Ask HN: What is the best money you have spent on professional development?
The single best thing I did for professional development was see a therapist. In tech, our jobs are knowledge-based. You can&#x27;t hammer a nail into a board while you&#x27;re sitting on the couch with your child, but you can certainly think about software architecture. I&#x27;ve found that my job bleeds into my personal life, and vice versa, and I believe it is far more common than most people realize. Stress piles up and it affects not only your home life, but your work life.<p>Taking the time to talk to a professional and become introspective and conscious of my own mental health has provided me with more value than all the books and conferences and talks I&#x27;ve consumed put together.