it.

Two foreseeable positives of that are:

- It'll be possible to look back on time spent, and reflect and learn about projects, activities, and perhaps distractions

- It'll be easier to close the laptop screen at the end of the day (assuming there are no pressing/ongoing issues to deal with) knowing that the day's work hours are done

It all depends on the company culture. I’ve been mostly lucky during my career, and always had reasonable WLB, even in startups.

My last stint, in fintech, is insanely brutal, no WLB at all: 80h a week, emails and IMs in the evenings and early mornings, with expectations of handling them promptly. Every Saturday/Sunday busy doing some deployment or infrastructure surgery. I’m out soon!

Sort of. Like with most things, it's a trade off. I've had a decent amount of the life part, but this has cost me in the work part. Basically, not staying late all the time has hindered my career (9 years in with a masters and I'm only a midlevel dev). Which means I have less money to enjoy in life and will have to work longer until I can retire.

Over the last few months I've been working as a contractor for a company in the US, part time. Because I live in India, and get paid in USD, I don't feel pressure to go full time. I sped the day with my 4-yo and spouse and then work from 7pm to midnight with a break between to walk the dog.

It can be a good life if you're able to get a good rate for your work, and if you're willing to cut that in half to have balance. Living in a cheap country / city / area helps too.