A couple of days ago, I listened to an interview with Paul Taylor, the author of “Death by Comfort.” The subject, and the title, struck me as interesting: how humans have evolved to react to adversity and how a life of ease prevents us from reaping those benefits. I brought home that idea, and throughout the rest of the week, I reflected on how, over the years, challenges and setbacks have been golden opportunities for my growth as a developer. Perhaps, my pursuit of settling into an appealing, secure, and predictable position may be fatally misguided.
Lucky for me, and mostly because of my love for adventure, I never get too comfortable, and around every corner, I always find new challenges. Now, I’m sure I must embrace them, and you should too. Let me explain why.
Use It or Lose It!
- Sticking to routine tasks may lead to a lack of exposure to new technologies and methodologies.
- It’s vital to stay up-to-date with industry trends and acquire new skills to remain competitive in the fast-paced tech world.
For many years, I’ve been engaged in full-stack work, covering both back-end and front-end roles for the same projects. I believed, and to some extent, I was correct, that this approach was hindering my ability to achieve optimal performance in either area. Consequently, I decided to concentrate on the areas where I had the most experience. I chose to specialize in the back-end to delve deeper into technologies, enhance my techniques, and, of course, improve my proficiency.
But the price was to lose the agility I used to have in doing front-end. Although it’s like riding a bicycle (the skill is always there), it now takes me more time to switch contexts than it used to. Additionally, it kept me away from learning the latest trends in technology, making it more challenging to engage in front-end conversations regularly without sounding like a boomer.
On our daily work we tend to take on the task we’re good on, thinking that will boost our productivity and we’ll look better moving stories faster through the board. But that’s pretty much like skipping legs training at the gym, we may end up with a buffed torso and skinny legs. By doing the same task over and over again we’re loosing precious opportunities to exercise different skills.
As important as it is to maintain our old skills, it is vital for our survival to acquire new ones. In the past, humans could specialize in a craft with little to no innovation over their lives. However, in the present, especially in the case of IT, we find ourselves in the midst of tectonic shifts every few years.
“Every day, work to refine the skills you have and to add new tools to your repertoire.”
― Andrew Hunt, Pragmatic Programmer, The: From Journeyman to Master
Hunger Sharpens Ingenuity
- Routine tasks may limit creative thinking and innovation.
- Innovation and creativity have led to breakthroughs in the tech industry.
“Think outside the box.” Every once in a while, we encounter seemingly simple or entirely impossible problems in those quirky posts where the solution requires us to mold our thinking. Day-to-day problems might not always be apparent, but conventional answers don’t suffice at times. This is where your creativity comes into play, showcasing what makes humans irreplaceable.
I made a rule for myself: if something becomes routine, it qualifies for automation. Don’t take pride in doing something really fast; automation enables you to focus on tasks where you’re indispensable. Modern IDEs provide various auto-format and auto-complete tools and plugins, along with a wide range of shortcuts for common actions (not to mention CoPilot, which deserves a whole article to discuss its benefits).
You can set up actions, such as saving, committing, or pushing to Git, to trigger commands that review and clean up your code. CI pipelines can run a comprehensive set of linters, tests, and analyses, relieving you of mundane tasks. Utilize your time to discover improved methods, experiment, introduce small, controlled variations, and document them. That’s the incremental approach to innovation.
Revolutionary changes don’t happen overnight. Eureka moments arise after numerous unseen, incremental advances. Exercise creativity as frequently as possible in every aspect of your daily work. Regardless of how small or insignificant the progress may appear, it all adds up!
“There’s a lot of automation that can happen that isn’t a replacement of humans, but of mind-numbing behavior”
― Stewart Butterfield, CEO of Slack Technologies, Inc
Survival of the Fittest
- In our ever-changing industry, adaptability is paramount.
- Embracing change and learning new technologies is crucial to avoid the risks of becoming obsolete.
Despite a few examples of companies clinging to their old stacks, it’s very likely that we will outlive our technologies of choice. To avoid becoming dinosaurs destined for extinction, we must evolve alongside technology before the blazing meteor hits us. My parents still struggle with computers and smartphones (and sometimes even simpler home appliances, but I blame poor design for that matter). They lived through the changes but neglected to adapt sooner.
Tomorrow is already too late; that’s the harsh reality. If you’re waiting for the perfect moment to learn something in our industry, you might be watching a train that has already departed. Allocate some time in your daily schedule to stay aware of the zeitgeist, and dedicate some time each week to learning and practicing new things.
Be kind to your future self and equip them with the tools needed to maintain the enjoyable life you have. Avoid becoming obsolete!
“I very frequently get the question: ‘What’s going to change in the next 10 years?’ And that is a very interesting question; it’s a very common one. I almost never get the question: ‘What’s not going to change in the next 10 years?’”
― Jeff Bezos, former CEO of Amazon
The Golden Cage
- A lack of self-development can lead to career stagnation.
- Failing to evolve and face challenges in your career may hinder your opportunities and professional growth.
People often find themselves stuck in the same position, despite excelling at their jobs. They witness others receiving promotions, and while career progress is a complex matter with many variables to consider, this article focuses on one of them: self-development.
If your goal is to transition to a different role, you’ll need to demonstrate proficiency in a different set of skills that qualify you for it. It’s not solely about merit; a promotion is not just a reward (arguably, at times, it might even be considered a punishment). It’s a strategic move. Managers are unlikely to assign you tasks in an area where you lack expertise, especially if they are losing a valuable contributor in your current position.
You may find yourself at that point where you’ve become very proficient at something, and you’re in a sweet spot—a golden cage where you feel comfortable, respected, and mostly satisfied. However, it’s still a cage. You’re confined in a bubble that hinders your growth.
Don’t be the big fish in a small pond.
“Indeed, that’s the only viable long-term bet on your career: focus on work that matters, do projects that develop you, and steer towards companies that value genuine experience.”
― Will Larson, Staff Engineer: Leadership Beyond the Management Track
I Can’t get Job Satisfaction
- A monotonous routine may lead to a lack of job satisfaction.
- Job satisfaction is key for career success.
At some point, you may find you’ve made your world so easy that it starts to feel dull. You can’t find motivation in repeating the same old steps to build a CRUD for an API. That’s an ailment that consultants suffer — their trade is to produce the same good-enough fast solutions over and over again. We all experience that at some point in our careers: why bother learning something I won’t use?
Enthusiasm is the primary driving force for success; no mountain was ever conquered with resignation. You need to feel the urge to push yourself beyond your limits. A boring routine won’t take you far, and most importantly, it won’t allow you to make the best out of your life. If you’re going to spend 40 hours a week doing something, you better enjoy it.
But don’t be that guy; you don’t need to be high all the time. Over-enthusiasm may lead to frustration and burnout. Look out for balance and choose the right moments to fuel your motivation. If people stop inviting you for drinks after work, it may be a signal that you’ve been pushing too hard.
“Find a job you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life.”
― A. Nonymous, most hated motivational internet quote
There’s a World Outside
- Routine tasks may hinder opportunities for networking and collaboration.
- There’re great benefits in working on diverse projects and building a professional network.
By restricting your circle of usual collaborators, you’re losing out on a great deal of connections. Sometimes, attending workshops or seminars is not only about learning but also about meeting people and building new connections with peers that may open up new opportunities.
Dealing with people who hold different opinions may seem like a challenge, and certainly, it is, but the rewards it pays off really compensate for the effort. In the end, social skills are invaluable. You need to practice them as often as possible, and other perspectives may help you step out of your echo chamber and open up opportunities to improve your knowledge.
And probably, along the way, you may find yourself with renewed motivation.
“You’ve probably already got the technical chops, what you need to do is work on your reputation at the company. For better or for worse, you can’t get to Staff without a good reputation.”
― Katie Sylor-Miller, front-end architect at Etsy
To summarize, it’s important to cultivate a growth mindset. Expose yourself and others to challenges by viewing them as valuable opportunities. Strive for continuous learning, take the lead within your team and your company, and advocate for prioritizing learning and development. Most importantly, overcome your fear of failure—taking measured risks pays off greatly, and failure is an integral part of the learning process.
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