Most Software Developers Are Depressed

We have encountered this problem. It is important to have something else after work that we can do some hobby. The best thing is that you can see the effects tangibly.

if you’ve found happiness, what made it work?
"Sometimes" is my answer for that just because happineess is something you feel and do not get and keep it. Here is my point of view, happiness is something that you might avoid looking for outside, for example, feeling happy cause of a job change or a new relationship. As a senior developer, I realize that most of being happy every day is on me. It is about the way I deal with technical and personal challenges at the workplace. About the way I keep my delivery agenda organized and trustable, keeping myself updated, avoid being surrounded by toxic people both at work and in personal life, taking care of mental health consulting doctors... and many other small details

And if you’re struggling to find happiness, what really makes you unhappy?
Again, yes. I sometimes struggle to feel happy but I consider myself extremely grateful for what I have accomplished until today.

I'd not say 'most'

This sums me up pretty much.
I'm happier when my work-life is balanced, and exercise is important for mental health IMO.

return -1;

I usually find discussions like these aren't really helpful (especially for people that are trying to enter the field). The title is misleading, since there are not any verified surveys or studies, and the answers can come from a biased standpoint or just not enough experience in the field to understand how things work. Every job is hard, especially in the STEM sector. It's the reason why the jobs are so lucrative. I believe the main reason you should be in the field is because your passionate about it. Being passionate will help you navigate through the tough times in your career (and trust me THEY WILL COME), and it helps you to navigate to positions that help you alleviate some of the frustration you experience at different companies, to find that sweet spot for you.

But there are just so many variables on why someone wouldn't experience "happiness" on the job from:

No passion. If your just doing the job for a paycheck, it will be extremely hard to find joy in something you don't have an interest in.

Not constantly learning to propel yourself into better positions or companies with better culture. The IT field is constantly evolving and you have to keep up with everything to stay marketable. That means learning OUTSIDE your job hours. This is where passion comes in, because you don't mind spending your off hours learning, because you enjoy it

Bad management. You might just be in a position where the management is not qualified to lead the team efficiently, and in that case you should find another job where you have confidence in the management. That's why it's important during the interview process to flesh out the culture details you want to confirm if you want the job. It's kind of like professional athletes. If they feel the coach is causing them to be unsuccessful, they try to find another team.

You may lack the skills for the job. If you don't have the skills to work the job your in, it will definitely make you unhappy, because it will take you longer than average to deliver (new features, bug fixes, etc.). Which creates extra pressure (in yourself). You have to make sure your delivering within the teams expectations, and if not then just study until you achieve it.

But, I believe the main thing, is to have passion for what you do. Without it, it will be hard to find happiness in the job.

The overall about working as a developer is great, but some people are stuck in their career/work because external factors and this added to the fact that sometimes this work put you on a lot of preassure make a lot of people unhappy of working in the industry.

The one bit of advice that has stuck with me is to prioritize your mental health by maintaining a healthy work/life balance.

• No, I won't work 12-14 hours a day for weeks/months.

• No, I won't come in every weekend.

• No, I won't work when I'm sick or I need to take care of a family member.

If your depression is caused by your job, change! It's important to do what you love to do. But if it's caused by something deeper, seek help and take care of yourself.

Most software developers are maintaining monster legacy code bases, where trying to add even a small feature results in 100+ new bugs in unrelated places, making it "impossible" to move the code forward in any ways, resulting in that they end up as "baby sitters" for past projects ...

Of course, this isn't true for everyone, but it's true for far too many ...

If you don't become depressed in such an environment there is something wrong with you ...

There’s more to life than code and deadlines

That part hit me like a tornado. That statement runs deeper than meets the eye

return 🙏

Fortunately i come from a country that doesn't matter what you do anyone that has a brain is depressed🙂