I’ve been programming for quite a while now. Lately I am going through a phase where I don’t have the same passion for programming as I did when I started doing it, before a couple of years.
Everything seems like a rut; and I don’t have that motivation to figure out the solution to a problem post work, while before I couldn’t sleep if I had a problem to tackle. I am not even motivated to try out new technologies either.
I’m really worried that I am going through this, and any advice is appreciated on how I could get out of this phase, how I could pull myself out.
When I was starting as a trainee. I have not idea about where is my life and code going? 12 hours working in office, Most of the time all night code is my nightmare.But day by day it's become meditations for me. And seriously nothing it better than programming. This is my personal experience.
I like to draw analogies b/w sports and programming. Just like how great sportsmen go through a lack of form (or even a lack of interest, so to speak which is what the case is here), programmers suffer from it too. I have had two such instances in my almost 3-year career so far.
The first time around, it was due to burn out. I had constant 16-17 hour days over a period of six months and it was fun while it lasted. Work was like a drug to me and I was addicted to it. Then, boom all of a sudden, the interest dropped and I absolutely did not want to code. I took a vacation immediately to contemplate what went wrong and I figured, it was a combination of being not able to think clearly, not being to deliver the same results I used to (as a result of burnout) and being bored of the technology I used back then. I immediately switched to few others sides of the product (I was a backend engineer then, I took on the DevOps and front end role for a couple of months and eventually went back to backend and it was fun again). So, a change of technology or teams within the product could bring about the passion back in you. A vacation is absolutely necessary to flush things out and come back with a fresh mind.
The second time around, I was working for a company where we didn't exactly have the greatest culture. I was shipping out features at a rapid pace, but all of a sudden, the only things I could hear from the people above me was rather baseless and aggressive criticism. So, instead of being thrilled about making pull requests, I started getting worried about making one, fearing the arguments that will crop up. So, whenever I went into work, all I could think of was when I could get back home again and had absolutely zero passion to code. In this case, the problem was with a shitty work environment and I was determined to change that. Hence, I quit my job, built some side projects and got the confidence going again to convince myself that I still was the same good developer I used to be.
Long story short, figure out why you feel the way you do. If you don't like the technology, move to something else. If you do not like your job, find a new one (Hashnode is hiring btw :) ). If you are certain that you don't want to code, see if project management would be of interest to you. Take a good long vacation in any case and come back with a happy head and take a decision that you feel is the best for you. Good luck! :)
This is really, really normal. The important thing is to keep going and not give up, it will pass :-)
Yes It always happens, you are normal I believe you can do some of the following to regain your passion:
I really think it is inevitable to have some downtimes during your programming career. It is like everything else. When that happens, I like to take a good trip, and completely leave my computer behind. I try to completely disconnect with my work and my working tools during my vacations. That helps a lot.
Though, there is some techniques to reduce the risk and the number of passion losses. First, try to get some new challenges at your work, and if not possible at your work, get some in personal projects. Second, try to work on the biggest technology stack you can. It's great being able to switch to some back-end language if you're tired of front-end Javascript development for example.
But most importantly, keep in mind that it is totally normal, and that we all have that kind of moments. We are humans, not robots ! Sharing it with your colleagues can be a very healthy way of dealing with the problem, if you get along with them well.
If none of theses solutions are working, I guess there is still the possibility (if you're an experienced programmer) to switch to a more management and project owning related position in your company or another one. That would open a whole new horizon of skills to master, while staying in your field of competences.
Wishing you best,
As weird as it sounds, my motivation sinks inversely proportional to the number of tabs I have persistently open in my browser. I think it's due to paralysis of choice when it comes to reading up on a certain topic, leading to being overwhelmed with the perceived about of stuff I need to learn for this project or that.
Solution: Close all tabs and start from a blank slate.
Not sure if that's applicable to your situation, but I hope it helps in some way.
Quentin
Traveller, coder and space enthusiast.
Geoffrey Wiseman
Software Consultant
I've lost passion for projects, companies and teams, even languages and tools, but never for programming. YMMV of course -- you might have lost your passion for programming itself. If you're not sure, maybe try switching it up. Work on a new project, a new technology stack, or find a new employer, see if that helps you regain your passion?