Reawakening Your Passion for Work
Have you ever thought about the journey from a newbie to a top-notch developer?
I published an article about a developer’s journey many years ago, and I have had a long walk since then. Today, I would like to share my reflections with you on how to reawaken the passion for software engineering work inspired by an article published by Harvard Business Review.
You likely achieve a lot in your field, moving quickly up the career ladder—but after working in perhaps a toxic environment, you suffer from burnout. It is a negative situation but a realistic scenario. Believe me, though: it is not hopeless. A few months ago, I started looking for new knowledge, skills, and expertise. Imagine you’re standing at a crossroads, and there is a choice of which path to take. Asking questions is my method to achieve milestones. I invite you to go on a journey with me through several questions.
“I would rather have questions that can't be answered than answers that can't be questioned.” ― Richard Feynman
If I were to write my own biography, it would be about, among other things, asking questions that lead us to better solutions. After having worked many years as a software engineer specializing in back-end development with the Ruby on Rails framework and developing other people’s startups, I feel that I must change something in my professional life.
Am I doing what I want with my life?
Life is like a business, and you need a plan with a strategy. “Strategy” is knowledge of an entire situation that helps you make the best decisions going forward. The purpose of my plan—my strategy—was to start living authentically; it is also worth knowing where you want to be two and five years from now, for example.
Am I really living the way I want to live? Am I living my values?
What does it mean to live an authentic life? It is about living according to values. A good start might be the Personal Values Card Sort prepared by W.R. Miller, J. C’de Baca, D.B. Matthews, and P.L. Wilbourne, which allows you to find core values for yourself. Why is this important? Because these values form principles—a kind of morality—and wisdom to determine a mission in life. I have started defining my principles for life, which takes the form of quick sentences, or aphorisms, to influence my life.
What has changed at work? In life?
I felt that I was stuck in place. I had stopped thinking about my goals, dreams, and ambitions. I’d forgotten about dreaming, which had in the past persuaded me to take the next steps. Some people dream about owning a new car or home, taking holidays in exotic places, changing the world for the better, achieving world peace, or simply living a peaceful life. What was my dream?
Well, in dreaming, I discovered my life plan. I knew that I didn’t want a “peaceful” life because I tend to think better under stress—working under pressure is good for my performance. However, stress with proper time for rest allows me to grow. I have started planning some days off, city breaks, longer holidays—without them, I am on a straight path to burnout.
How am I feeling? And am I having fun?
It is crucial to build emotional resistance, especially because working under pressure requires a special toolkit. I realized that mindfulness with breathing techniques allows me to be here and now, decreasing the feeling of being overwhelmed. My favorite activities are sports such as cycling and running; I would like to learn swimming. Maybe one day I will participate in Ironman? I am still having fun with web development because I have found new meaning in familiar territory. I jumped into the JavaScript community, and I have progressed in web development with tools and frameworks such as React, Express, and Node with TypeScript flavors. Maybe my side project will change into a new venture?
Have my dreams changed? Do I still believe in my vision of my future?
I dream big, and I’d like to start a small company soon. My vision of my future has changed a little over the last few years. When I was 19 years old, I wanted to be a philosopher—I believe that there is a chance to change the world toward peace through educating people. I consider education as a tool that can transform the world. Therefore, my professional activities relate to education and software engineering in a wide sense: I am working on a project to make the Internet a safer place to be.
Going forward
I realized that it is good to have a roadmap with a detailed plan of where I want to be in a few years. It is worth knowing that questions allow us to get back on right path—especially because sometimes we can get lost. Building emotional resistance and forming new habits is difficult but crucial for peak performance. Also helpful is engaging in sports to decrease mental tension quickly.