Curious Cat Management Improvement Blog: Deming, lean thinking, innovation, customer focus, continual improvement, six sigma.
November 25, 2007
Joy in Work - Software Development

This wonderful cartoon shows the all too common despair in work. Software programmers are more likely to really enjoy what they do. There are many reasons for this not the least of which is that they have a fair amount of control over their careers. If they don’t like what they are asked to do, the tools they are asked to work with… they will (more than others) leave for another job. Some managers get frustrated that such people are not willing to put up with the normal bother everyone else seems willing to accept (programmers are often “unreasonable”). But I see an occupation that is more focused on joy in work than most. And creating joy in work is what managers should be worrying about - not getting troublemakers to fall into line.

Why I Program In Ruby (And Maybe Why You Shouldn’t):

Harmony and balance make you feel good. American Rubyists frequently take up all the points of Ruby’s power, expressiveness, and efficiency, but they don’t seem to register the point that Ruby was designed to make you feel good. Even Rubyists who want to explain why Ruby makes them feel good often fail to mention that it was expressly designed for that exact purpose.

Don’t program in Ruby because you want power or efficiency. Don’t program in Ruby because you think you “should”, either. Program in Ruby because you like it. And if you don’t like it, don’t program in it.

I enjoy programming using Ruby on Rails.

Related: Hiring Software Developers - posts on improving software development - Don’t ask employees to be passionate about the company! - A Career in Computer Programming - IT Operations as a Competitive Advantage - Reddit, a living example of how software coders think - Focus on Customers and Employees - Signs You Have a Great Job… or Not

2 Responses to “Joy in Work - Software Development”

  1. Robert Adams Says:

    I have not been able to find a College or University
    where the Deming Cycle or other related quality program
    is a part of the Engineering or Information Technology
    curriculum.

    I have found that a computer program can and should be
    considered a very special type of Deming Planning Document.
    I would be very interested in finding someone with
    similar experience.

    Please look at my web-site, http://www.whatifwe.com
    for futher information.

    Any comments or referrals would be greatly appreciated.

    Thank You

    Robert Adams

  2. CuriousCat » What Motivates Programmers? Says:

    “I will start with a question, if you have a spare £400 in your development budget do you A) Reward your star programmer with a £400 bonus or B) Buy him a 24 Inch 1920×1200 LCD screen? If you answered ‘A’ then you need to read on…”

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