The Software Development Industry is plagued with stress. Many will lead you to believe that that’s just how the industry is. I was a stressed out developer before I figured out how to be a happy one. Go to any social media platform and you’ll see a ton of happy software developers. That’s not how the real world is. The real world is full of unhappy and stressed out developers. While you can’t eliminate stress completely, you can work on becoming happier and a little less stressed out each day. Time to become a Happy Software Developer.
1. Understand the Value Work/Life Balance
Software Developers = workaholics. You may not notice it. Even if your primary workload is light, how many developers do you know that don’t have something on the side? Some have side-gigs. Others have personal projects. It’s never-ending. It’s a curse since we understand how to solve most problems. Each problem that’s solved is a potential stream of income.
It’s great when you’re in your 20s. By the time you’re in your 30s, you’ve been pushing 12+ hour days and have burnt out to the point of no repair. This is usually the time that people start forming families, if not already, and come to a realization that they must step back. Most get out of development and pursue a related career path, just not writing code.
Happy Software Developers learn that this is a career like any other. There’s the career path of yourself, and then there’s the non-career path: family, friends, hobbies, health, etc. Unhappy Developers act like life is a sprint to the finish line. Learning to live is a habit that everyone needs to focus on.
2. Take Vacations
You may think you don’t need them, but you really do. You’re a robot, I get it. But is your family a collection of robots as well? How about your friends? The simplest way to enjoy your time off is to spend it with others that you enjoy being around.
Taking around 3 weeks off per year has been shown to increase happiness and lower burnout. My go-to strategy for this is to take a vacation as soon as I start to feel burnout creeping in.
This is the time to disconnect, truly. If your company is calling you while you’re on vacation, it’s time to change companies. It’s fun to have others depend on you, until they start calling you at all times of the day. When you’re on vacation, even seeing a coworker’s name can bring you back into the work-mentality. If you can, keep you phone on “Do Not Disturb” and stay away from it as much as you can. Don’t check your email. Your mind and your family will thank you for it.
3. Don’t Get Attached to the Applications
Happy Software Developers know that the applications they build for others are not theirs. I’ve heard developers say, “this is my baby.” I’ve seen developers leave because they were reassigned projects. Having that much attachment to a product that you don’t own is never healthy.
I’ve worked for an organization that scrapped the entire project after putting in a years worth of time into it. Multiple developers put 40 hour work weeks into the development of this project and it was completely scrapped at the end.
Learn to separate yourself from your work. Do not get attached to the applications that you write.
4. Surrounded With Other Positive Software Developers
You’ve heard it hundreds of times: surround yourself with people that have a positive outlook on life. Your friends should “talk about launching their own business, focus on health, etc.” Being surrounded by happy software developers will keep you in the right mental space.
I’ve worked with all types of developers, from happy to destructive (the kind that actively want to bring the company down). The simplest way to surround yourself with happy software developers is to find a company whose culture is not toxic. If that’s just not achievable, you can always join online communities that facilitate positive software development. Bring as much positivity as you can and keep attracting it. Eliminate toxicity as fast as you can.
5. Meetings Minimized
The life of a software developer rarely looks like how it does in the movies. Software Engineers do not code all day; they would be lucky to get 3–4 hours of actual development into into their schedule. Meetings can quickly run out of hand to the point that you have to decide which meetings you’ll attend since they’re scheduled one on top of another.
If it’s getting to that point, ask: “Do we really need this meeting? Can this question not be answered through email?”
The more time you have to actually writing code, the happier you’ll be. Most of the time that work doesn’t get done is because “you just didn’t have the time.”
6. Improve Your Skills
Are you stuck working for a company that still utilizes outdate technology? Whatever the reason may be, if you feel like you’re getting left in the dust, it may be time to find a company that works with the latest and greatest.
This doesn’t mean that you should strive to work for a company that constantly experiments with new technology. This can lead to unhappiness in its own right. Software Development agencies are notorious for bringing in different technology with each new client that they sign. Stay away from these types of companies as well.
The perfect company will evaluate projects thoughtfully. If it makes sense to upgrade, they will. But keeping PHP 4 around just because “it works” is probably a recipe for disaster and is likely to suck the soul out of you each time that you have to maintain it.
7. Set a Clear Path Forward
How long have you been stuck in the same position? Where are you looking to advance to? Each company should offer a clear career path to their employees. What is the expected timeframe to move from senior software developer to lead? What are the goals and objectives?
Having that defined usually means that you’re working for a mature company. Setting realistic goals and achieving them is something that happy developers enjoy. Once those goals are achieved, what does that path look like next? Even though you’ll frequently hear that money is not the most important factor, it’s still a realistic factor. Once goals are achieved, will there be financial incentives to keep pushing to the next level?
If your company does not offer that, reach out to your manager and discuss it with them. If goals can’t be set, it’s time for a new job.
8. Accept Things That Can’t Change
These are usually things that you may find unfair. Does someone else get better treatment than the rest of the group? Why is it that Frank has 10 weeks off per year and you have 2? This is just one of hundreds of examples that you can probably find. The question that you should ask yourself is, “does this affect me? Is my workload increasing because Frank’s not here? Is there more stress directed towards me?” If you can answer no to those questions than what you’re dealing with is “fairness.” And you need to let it go.
Ignoring certain aspects of the job, especially office politics, is the best approach for happy software developers. If things absolutely need to change, and you can’t, then it’s time to move on.
9. Learn to Work with Others
This one is for the senior software engineer. How many times have you been approached by a junior software developer with a simple question and you ended up completing their task? This ties in with #3. Stop treating applications like they are a work of art and let others contribute.
You need to learn to let go of the rains and only help when needed. Everyone’s collectively working on the project and contributing. By working as a team, you’ll have more time for your other tasks and for things outside of work too.
10. Set Realistic Expectations
We’ve all been here. Most of the time it’s because the individuals that we’re speaking with don’t understand how time consuming development tasks can be. Saying that something will take me “5 minutes” does not mean that the fix will be available in 5 minutes. With proper IT education, this one is easy to fix. Elaborating to the individual that it will be fixed and deployed next Friday may be an easy solution.
On the other side, there are individuals that know exactly how long something takes and will try to optimize each minute of your day. When a company forces over-optimization and is toxic about it, you should consider finding one that doesn’t.
Conclusion
It’s really up to you. Find a company that allows you to implement happy-inducing habits. You are not bound by chains to work for anyone. While you probably won’t be able to achieve all 10 habits at any one company, slowly inching your way forward will bring you more happiness each time.