love takes work
So I am having a coffee with this developer. She’s been writing code for 5 years. She wants to quit. She tells me she’s lost her love for coding. She feels tired of staring at a computer for hours.…
Feb 14, 2023 · 3 MIN READ
So I am having a coffee with this developer.
She’s been writing code for 5 years. She wants to quit.
She tells me she’s lost her love for coding.
She feels tired of staring at a computer for hours. She is thinking of going into project management. Or travel the world.
Or become a musician, her childhood dream. Everyone tells her to follow that dream.
I tell her to think twice.
Think about it.
The baker is bored of baking bread. They still bake.
And the actor is bored with auditions and shows. They still act.
The surgeon is bored of batching people up. They still perform surgery.
Look at top athletes all over the world. Serena Williams, Rafael Nadal, or Usain Bolt.
All of them were incredibly passionate.
But I bet they all had days when they freaking hated the sport.
Because when the honeymoon is over, you realize one thing: love takes work.
More work than most people expect.
It is true with any relationship in your life, particularly the relationship with your job.
I always say the main reason I am here today writing you this email is because I never quit. Even when it got boring and dull.
It is okay to get bored some days, even some weeks.
Success in any discipline implies a period of boring, repetitive work.
That is why you need to have something going on besides work.
Holidays. Hobbies.
A social circle.
If you feel like quitting because you’ve lost your “love for the game”, think twice.
Maybe it is temporal, and you just need to hang in there for a bit.
Or get more responsibility.
Or switch to a different company.
If after that, you still feel like quitting, then you have my permission to bury your damn laptop and go do something else.
As long as that something is helpful for the world, you’ll do just fine!
One last thing before we go.
As you remember in my last email, I will be parting ways for a few days, so my capacity to take calls these days is limited.
Well, you people went a bit crazy, and my calendar filled up in a matter of minutes!
Bogdan kept bugging me to help everyone we could. So I had to give in and open more slots. Last time I checked, there were around 4 left on the calendar.
If you want us to have a chat about your developer career and see if and how we could help you, apply here for a call with me (4 spots left!). <https://www.theseniordev.com/apply>
And remember, don’t quit just because these days you don’t feel like it!
I didn’t feel like it for months, and I am still here :)
Take care, Dragos
p.S. yes, we’ve been canceling many appointments. Why? I only have two days to consult everyone, and when you don’t provide enough information in the application (which already gives me a hint about your commitment), we have to give the spot to someone else. Don't worry, if you are fit, we will do whatever we can to give you an appointment.Apply here now! <https://www.theseniordev.com/apply>
