Being 42, working in Tech but no more as a developer, I wonder whether, unlike many other jobs, being a developer involves some kind of Passion for "Tech matters".
I mean, with languages and technologies continuously evolving, one must endlessly keep a close eye on new technologies.
I wonder whether this obligation (I guess it is an obligation for you folks, right?) is a pain in the ass (that is: "Shit, I have to take a look at the new 2.3.X version of framework XYZ") or a real new endeavour ("Yeah, New python version is now completely multi-threaded, let's take a look at the changelog :-) ).
Or, maybe something in between and varying from one developer to another.
Tell me what you think. (I'd also like to have both women and men in tech's opinions)
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Top comments (4)
I think "staying interested without burning out over time" is the real answer for passion.
I think some people obsess over passion out of some bad experiences working with totally apathetic people at some point, but looking for passion ends up being like an over-the-top meme.
Keep up with things at your own pace, put a bit of healthy pressure on yourself, and don't get caught up in the misguided notion of generic "passion".
💯 % agree with that. Keeping the “Tech” pace can somehow lead to burn out or even trigger some imposter syndrome. I’ve seen so many great developers bullying themselves as being mediocre... more often seen on senior developers (>45 y old).
Your words are wise : “keep up with things at your own pace” with a “healthy pressure”.
I think there should be a “how to survive and live longer as a developer within the fast and furious tech pace.
Thanks for sharing your point of view.
"Passion" often is code word for "we want you to work 80 hour weeks." So that's one problem with the term.
More broadly, Avdi argues it's a very bad word to use when talking about your job (see virtuouscode.com/2014/02/10/the-pa...).
So a better question might be "why should I keep up with technology, and how?"
For many people the answer is not "passion", it's career. In which case you don't need to care about the technology inherently, you just need to optimize for "I need to make sure I'm learning so I can do my work well, and so I can continue to find jobs as the industry changes." This is best served IMO by learning on the job (codewithoutrules.com/2017/09/09/le...).
I think everyone is different to be honest. I love what I do - I love my job, I love my industry, and I love finding out new things every day and learning as I go. That being said, being a noobie is pretty time consuming, and I don't often spend much time obsessing over the latest tech and/or languages because, quite simply, my brain is fried a lot of the time! However, if I come across any new information on the subject, I thoroughly enjoy learning about it - I just don't always have the energy to seek out the information for myself. Doesn't make me any less passionate though :)