The passion of programmers is actually a kind of pain

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I am not a "passionate programmer". I think that after a regular 8-hour work, I should do something else, such as reading science fiction novels, chatting with my dear wife, etc. When others ask me, I will answer seriously, "This is the so-called life. You should also try it."

In fact, I really look down on those passionate programmers. Their so-called passion is to spend 12 or even 16 hours a day sitting in front of the computer writing code, or to sacrifice their hobbies, sleep and interpersonal relationships for writing code, and sometimes even have no time to take care of basic self-care. This is not passion, this is clearly a kind of obsessive-compulsive disorder.

Machismo or paranoia?

There is something wrong with our culture. If we become obsessed with a woman and pursue her with the same dedication we would have when we were working in a company, we would be considered crazy!

However, this kind of madness becomes a role model when applied to work. As long as you can work diligently and conscientiously and focus on writing code - even if you are severely introverted or even have autism, you will become the favorite of employers.

What's worse is that too many male programmers are willing to sacrifice other time to write code and are proud of it. Then, this work-first trend drives women in the high-tech field to follow suit. Programmers are like masochists. After being beaten, they happily say, "Thank you, sir. Can I have another one?"

In my experience, the real problem is programmers who devote all their waking hours to their work and end up writing bad code that hurts themselves and others.

The technical expert said he was exhausted

I learned this fundamental truth the hard way. It was how I was fired from my job at a now-defunct company, Conduit Internet Technologies.

We worked 12 to 14 hours a day, and if we were lucky, we could rest on Sunday. Suddenly one day, the management found that we had not done a job well, so I, who was very capable, was ordered to finish it before the next morning. I had to stay up all night to catch up.

I worked all night, but in the process I corrupted a production database, and although there were automatic backups, I was too tired - I had been working until 5am - to notice it.

I didn't realize my mistake until that afternoon, and immediately started fixing it at home, but management had already cut off remote access. They thought I had completely hacked the database and overwrote it.

…

I didn't protest, but they still paid me an extra month's salary and allowed me to leave the office after I found a job, which was much more lenient than their determination of responsibility in this matter. But then again, I was really exhausted by this job, and being fired was more like a relief.

Passion==Pain

Here's a little episode. When employers tell you that they value the passion of developers, they are actually warning you. When you hear this word, turn around and run away immediately, because there is a tiger chasing you from behind.

Many people don’t know that the word “passion” is translated from the Greek word πάσχειν (paschein), which means “to endure pain”. In fact, this is the essence of work. But we don’t have to endure pain for a salary, unless you are a CEO. Otherwise, your salary is not enough to pay for all the shit you need to face.

When the nose meets the grindstone

However, none of what I said above should be an excuse for being lazy at work. If you are working, then work hard. Do your eight hours of work every day, and then leave immediately. Just be worthy of the salary paid by the employer, and that's it.

How can you justify the salary your employer pays you? Focus and avoid all unnecessary distractions. Get into the zone and write your best code. Avoid meaningless meetings. Avoid repetitive tasks. Use your free time at work to learn new technologies and design patterns and improve your skills. As the article 5 Things That Make Programmers Lose Their Passion for Programming says, don't do useless work too often.

Then, eight hours later, you can leave the office, turn off the phone, forget about emails, notifications, and voicemails, and wait until the next day to work hard, but don't burn yourself out.

You can do other things: have a drink, daydream, pray, have sex, play with your kids, walk your dog, give your cat a belly scratch, make art, fight strangers in fight club, read, masturbate, make music, or even skydive. Just don't write code.

It's all because of human nature

You are just a person, not a god, so there is no need to sacrifice yourself and drain yourself to create wealth for the capitalists. The higher the value you create, the more difference they can get after paying your salary.

Ensuring that you take a break every day is not only a way to recharge your batteries for the next day, but it is also your right. So take a break when you need to, and ignore your employer's complaints about your nine-to-five work schedule.

Because these employers will not care about your health and happiness. But health and happiness are what we should do for ourselves first. If your country's culture doesn't say this, then it's lying to you, dear.

What you do in the office is a means, not an end. If you treat the process as the goal, it will only make you ignore the best things in life. And if you can't get a break, you will gradually hate this job and even hate programming.