Hira Saeed

I burned out building something I loved. And I still don’t fully know how to talk about it. It didn’t feel like burnout at the time. It felt like dedication. By the time I admitted something was wrong, I had confused exhaustion for identity.

I tried resting. Taking breaks. But you can’t rest your way out of burnout when the root is still there.
What actually helped looked, from the outside, like giving up. It still does.

But, what I can definitely say that if you’re in it, or just got out and you’re figuring out who you are on the other side, you’re not behind. You’re in the middle of something that matters.

(Tech, burnout, women in tech, mental health)

Eid Mubarak to everyone celebrating ✨🌙! Also, how is it that one city can trigger you so much but also make you smile the biggest and brightest? I’d never understand you Karachi! 🫠

Social media is built on insecurity. The algorithm rewards the highlight reel because people who don't know any better scroll longer, engage more and come back for more. So every 'quit your 9-5' post, every overnight success story, every perfectly curated career moment, it's not just content. It's a business model.
And somewhere in the middle of all of that noise, we started believing careers are supposed to look a certain way. Linear. Loud. Always ascending.
Eleven years in tech taught me otherwise. I've been the journalist, the freelancer, the founder who burned out, and now the corporate girlie who chose it on purpose. And none of it looked like what this app told me it should.
So here are the things I actually believe about careers - the stuff that gets buried under the highlight reel.
Save this if any of these hit. And drop in the comments which one you disagree with? I want to know 👇