We’re back to career topics after a holiday and technical break. I hope you’ve missed my series a bit. And that you also don’t want to keep reading about the “wave of layoffs in IT”.
Four sins of programmers
We start with a short but very accurate text published by Denis Khodishchenko. He lists several things we should avoid at all costs in our careers. No, there is no ‘overemployment’ and other problems created somewhat artificially by ‘opinion leaders’ in the industry. Instead, there are the dangers caused by: overconvenience, lack of networking skills, burnout or getting used to the current company.
The list opens with comfort, which everyone subconsciously seeks, but in the context of IT often means stagnation. According to Denis, one should not settle for a high salary and a sense of comfort, because then we risk losing the drive to be better and better.
Changing projects to more challenging (and rewarding) ones, on the other hand, requires interpersonal skills to complement the typical programming skill. Don’t underestimate the power of networking! I know, I know. It’s very convenient to work from your own cave, but sometimes it’s worth showing up at industry events, conferences or just in the office. Even if none of these venues or initiatives have regained their pre-covid glamour.
Paradoxically, it is the connections with people that can also save us from professional burnout, which affects more than 70% of programmers. Denis advises: Take breaks when you need them, prioritize self-care, and don’t let work consume your entire life, and I can sign up to this with both hands. Spending time with friends or meeting new experts in your favourite fields always gives you a breath of fresh air.
Finally, a matter of getting used to your current company. I think that even if you have not been affected by redundancies in our industry, you feel perfectly well that the market is quite “cool”, so even the sudden termination of a contract will not particularly surprise you. Anyway, let’s consider it an advantage. Being called a “big family” by your bosses is pretty toxic, so don’t treat your team that way. Don’t get emotionally attached to your project either.
Open your head to the options swirling around you and don’t be afraid to seize the opportunity to further your career. Regardless of the economic climate.
Source:
https://levelup.gitconnected.com/4-mistakes-that-can-ruin-your-it-career-3d3748f7be5d
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What part of the day do you work effectively?
As I was paging through LinkedIn, a report on the IT Community Survey conducted by Bulldogjob (warning: content in Polish) appeared before my eyes. I couldn’t help but click on it! This year’s edition surveyed 10,000 professionals from Poland, who were asked about salaries, working conditions, technology, development and the process of changing jobs. The results of these surveys are a very interesting benchmark not only for developers (and employers) from Europe.
I was most interested in the chapter on working conditions. The first question was about how efficient programmers are. It turns out that only 4% of them consider their work extremely efficient and claim to spend 90% of their declared time on it. Wow, I admire concentration or… high self-esteem. In contrast, half of those surveyed estimate that they work effectively 50-75% of the time, while 18% admit that their work is ineffective most of the time. Faulty company procedures and communication problems are cited among the reasons for these results, but it is some consolation that 19% of professionals found no reason to work inefficiently.
I started with working hard and efficiently, so before we get tired, let’s move on to benefits. Here, too, it is interesting, as Polish professionals indicated a 4-day working week in first place (55%), flexible working hours in second place (53%), and additional days off in third place (37%). As can be seen, respondents have quite a few comments about working time, with money remaining their highest professional priority (22%). I’m concerned that this may be difficult to combine…
For employers, it may be comforting to know that 67% of professionals are satisfied or very satisfied with their current company. It is also encouraging to see that 72% of those surveyed definitely consider their work a passion. It is said that if you do what you enjoy, you won’t miss a day. Let’s stick to that!
Source:
https://bulldogjob.pl/it-report/2023
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Well, I’ll try to write less about layoffs
You took a break from my Career Weekly for a couple of weeks, and I took a break from writing it. And it’s probably a good thing, because again I’d have to flood you with information about layoffs at big tech companies like Meta, Dropbox, Shopify, and LinkedIn… and then I could boldly rename Career Weekly to Layoffs Weekly.
I don’t like to be the bearer of bad news, so let’s do it this way – if the redundancies are accompanied by events or contexts worthy of wider coverage, I will certainly write about them. However, I would not want the layoffs to dominate this series.
Especially as there are many more sites that summarise all, significant reductions on an ongoing basis (and have no qualms about attacking you with bad information). I’m thinking here, for example, of TechCrunch, which has run a special, constantly updated article on the subject.
Let’s try a little detox at Career Weekly. I think we would all benefit from it.
Source:
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