Programming can be joyful. It can be a pleasure. You don’t often hear these concepts together. Coding + joy.
Don’t get me wrong, I know many developers get a sense of satisfaction from coding.
Resolving an issue with code is like solving a puzzle. You get a nice moment of satisfaction at the end of a problem. A fun boost of dopamine for your efforts.
That satisfaction is part of a joyful software career, but only part.
The dopamine fades. Problems come and go. What good is coding if you only feel good when you’re done?
Instead, I’m suggesting we go beyond this simple feeling of satisfaction. The process of building things should be fun. Love the process, not just the result.
Coding as pleasure takes different forms:
Focusing on outcomes for real people, not on problems
Framing your task as a challenge or puzzle, not something to struggle through
Set the mood: music, lighting, location, coffee/tea/snacks
Create tools to automate the hard/annoying parts
Pair program with someone you admire
Work for companies that are making a difference in areas you care about
I’m not saying that every day will be sunshine and rainbows from here on out. You’ll definitely have real challenges in your software career.
But framing your work around pleasure, joy, and self-care is the path to longevity as a developer. It means you’ll be creating software that helps people.
Along with it, you’ll build a meaningful and fulfilling career.