How Do You Get over Worthlessness Feeling After Restructuring?

My sympathies, you've gotten a pretty raw deal.

> I have to be always on-call so nothing fails.

You have agency in where you set your boundaries with your employer, perhaps quite a lot more than you feel or have been exercising historically. Decide how much you on-call you are willing to do and don't do any more for free. E.g. if you're paid to work 40 hours per week, don't volunteer to donate another 20 hours of work to the investors for free. Do your 40 and turn work comms off.

Management has decided to under-resource your team, for management to understand this has caused a problem, they need to experience the consequences of the decision, and feel that it is causing a problem for them personally. You can help them understand the situation by limiting your on-call participation to a level that is sustainable and makes sense for you and your family (and leaves you with enough energy outside of work). Then if the system goes down when you are not scheduled on-call, you need to leave your managers to deal with the fallout until you are back at work in your scheduled business hours.

You should demand a higher rate, seeing as how you temporarily have them over a barrel, or quit. Ask me how I know they’ll fire you as soon as that system isn’t important. You’re being a sucker by staying there and playing nice. You’re toast as soon as they have other options.

You have a great opportunity and gift use it wisely. You are in a rare situation where there is no one who can replace you easily and they don't want you to do much real work.

If you don't respond to an on call alert until the next day.. what are they going to do, fire you?

The maintenance work overloading you. Push back.. a week becomes two. Drag things on.. then push to upgrade to speed things up (and get you back in your domain). They will refuse but ignore your longer schedule.

Now you can take on that second job or prepare for interviews

By not staying in that role, denying them being able to make that kind of decision about your value. You can't stop them thinking like that but you don't have to go along with it.

I am really sorry this happened. Depending on your financial situation, you can take a break and prepare for the interviews. it is really hard to work at a place where you are not treated well.

You are most certainly not worthless. Your feelings on this will take time to resolve. Just remember that this situation is only temporary, you aren’t stuck for life. Many of us have been, are currently or will be in the same position. New opportunities will arise, I guarantee it. In the mean time, do whatever you can to renegotiate the on-call duty if you are the only one handling it. Since they are entirely reliant on you here, you have quite a bit of leverage.

You aren't worthless, you are being given a significant amount of trust to use your specialized knowledge to single-handedly keep a system alive.

Now, I totally get that isn't the job you want, and they aren't treating you well. But it isn't a sign of being worthless. Find something better, but do it with confidence that you are seen as being quite capable in your work.

Don't bother going to work anymore then wait for the call. Tell them your contracting rate is 500$ per hour.

Start searching for a new job.

Once they get an alternative system they are going to do away with you.

Take time off, make yourself fully unavailable, let it burn.

Don't derive your self-worth from your job.

Count your blessings - you could've been laid off. Start looking for another job.

I think the "getting over feelings" part is just not a HN question really.

The "what should you do" part--people here can help with that.