Ex-Meta techie shares his struggles with mental health
What's the story
Securing a highly-paid position at a corporation or an MNC is a common aspiration. Eric Yu, a 28-year-old, had this very dream, which he believed came true when he landed a job at Facebook (now Meta). However, Yu's dreams soon turned into distress as he experienced a panic attack due to work pressure. He eventually resigned and has since openly shared his experiences.
Google and Facebook
Yu chose Facebook over Google
Yu stated in a recent interview with Business Insider that getting job offers like this had been a top priority for him. In 2016, Yu opted to work with Meta after rejecting an offer from Google. "At the time, Facebook seemed more like a startup and less 'corporate' than Google. I also preferred its campus more, so I chose Facebook," he shared.
Was at pressure
The techie was under a lot of pressure at Meta
Although his typical work day was from 7:00 am to 5:00 pm, he continued to think about work outside work hours. "I think the pressure and the environment of working in tech made it incredibly hard for me to disconnect after work," he told Business Insider. He stated that Meta had a high standard of code quality. Besides, the code reviews were tough.
First panic attack
He experienced his first panic attack in 2019
He started to experience random short "zoning out" moments which he used to ignore. Yu experienced his first major panic attack in November 2019 while working from home. His "left pinky went completely numb." It later got worse, his ears started ringing, and his heart beat fast. He felt intense thoughts that kept bursting all at once.
Experienced in the following months
He had panic attacks frequently
He kept experiencing them frequently in the following months which got progressively worse. "From March to September 2020, I was at the lowest point in my life. Every day felt like a grind: I didn't know what I was doing or why I was still working," he stated. His performance also started dropping as he was not able to focus or meet deadlines.
Quitting
Yu decided to quit in 2020
By the end of 2020, Yu decided to quit after realizing that he did not want to work in tech in the long run. Looking back, Yu understood that his workload was potentially unhealthy. He regrets not having told his manager that he couldn't handle the work he was given at many moments. Today he says he has better control over his anxiety.