A passion for programming. Chapter 6. Do not listen to your parents
< 5. Invest in your intelligence | How I refused $ 300,000 ... >
In our culture there is a sacred rule, follow the advice of their parents. This is considered a child’s responsibility, and it is a religious duty to do the right thing. Moral of the plots of books, films and television programs is still the parental wisdom. But for work in our industry, this moral is not true.
Your parents would prefer to have a wonderful career at the expense of great personal risk. More than anyone you can count on, your parents can give you advice based on fear. Such advice aims not to lose. To think about not losing is not the way to win! Winners take the risk. They think about where they want to go, not about where they want to stay. Career planning from fear is more likely to lead you to a calm life than great. Of course, it is safe, but not at all interesting.
In the past generation, fun was not the deciding factor when it came to career. Work should not be fun. It should be profitable. Fun is what you do on weekends. Fun happens in the evenings or on vacation. But if your work is not interesting, as we understand, you will not do anything ingenious. This is not so different from our time, but our cultural understanding of what it means to work has changed for the better. Many of us understand that passion leads to perfection. And without fun, there is hardly a passion for program work.
')
Another factor in choosing a career that most likely does not correspond to your parents' vision of the working world is that everything is in order and there is no need to change jobs. Comprehensive professional software has many angles of production: product development, technical support, internal development of business systems, as well as the work of managers. The more you have seen concepts and made architectural decisions, the more you are prepared to make the right decisions in difficult projects. Staying in the same company, moving up the corporate ladder, is a limited environment in which you grow as a developer. Gone are the days of "consistency" in which you could come to the company and stay in it until the end of your career. This behavior was once considered a sign of loyalty. Now it is rather a flaw. If you have worked all your life in one place with one set of rules, then many (intelligent) leaders would have crossed you out of the list of worthy candidates. I personally, would hire someone who had certain successes and failures in different environments than someone who is competent in only one field.
A few years ago, I realized that my career was based on the professional values of my parents and their generation. I worked in one of the largest and most stable corporations in the world, which was rising at a slow and steady pace. But, I was stagnant. I was reassured by the fact that I was not a ragged one, based on the fact that the corporation was so big that I could do many different jobs in many different places. But, ultimately, I remained in the same place, doing the same work.
I remember talking to a friend about a potential transition from this company, and he said:
- Is it your destiny to work in $ big_company for the rest of your life?
- Damn, this will not happen!
So, I quickly found a new job and left.
This process marked the beginning of a non-linear jump in my career in the software industry. I saw new areas, I worked on difficult issues, and I received more rewards than ever. From time to time it was scary, but when I decided to panic less and fear something new in my career choice, the shape and tint of my career and life in general changed for the better.
Apply calculated risks in your career. Don't let fear take hold of you.
1. What are your biggest career fears? Think of the last few career decisions you made. They must be meaningful (in the end, if these decisions were made with fear, they cannot be meaningful). It could be a business trip, maybe you applied for a change of activity or promotion. Make a list of such decisions, and force yourself to make an honest assessment of each: how many decisions are made for fear? What would you do if there was no fear. If the decision was made, really, from the fear of what needs to be done to return, and find an opportunity to make the right choice.
In our culture there is a sacred rule, follow the advice of their parents. This is considered a child’s responsibility, and it is a religious duty to do the right thing. Moral of the plots of books, films and television programs is still the parental wisdom. But for work in our industry, this moral is not true.
Your parents would prefer to have a wonderful career at the expense of great personal risk. More than anyone you can count on, your parents can give you advice based on fear. Such advice aims not to lose. To think about not losing is not the way to win! Winners take the risk. They think about where they want to go, not about where they want to stay. Career planning from fear is more likely to lead you to a calm life than great. Of course, it is safe, but not at all interesting.
In the past generation, fun was not the deciding factor when it came to career. Work should not be fun. It should be profitable. Fun is what you do on weekends. Fun happens in the evenings or on vacation. But if your work is not interesting, as we understand, you will not do anything ingenious. This is not so different from our time, but our cultural understanding of what it means to work has changed for the better. Many of us understand that passion leads to perfection. And without fun, there is hardly a passion for program work.
')
Another factor in choosing a career that most likely does not correspond to your parents' vision of the working world is that everything is in order and there is no need to change jobs. Comprehensive professional software has many angles of production: product development, technical support, internal development of business systems, as well as the work of managers. The more you have seen concepts and made architectural decisions, the more you are prepared to make the right decisions in difficult projects. Staying in the same company, moving up the corporate ladder, is a limited environment in which you grow as a developer. Gone are the days of "consistency" in which you could come to the company and stay in it until the end of your career. This behavior was once considered a sign of loyalty. Now it is rather a flaw. If you have worked all your life in one place with one set of rules, then many (intelligent) leaders would have crossed you out of the list of worthy candidates. I personally, would hire someone who had certain successes and failures in different environments than someone who is competent in only one field.
A few years ago, I realized that my career was based on the professional values of my parents and their generation. I worked in one of the largest and most stable corporations in the world, which was rising at a slow and steady pace. But, I was stagnant. I was reassured by the fact that I was not a ragged one, based on the fact that the corporation was so big that I could do many different jobs in many different places. But, ultimately, I remained in the same place, doing the same work.
I remember talking to a friend about a potential transition from this company, and he said:
- Is it your destiny to work in $ big_company for the rest of your life?
- Damn, this will not happen!
So, I quickly found a new job and left.
This process marked the beginning of a non-linear jump in my career in the software industry. I saw new areas, I worked on difficult issues, and I received more rewards than ever. From time to time it was scary, but when I decided to panic less and fear something new in my career choice, the shape and tint of my career and life in general changed for the better.
Apply calculated risks in your career. Don't let fear take hold of you.
Act!
1. What are your biggest career fears? Think of the last few career decisions you made. They must be meaningful (in the end, if these decisions were made with fear, they cannot be meaningful). It could be a business trip, maybe you applied for a change of activity or promotion. Make a list of such decisions, and force yourself to make an honest assessment of each: how many decisions are made for fear? What would you do if there was no fear. If the decision was made, really, from the fear of what needs to be done to return, and find an opportunity to make the right choice.
Source: https://habr.com/ru/post/195774/
All Articles