Joy in Work – Software Development

The wonderful cartoon in this link illustrates 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 Developersposts on improving software developmentDon’t ask employees to be passionate about the company!A Career in Computer ProgrammingIT Operations as a Competitive AdvantageReddit, a living example of how software coders thinkFocus on Customers and EmployeesSigns You Have a Great Jobโ€ฆ or Not

This entry was posted in Deming, IT, Management, Psychology, Software Development and tagged , , , , , . Bookmark the permalink.

11 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. Pingback: CuriousCat » What Motivates Programmers?

  3. Pingback: Curious Cat Management Blog » The Manager FAQ

  4. Pingback: Curious Cat Management Blog » A Programmer’s View of the Universe

  5. Tudor says:

    I wish I had the luxury I coding what I like and in the language I like. The painful truth however is that I can only do that in my spare time, and if I do then my girlfriend will kill me ๐Ÿ™‚ We have a rule about computers in my spare time ๐Ÿ˜› As for work….I code in whatever is needed (usually C++ or .NET). Can’t say I dislike them but I’d love to do some more low level programming (kernel programming) in pure C and assembler ๐Ÿ™‚

  6. Pingback: Curious Cat Management Improvement Blog » Job Listings Online Filled with Jargon

  7. Pingback: Curious Cat Science and Engineering Blog » How To Become A Software Engineer/Programmer

  8. Pingback: Curious Cat Management Improvement Blog » Top 10 Reasons Why Employees Leave in IT

  9. Pingback: Curious Cat Management Improvement Blog » Three Years of Real-World IT Projects In Ruby

  10. Pingback: Curious Cat Management Blog ร‚ยป A Programmers Take on Agile Software Development

  11. Pingback: Finding, and Keeping, Good IT People » Curious Cat Management Improvement Blog

Comments are closed.