Why did you first get into technology?
Maybe it was because you love to solve problems.
Maybe it lit a spark of creativity in you at a young age.
Maybe it was for the fast cars and hot chicks.
I’m old enough that I was around when computers didn’t really do much. But I saw their potential. It was this potential, the ability to build cool stuff, that first attracted me to this wonderful career.
Coding is incredible. We write text on a screen and it does stuff. Code is the building blocks of automation, computation, connection, and so much more. With just code, people can order a car to pick them up using a few clicks on their phone. It lets us video call people on the other side of the world. It lets us control robots on Mars!
So, how often are you building these world changing things? Or did you spend the day debugging a third party datepicker?
How can you spend your time on stuff that actually makes a difference?
Discover your values
Before you can make a difference you have to work out what is important to you. What are your values? Who are you, at your core? What do you live for?
Make a list of 10-15 things that are important to you. Don’t bother with “health” and “family”, these are a given! Look at the problems in the world. Think about what you would like to make a difference in. Some examples; climate change, women’s rights, homelessness, addiction.
It doesn’t have to be political. Maybe you really love your local cricket club. Maybe you want to get kids to learn about robots. Maybe seeing people fall victim to scams makes your blood boil.
Think about when you’re retired, and you’re sitting in the sun, reflecting on your career. How did you make an impact? How did you help people? What can you do now, to make that happen?
When you have your list of 10-15 things that are important to you, cross out all but 3. You can’t do everything, so you need to focus on what’s really important to you.
Now you have your values, how do you combine them with your passion and your skills?
The reality of capitalism
“Hands up if you grew up wanting to work in insurance”
The reality is that we all have to make a living. When looking for a software development job, you will find that at least 80% of them are in finance, insurance or some other money related field, such as gambling. There’s nothing wrong with working in finance (plenty wrong with working in gambling) but know that you have a choice. Choosing the right job might be an important factor in the impact you make. It’s not everything though, as we’ll discuss later. But, it can make it easier.
Plenty of industries
The great thing about software development is that it spans industries.
You can work in healthcare. You can develop DNA analysis tools to help fight cancer. You can build video conferencing software for the elderly so they can more easily keep in touch with their doctor.
You could work in sports, developing software to improve athlete performance.
You could work in education, making maths tools for kids or content management systems for teachers.
New frontiers
As well as spanning valuable industries, software creates new industries.
30 years ago, we didn’t have Social Media, Search Engines, or Streaming. While we can debate the good that these industries have brought, there’s no denying that tremendous value has come from them. And these new industries make billions, which create plenty of new software development opportunities.
What new industries will come from the evolution of Generative AI?
Make the choice
The possibilities for building stuff of real value are endless. But you have to make that choice. You have to make a conscious decision to work on something that makes a positive impact.
Finding the right job
If you decide that you no longer want to work in, say, a bank, and would rather work in an industry that does something more aligned with your values, then you’ll want to improve your professional position so that when such a role presents itself, you are ready.
To do this, just continue to be awesome. Improve your skills and credentials and work towards becoming the best you can in your chosen software development field. Like everything, excellence comes from consistent dedication and habits. Practice often. Do courses, exams, coding challenges.
Improve your resume. The best way to do this is with achievements. If you don’t have any achievements, get some achievements. You can get them in your day job but we’ll talk about getting them from side projects shortly.
Improve your interview skills. Do coding challenges of which you can find many online. Learn your common algorithms, design patterns and stuff like why the SOLID principles are important. To take it to the next level, join your local Toastmasters club where you will learn impromptu speaking techniques which will really help you to answer difficult questions under pressure.
Staying where you are
Maybe you like working at the insurance company, or can’t leave.
If changing jobs is not an option for you, that’s OK. There are ways to improve your position in your current company too, which will help you align your work more with your values.
You could look if there are other projects you could work on within the company. Perhaps there is something that better aligns with your values or your passions.
If you’re in a really large company, maybe there is another team that you like the look of.
If you’re in consulting, you could take this opportunity to assess which clients are working on projects you’re aligned with. If you can choose, this is a great way to work on something more meaningful to you.
Side Projects
Whatever your professional choice, there’s so much you can do outside of work to help you use your developer superpowers to make a positive impact.
These projects do not have to relate to software development. They could, but they offer a chance to work on your passion, on what you love, and what truly aligns with your values. So don’t feel locked into technology. This is your chance to enjoy yourself.
YouTube
Making videos is a great way to practice public speaking. It helps you compile your thoughts into compelling presentations. It allows you to flex creative muscles and learn new skills such as editing or storyboarding. You could choose to show your face or simply share your screen with powerpoint presentations or coding.
Blog
Blogging is still popular - and people love to hear from real people that aren’t AI. The best way to find interesting content for your blog is to do interesting stuff in real life, then blog about it.
Open Source Projects
This is probably going to be technology related. It will let you do good for the community while building relationships with other coders and obtaining valuable experience.
Start Up
Start ups are a lot of work. But they teach a lot about business and can be extremely rewarding. They’re also a chance to learn new technical skills, especially if you’re doing it alone, (which is not recommended!) You might fail but it’s OK, it’s always a learning experience and the rewards for success could be life changing. Never give up.
Write a book
If you know something really well, it’s worth seeing if you can write a book on it. Contact publishers, find out what demand there is for what you want to write about.
Talks
Surveys show that most people at a funeral would rather be in the box than giving the eulogy. But life begins at the edge of your comfort zone. If you want to give it a go, contact your local Toastmasters club. Here you can learn public speaking skills in a supportive environment, before you get out there into the big scary world. It’s not for everyone, but public speaking can be incredibly rewarding.
Hackerthons
Imagine, being able to write code. No Agile meetings, no management, maybe even no commercial incentive. Just the opportunity to build something cool. The essence of software development.
That’s what a hackerthon is. Again, it’s a place to meet people, learn new skills and open doors. If your passion is coding, go along, and build something.
Doing a side project means you can keep your current job, or it can help you if you are looking for work. It will give you achievements to put on your resume, help you connect with people, and generally open doors to new opportunities.
A great example
An awesome example of this alignment of passion, values, and skills, in a side project, would have to be Troy Hunt’s Have I been Pwned website.
Troy is a software developer whose passion is security. Amongst his values are helping victims of security breaches. He combined his passion and his values with his software development skills and built a website that reports on breaches.
The website is a simple concept but with a high tech implementation, which he refined and improved over time, recording the progress in his blog.
Now, the website is world famous, and the concept has been adopted in both Chrome and Firefox. It’s likely that this has made Troy a lot of money either directly or indirectly. It has surely opened a lot of doors and put him on the map.
This is the power of combining your passion, values and skills.
Conclusion
How do you live a life worth living? You have to figure out what you love (your passion), and what’s important to you (your values). Then, build that into your life.
You may choose to do this in your current job, a new job, or via a side project.
As a developer, you’re incredibly lucky in that you have the choice in which industry you work in. Don’t squander this choice - make it deliberate. Make it align with your values if possible.
If not, find a side project that does. Here you can learn new skills, meet interesting people, and open doors to new opportunities.
Whichever way you go about it, use your developer superpowers to build something which aligns with your values, and hopefully, your passion. Make it a conscious choice, and you will make a positive impact.
Top comments (0)