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Discussion on: Do you code on weekends?

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anujpancholi profile image
Anuj Pancholi

Of course. I think coding has transcended from being just a job to being a way of life. It's just far too competitive and there's far too much to learn and know, so you'd be losing your edge in the job market if you don't code in your free time. It's an uncomfortable reality.

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madza profile image
Madza • Edited

It's about passion, persistence, and how bad do you want it 🎯🚀

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miftau profile image
Miftau

One should code every moment

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danidiaztech profile image
Daniel Diaz

It is not that healthy. Believe me :)

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marvinkweyu profile image
Marvin

@miftau You need to go out. The sacrifice of your wellbeing is not worth it

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jackmellis profile image
Jack

If you're writing code because you feel pressured I think that could lead to quite an unhealthy situation mentally. Code for work, code for fun, just don't code without passion...

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cariehl profile image
Cooper Riehl

This is very important, and a great comment.

We shouldn't code outside of work just to stay competitive; that very quickly leads to burnout and extra stress. I only code outside of work when I feel like it, not because I feel like I "have to".

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anujpancholi profile image
Anuj Pancholi

Do you truly believe everyone who codes professionally is passionate about coding? I think that's a spurious claim. And coding outside of work just to stay competitive is how most people prepare for coding interviews.

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jackmellis profile image
Jack

Im sure they exist but I haven't personally worked with anyone who got into coding because they just needed some sort of job.

Most of us love what we do every day, and we are in a privileged position as I don't think there are many jobs out there where you get to do what you love for good money.

Don't get me wrong, sometimes I have to slog for an upcoming interview or something. But outside of those instances, when I'm writing code in my free time and hating it, I feel like something was wrong and usually means I need to take a break for a bit.

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cariehl profile image
Cooper Riehl

@anujpancholi You are right, I was being idealistic. Not everybody has the luxury to only code outside of work when they choose to.

I would still caution those people to be mindful of their mental health when practicing for interviews and such. If someone doesn't enjoy coding, but still spends a large amount of free time doing it, they are even more prone to excess stress. Spending work hours and free hours on things we don't enjoy will make us miserable in the long run, and my hope for those people is that they're able to find a career where they are not only effective, but also happy.

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jackmellis profile image
Jack

On reflection of my last comment I may have also have been a bit naive so I apologise. My point was really that we should be conscious of things that affect our mental wellbeing.

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anujpancholi profile image
Anuj Pancholi

We seem to have wildly different experiences. I know maybe 2 people who are truly passionate. It's just about making a half-decent career for everyone else. Anyway, I'm glad you've found a passion in your career as a coder.

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marvinkweyu profile image
Marvin

Put it so nicely

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marvinkweyu profile image
Marvin

@cariehl You are so right about developers and their mental health. We should just take menta health as important if not more important than physical health.

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kalashin1 profile image
Kinanee Samson

I don't agree with this. Our lives revolve around more than just giving instructions to computers, we have family, friends and other things we need to attend to. You should try to pick some time when you rest, without doing anything related to coding.

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anujpancholi profile image
Anuj Pancholi

As much as I (or anyone) would love to believe this, free time for anything unrelated to coding has become a luxury that's becoming harder by the day for professional software engineers to obtain.

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kalashin1 profile image
Kinanee Samson

True.. But i place a lot of value on free time.. I try as much as possible to squeeze as much free time as possible

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blindfish3 profile image
Ben Calder

It's an uncomfortable reality perhaps; but it's something all developers should be pushing against. I do code outside work to satisfy personal interests. This can be relevant to what I do at work; but when i need to do research specific to a work task I log that as work time.

It's in your employer's interests to support your personal development and they should provide resources to enable this rather than exploiting your passion and enthusiasm. This is standard practice in many industries; so why not web-dev also?