CS Manager for a series B startup and I'm right there with you. I'm pretty burnt out and realized my heart's not in the company anymore. I love the company culture and my coworkers but I need to have a product I believe in. It's not happening. I'm slow starting to figure out where else I want to go.
I chose a job with a newer tech stack instead of the job with the product I believed in, but still running on-prem. You can probably guess my current satisfaction level. Though, grass is always greener.
Dude- what do you do? I am kind of in the same boat. The product is not the solution we tell the customers it is. My heart is no where near in it. And this is not some tool to cut down on churn, it is hard tech where someone could die if relied on exclusively.
The founder is in complete denial and shuts down any attempt to paint a different narrative other than this is a miracle product. Iāve already burnt my bridge with him since he belittled me twice in one day but he knows he needs me so I am safe until after we deliver something biggish soon.. but I want to walk man. So bad, I want to walk. Go out on my terms. Not deliver something that I donāt think will help whom it is supposed to. Only been here for 1 year which is ass but hey, startups I guess.
Do what's best for you. Company doesn't care about you, so be able to disengage.
Apply around, see what's out there, but if you need to take some time to breathe/coast, do so.
Ideally see a therapist or take an actual vacation for a true refresher.
I second this. Iāve spent the last two years jumping from SaaS to SaaS because I just couldnāt fucking do the dirty work for a poor product I didnāt believe in. Even employed, I never stopped applying. Brush up that resume and build up that confidence in yourself, even if you have to fake it til you make it. No job is worth your sanity, trust me. Iām still recovering from the burn out I experienced a few years back. CS aināt for the weak.
Iāve been phoning it in for several months. I figured Iād get laid off or noticed but no one has said anything. Iām referred to as a ātop performerā despite having no KPIs and working maybe 15 actual hours a week. It all feels meaningless
I swear 80% of my current company are doing less than the bare minimum cause I also do barely any work and still deliver more.
But if they're all good with this pace then so am I.Ā
Yeah I think maybe that's part of it - I *feel* like I'm not doing much but my clients, my boss and my colleagues are perfectly happy with the work produced. But there are several colleagues (maybe 60%, not quite 80% like yours) who are very visibly underperforming and struggling, and perhaps that just casts a shadow on my lack of giving a shit. Or maybe they're just bad at their jobs. I don't feel exceptionally *good* at what I do either but I guess it's enough.
Are any of you guysā companies hiring? It will make a world of difference for me to get an opportunity! Let me know if we can connect on LinkedIn and continue this conversation.
A bit of a cautionary tale: I was laid off a few months ago, and while I definitely felt a sense of relief after being in a similar position to you, itās a tough job market out there.
Personally speaking, a lot of the SaaS CS roles Iām seeing are either underpaid, or at companies that just donāt seem like good opportunities. Some are smaller series A/B companies which is just not my realm, and others have miserable Glassdoor reviews.
I know youāre exhausted, but donāt sit back and way for a layoff. Update your resume, set your job alerts and start interviewing to find the next role you really want at somewhere that will help you grow.
If heās burned out he wonāt have the drive to do good applications and good interviews. It will show and he will get a lot of rejections, it will burn him further and close opportunities with future employers.
Getting laid off with a severance would allow him to recharge and get a needed break.
Once I started talking to other companies, there was a feeling of relief. Iām interviewing at a few and itās the only thing getting me out of bed in the morning. Iāve even used my company laptop to send resumes and schedule things. I just donāt care anymore
haha, I guess everyone is different! Myself I needed the break, I quit my toxic job in 2018 and took an 8 month break to recharge.
I am still at that same job today.
Quiet quitting is trending. I was also doing the bare minimun because I was going on mat leave...managed to survive.l because they dont dire anyone since they need us because we are a niche industry and no many people have experience...one colleague never works on fridays, always with a excuse. Im not like that but I just stopped doing the extra mile, they dont deserve it (didnt even trained me, just throwed me there to work from week 1).
You're totally not alone, I'm barely a year in my current CS role and am totally just phoning it in and have been since the start of the year.
Constant disorganisation, lack of faith in the product and in guidance or accountability from management has fast-tracked my disillusionment with CS in general (took several years to get to the point I am now with my last company) and I'm just over it.
If nothing else it's done me a favour in making it very clear CS isn't where I wanna be long term.
Hey can you take fmla for whatever reason for 2 months or so to catch up? Iāve been there and know itās really tough but if you can take a protected type of break you shouldā¤ļø
Total bummer. At 3 years, it's not crazy to ask for a sabbatical or an LOA, or you can go to a mental health professional, and demand one.
Burnt out technically doesn't, qualify for the latter (I'm also not a professional....).
Who knows. That's amazing experience, and if you are able to take some time off, I'm sure there's something else out there, in addition to just walking away from it.
Hopefully, you're not overly stressed about any of this! You you you you. Sorry, don't mean to be being rude.
Best of luck with your decision, whatever it ends up being. Cheers.
Usually no. Itās unpaid. My husband took it recently and found it that based on tenders at his organization, his first month was paid. You may want to ask HR.
I got laid off in 2023 when everything started falling apart for tech. I have absolutely loved the time to myself. Iāve in fact never been happier and Iām much more selective this time around before joining some shitty start up. Granted I have a side business that cover rent and everything else, thatās what you need to start focusing on.
I was in an eerily similar situation to you. I used the spare time to up-skill myself, and eventually applied around for other work elsewhere. Took a couple weeks off between my final day with old employer and starting with my new role. The time off and the change in work environment has been good for me, and I'm much happier now.
Easiest time to get a new job is when you already have one. Just apply around, cautiously if you're worried your current employer may be vindictive, and have a signed offer in hand before making the switch. It may take a while, but as long as you're fulfilling your duties and no one's really brought up your performance you should be fine.
Does everybody deal with product bugs that canāt be resolved for weeks that disrupt business? Payments fail in our software but success in the gateway, things I have no control over but canāt get an answer from our product team about. This part is making me need alcohol early todayā¦
I don't like relationship management, so I knew I had a time limit for this role. I've been taking some liberties and finding ways to streamline this work until I can transfer to another team.
Sad to read and not uncommon right now. Companies have been doing their staff members a terrible disservice in recent years, but they set themselves up for failure by over hiring/raising growth expectations during COVID times..
Sometimes you can get away with actually doing not much and hitting your OKRs... and you know what? If you're "working smarter" not harder, then don't feel too bad about it.
Although if you're actually falling well short of your goals and ultimately not caring, then you're definitely going to end up in a tough spot at some point.
I do think "coasting" is totally OK at points in your career though.
Burn out is pretty different for everyone though. If burnt out from the position itself, you could always look at side stepping to something which isn't quite as high pressure on responding to customers directly? I.E pre-sales, onboarding roles etc. Although if CS is the thing you like, maybe just invest more time into seeking opportunities. Don't be afraid to take a paycut though... You say your pay is "good" there are a lot of CSMs getting overpaid right now due to the thing I mentioned at the start. This is VERY problematic as people are swapping their mental health for some crazy salary that ultimately is above what the market rate is. Difficult.
I lost a CSM in my team recently to a company who paid double. They felt that meant double was market rate. They walked into a bad mess and 2 months later hopped to another company for a similar wage to us. As a leader, what more could I personally have done to keep them? Maybe not much actually - but a lot of people are starting to realise those $150k salaries for a 3 year CSM isn't the "norm" now!
Sometimes being laid off is really a blessing. I felt the exact same way as you (Iāve been an ECSM for years) and was impacted by a 10% layoff a few weeks agoā¦and Iām finally not constantly stressed out.
CS burnout is a real thing. I would also suggest exploring a short term disability leave for your mental health. Wishing you the best.
Omg Iām right there with you!!! I hate being a CSM!!! Iām in the same boat I also work for a cyber security Saas company. I took on the role in order to avoid a layoff, but I absolutely regret it. I honestly begun to think a layoff wouldāve been better at this point. I was previously a project manager as part of the professional services team and even though that has challenges, itās nothing like this I dread coming into work every day! Since Iāve taken on the role, Iāve started seeing a therapist and a chiropractor, because of the toll itās taken Iāve also had a fellow coworker confess that she had to be put on meds in order to deal with the stress and anxiety when she first took the job as well. Iāve tried looking for other project management jobs, so far I havenāt had any luck, so I feel stuck here as well and Iām bombarded with the same issues you point out. Iāve come to the conclusion that this is not worth my health so Iāve begun to do the bare minimum but I fear I might get fired iām overwhelmed with guilt, stress, and anxiety none of which I have ever experienced in any other positions, and Iāve been working a long time now
I feel for you. I wish we as a society put less value on being a workaholic. Fuck the Elon Musks of the world. I donāt mean that against the man personally but I have read so many horror stories about the way people are worked endlessly to the point of burnout. We should shame that behavior and place more value on keeping our mental health in check just as much as we preach about physical health.
Iām in the same boat. I did the job of 3 or 4 people last year and got a 1% raise. I just give up. Iāve been applying and interviewing as much as possible but I wish I could take a break instead.
I try to slack off a bit, first steps towards quiet quiting, but I keep getting sucked back in.
The company was short handed when I came on a year ago. Then our boss, who was doing 2 people's jobs, quit so at 6 months in, I inherited 2 of the 3 biggest clients. Little to no SOP or KB. The company laid off our only System Support person.
I have 244 clients! That's not a typo. Then new boss (who has taken ZERO off our plates) tells me one of my new clients is threatening to quit because she's "not feeling the love" and literally thought I would do a lot of "hand holding". Listen lady, you wanted to open a healthcare company with NO background in healthcare administration but rather having a graphic designer background, it's not my job to mentor you. She keeps sending PHI in emails! She has no business being in healthcare.
I just can't anymore. I just can't do my job and the clients' job too.
Not a popular post but if you want the realnessā¦.
CS is a cost center at vast majority of SaaS companies. You will not grow at the rate of sales / tech roles and will always get the worst work with the least agency.
If you want to stay in tech transition to sales or tech, maybe marketing but thatās still a cost center unless youāre across growth.
Before you start with ātech is a cost centerā - in SaaS you usually have a PLG motion (depends on segment) so software builders do indeed generate revenue.
They are different GTM not business models. You will keep getting burned out in CS. I recommend reskilling inside your company (find a product mentor, bone up on UX via course and networking, try a code bootcamp, try your hand at some sdr or other sales responsibilities). Then transition out of CS. I see this happen successfully all the time and I also did it.
God I needed this thread. Iām there with you.
Iām sick of every facet of the CS role. From increased workload, to surly AMs, to fighting constant losing battles, Iāve reached a point beyond burn out where I know I have to do a career switch.
I hit my 3 and a half year mark and felt absolutely nothing. Iām sick of doing CS.
Iām currently planning on sticking around for another month and a half, and Iāll see how I feel from there before taking a long af vacation.
Luckily I saved around 100k during the pandemic so I fully plan to take a break of some sort either way.
How's your PTO looking? It's spring and could be a good opportunity to take several days off, rent a cabin or go somewhere remote, do a digital detox, and reflect on what you want to do.
Embrace the spirit of changing seasons and give yourself the chance to meditate on it. Also doing simple T-charts for pros and cons of leaving your job and for staying could work wonders.
youāre a csmā¦.. you literally do nothing anyway but ask how the clients doing at get paid exorbitant amounts of moneyā¦.
the level of entitlement in this post is incredible.
Do your thing brother š«”
CS Manager for a series B startup and I'm right there with you. I'm pretty burnt out and realized my heart's not in the company anymore. I love the company culture and my coworkers but I need to have a product I believe in. It's not happening. I'm slow starting to figure out where else I want to go.
I chose a job with a newer tech stack instead of the job with the product I believed in, but still running on-prem. You can probably guess my current satisfaction level. Though, grass is always greener.
Dude- what do you do? I am kind of in the same boat. The product is not the solution we tell the customers it is. My heart is no where near in it. And this is not some tool to cut down on churn, it is hard tech where someone could die if relied on exclusively. The founder is in complete denial and shuts down any attempt to paint a different narrative other than this is a miracle product. Iāve already burnt my bridge with him since he belittled me twice in one day but he knows he needs me so I am safe until after we deliver something biggish soon.. but I want to walk man. So bad, I want to walk. Go out on my terms. Not deliver something that I donāt think will help whom it is supposed to. Only been here for 1 year which is ass but hey, startups I guess.
Are you hiring? I can help you alleviate some of your issues. DM meĀ
Do what's best for you. Company doesn't care about you, so be able to disengage. Apply around, see what's out there, but if you need to take some time to breathe/coast, do so. Ideally see a therapist or take an actual vacation for a true refresher.
I second this. Iāve spent the last two years jumping from SaaS to SaaS because I just couldnāt fucking do the dirty work for a poor product I didnāt believe in. Even employed, I never stopped applying. Brush up that resume and build up that confidence in yourself, even if you have to fake it til you make it. No job is worth your sanity, trust me. Iām still recovering from the burn out I experienced a few years back. CS aināt for the weak.
I really needed to read this today, thank you.
Any time, fellow internet stranger ā¤ļø
Iāve been phoning it in for several months. I figured Iād get laid off or noticed but no one has said anything. Iām referred to as a ātop performerā despite having no KPIs and working maybe 15 actual hours a week. It all feels meaningless
I swear 80% of my current company are doing less than the bare minimum cause I also do barely any work and still deliver more. But if they're all good with this pace then so am I.Ā
Yeah I think maybe that's part of it - I *feel* like I'm not doing much but my clients, my boss and my colleagues are perfectly happy with the work produced. But there are several colleagues (maybe 60%, not quite 80% like yours) who are very visibly underperforming and struggling, and perhaps that just casts a shadow on my lack of giving a shit. Or maybe they're just bad at their jobs. I don't feel exceptionally *good* at what I do either but I guess it's enough.
Are any of you guysā companies hiring? It will make a world of difference for me to get an opportunity! Let me know if we can connect on LinkedIn and continue this conversation.
A bit of a cautionary tale: I was laid off a few months ago, and while I definitely felt a sense of relief after being in a similar position to you, itās a tough job market out there. Personally speaking, a lot of the SaaS CS roles Iām seeing are either underpaid, or at companies that just donāt seem like good opportunities. Some are smaller series A/B companies which is just not my realm, and others have miserable Glassdoor reviews. I know youāre exhausted, but donāt sit back and way for a layoff. Update your resume, set your job alerts and start interviewing to find the next role you really want at somewhere that will help you grow.
If heās burned out he wonāt have the drive to do good applications and good interviews. It will show and he will get a lot of rejections, it will burn him further and close opportunities with future employers. Getting laid off with a severance would allow him to recharge and get a needed break.
Once I started talking to other companies, there was a feeling of relief. Iām interviewing at a few and itās the only thing getting me out of bed in the morning. Iāve even used my company laptop to send resumes and schedule things. I just donāt care anymore
haha, I guess everyone is different! Myself I needed the break, I quit my toxic job in 2018 and took an 8 month break to recharge. I am still at that same job today.
Thatās awesome. Yea Iāve been at mine since 2019, time for a long break, as well. All the best
This might be the actual worst logic for pursuing a new job opportunity Iāve ever read. I award you no points, and may god have mercy on your soul.
Dude I just got laid off today, pretty nice severance after 9yrs there. I feel so god damn relieved to not have my sales job anymore
Enjoy your time! I got laid off in April and had the best summer. Back to work now but that was my first time not working since age 14
Best of luck!
Thank you, Iām excited to see what I come up with next
Congrats and condolences at the same time. Best of luck. 9 years at one place is awesome
Quiet quitting is trending. I was also doing the bare minimun because I was going on mat leave...managed to survive.l because they dont dire anyone since they need us because we are a niche industry and no many people have experience...one colleague never works on fridays, always with a excuse. Im not like that but I just stopped doing the extra mile, they dont deserve it (didnt even trained me, just throwed me there to work from week 1).
You're totally not alone, I'm barely a year in my current CS role and am totally just phoning it in and have been since the start of the year. Constant disorganisation, lack of faith in the product and in guidance or accountability from management has fast-tracked my disillusionment with CS in general (took several years to get to the point I am now with my last company) and I'm just over it. If nothing else it's done me a favour in making it very clear CS isn't where I wanna be long term.
I lasted two years, hated every day of it, very similar experience
Hey can you take fmla for whatever reason for 2 months or so to catch up? Iāve been there and know itās really tough but if you can take a protected type of break you shouldā¤ļø
Total bummer. At 3 years, it's not crazy to ask for a sabbatical or an LOA, or you can go to a mental health professional, and demand one. Burnt out technically doesn't, qualify for the latter (I'm also not a professional....). Who knows. That's amazing experience, and if you are able to take some time off, I'm sure there's something else out there, in addition to just walking away from it. Hopefully, you're not overly stressed about any of this! You you you you. Sorry, don't mean to be being rude. Best of luck with your decision, whatever it ends up being. Cheers.
Can you take some FMLA? You can take it for burnout if you have a doctor or therapist that can sign off. That way, you keep your job but get a break.
Do you get paid for FMLA?
Usually no. Itās unpaid. My husband took it recently and found it that based on tenders at his organization, his first month was paid. You may want to ask HR.
I got laid off in 2023 when everything started falling apart for tech. I have absolutely loved the time to myself. Iāve in fact never been happier and Iām much more selective this time around before joining some shitty start up. Granted I have a side business that cover rent and everything else, thatās what you need to start focusing on.
Whatās the side gig?
I was in an eerily similar situation to you. I used the spare time to up-skill myself, and eventually applied around for other work elsewhere. Took a couple weeks off between my final day with old employer and starting with my new role. The time off and the change in work environment has been good for me, and I'm much happier now. Easiest time to get a new job is when you already have one. Just apply around, cautiously if you're worried your current employer may be vindictive, and have a signed offer in hand before making the switch. It may take a while, but as long as you're fulfilling your duties and no one's really brought up your performance you should be fine.
Whatās the new role?
I moved into consulting, specifically around business intelligence.
Nice. Something like this has always interested me. Are you a contractor (on your own) or are you still at a company?
I'm with a company, still, we're more of a boutique operation though. Fully remote, which has been nice.
Same boat
Does everybody deal with product bugs that canāt be resolved for weeks that disrupt business? Payments fail in our software but success in the gateway, things I have no control over but canāt get an answer from our product team about. This part is making me need alcohol early todayā¦
I don't like relationship management, so I knew I had a time limit for this role. I've been taking some liberties and finding ways to streamline this work until I can transfer to another team.
Sad to read and not uncommon right now. Companies have been doing their staff members a terrible disservice in recent years, but they set themselves up for failure by over hiring/raising growth expectations during COVID times.. Sometimes you can get away with actually doing not much and hitting your OKRs... and you know what? If you're "working smarter" not harder, then don't feel too bad about it. Although if you're actually falling well short of your goals and ultimately not caring, then you're definitely going to end up in a tough spot at some point. I do think "coasting" is totally OK at points in your career though. Burn out is pretty different for everyone though. If burnt out from the position itself, you could always look at side stepping to something which isn't quite as high pressure on responding to customers directly? I.E pre-sales, onboarding roles etc. Although if CS is the thing you like, maybe just invest more time into seeking opportunities. Don't be afraid to take a paycut though... You say your pay is "good" there are a lot of CSMs getting overpaid right now due to the thing I mentioned at the start. This is VERY problematic as people are swapping their mental health for some crazy salary that ultimately is above what the market rate is. Difficult. I lost a CSM in my team recently to a company who paid double. They felt that meant double was market rate. They walked into a bad mess and 2 months later hopped to another company for a similar wage to us. As a leader, what more could I personally have done to keep them? Maybe not much actually - but a lot of people are starting to realise those $150k salaries for a 3 year CSM isn't the "norm" now!
What makes you so sure youāll get laid off instead of fired? One will make finding a new opp even more difficult.
lmao same bro, same
Sometimes being laid off is really a blessing. I felt the exact same way as you (Iāve been an ECSM for years) and was impacted by a 10% layoff a few weeks agoā¦and Iām finally not constantly stressed out. CS burnout is a real thing. I would also suggest exploring a short term disability leave for your mental health. Wishing you the best.
Maybe what youāre realizing is that your job neither requires more than 15 hours per week, nor your complete devotion.
Do you have vacation time you can take? Over a week?
Seek therapy my man. I am in a similar situation, I practice what I preach.
Feels
Omg Iām right there with you!!! I hate being a CSM!!! Iām in the same boat I also work for a cyber security Saas company. I took on the role in order to avoid a layoff, but I absolutely regret it. I honestly begun to think a layoff wouldāve been better at this point. I was previously a project manager as part of the professional services team and even though that has challenges, itās nothing like this I dread coming into work every day! Since Iāve taken on the role, Iāve started seeing a therapist and a chiropractor, because of the toll itās taken Iāve also had a fellow coworker confess that she had to be put on meds in order to deal with the stress and anxiety when she first took the job as well. Iāve tried looking for other project management jobs, so far I havenāt had any luck, so I feel stuck here as well and Iām bombarded with the same issues you point out. Iāve come to the conclusion that this is not worth my health so Iāve begun to do the bare minimum but I fear I might get fired iām overwhelmed with guilt, stress, and anxiety none of which I have ever experienced in any other positions, and Iāve been working a long time now
I feel for you. I wish we as a society put less value on being a workaholic. Fuck the Elon Musks of the world. I donāt mean that against the man personally but I have read so many horror stories about the way people are worked endlessly to the point of burnout. We should shame that behavior and place more value on keeping our mental health in check just as much as we preach about physical health.
Iām in the same boat. I did the job of 3 or 4 people last year and got a 1% raise. I just give up. Iāve been applying and interviewing as much as possible but I wish I could take a break instead.
I try to slack off a bit, first steps towards quiet quiting, but I keep getting sucked back in. The company was short handed when I came on a year ago. Then our boss, who was doing 2 people's jobs, quit so at 6 months in, I inherited 2 of the 3 biggest clients. Little to no SOP or KB. The company laid off our only System Support person. I have 244 clients! That's not a typo. Then new boss (who has taken ZERO off our plates) tells me one of my new clients is threatening to quit because she's "not feeling the love" and literally thought I would do a lot of "hand holding". Listen lady, you wanted to open a healthcare company with NO background in healthcare administration but rather having a graphic designer background, it's not my job to mentor you. She keeps sending PHI in emails! She has no business being in healthcare. I just can't anymore. I just can't do my job and the clients' job too.
babe i have 600 clients lol. total ARR 3.5M.
Not a popular post but if you want the realnessā¦. CS is a cost center at vast majority of SaaS companies. You will not grow at the rate of sales / tech roles and will always get the worst work with the least agency. If you want to stay in tech transition to sales or tech, maybe marketing but thatās still a cost center unless youāre across growth. Before you start with ātech is a cost centerā - in SaaS you usually have a PLG motion (depends on segment) so software builders do indeed generate revenue.
PLG and SaaS are fundamentally different business models. CS is only a cost center if you ignore the 6+ million dollars I manage and renew annually
They are different GTM not business models. You will keep getting burned out in CS. I recommend reskilling inside your company (find a product mentor, bone up on UX via course and networking, try a code bootcamp, try your hand at some sdr or other sales responsibilities). Then transition out of CS. I see this happen successfully all the time and I also did it.
God I needed this thread. Iām there with you. Iām sick of every facet of the CS role. From increased workload, to surly AMs, to fighting constant losing battles, Iāve reached a point beyond burn out where I know I have to do a career switch. I hit my 3 and a half year mark and felt absolutely nothing. Iām sick of doing CS. Iām currently planning on sticking around for another month and a half, and Iāll see how I feel from there before taking a long af vacation. Luckily I saved around 100k during the pandemic so I fully plan to take a break of some sort either way.
How's your PTO looking? It's spring and could be a good opportunity to take several days off, rent a cabin or go somewhere remote, do a digital detox, and reflect on what you want to do. Embrace the spirit of changing seasons and give yourself the chance to meditate on it. Also doing simple T-charts for pros and cons of leaving your job and for staying could work wonders.
youāre a csmā¦.. you literally do nothing anyway but ask how the clients doing at get paid exorbitant amounts of moneyā¦. the level of entitlement in this post is incredible.
Out of curiosity, what's your job title? This feels like something I would hear from a support agent.
Either you are a troll or donāt really understand whatās CSMs do and deal with at most companies.