How to Deal with Stress as a Developer?
Introduction
When people think of programming, they often think of good working conditions, high pay, a variety of work, and the opportunity to train and work in large corporations. All of the above is correct, but there are some aspects of programming that are rarely discussed. As a result, people frequently have the wrong idea about developers, believing that their work is a simple way to make a lot of money, which is not the case.
Because IT companies compete fiercely, each one strives to provide the best possible working conditions, the possibility of high earnings, a diverse range of job opportunities, and the opportunity for training for its employees.
All of the conditions mentioned are due to the job’s complexity as well as its attractiveness to workers. Before all of these benefits become apparent, programming necessitates a significant amount of effort, sacrifice, and patience.
If you want to learn how to program, check out our post on the subject: How to Learn Programming?
In the following sections, we will explain some of the issues that developers face almost every day, but few people are aware of them except the developers themselves. Our goal is to provide some helpful hints for resolving these issues, thereby assisting anyone who is experiencing or will experience similar problems.
Absorbing too much information
A developer’s job is difficult because it requires regular code writing, meetings, testing of one’s code, and, most importantly, constant learning. All of these things can be exhausting on their own, let alone all at once.
Because technological advancements occur at breakneck speed, many new frameworks, libraries, and even programming languages appear in a short period, as do new versions of them. Gone are the days when knowing one programming language and perhaps a few additional libraries were sufficient for a successful career.
As a result, junior developers frequently face the problem of absorbing too much information. Other developers face the same issue, albeit to a lesser extent due to their greater work experience. As an example, consider a library on which a portion of a project relied; in the next month, that library may release a new version or be decommissioned, necessitating additional work for the developer on that project. Of course, a more experienced developer will fare better in this situation.
A solid foundation of fundamental knowledge is essential for resolving such issues. It is critical to understand the fundamental concepts of any library or programming language.
High presence of stress
Almost every programming problem can be solved in multiple ways, but the developer must know which solution is best for the current situation, which comes with experience. Sometimes it takes longer to find the best solution to an existing problem, so depending on the person, certain developers may experience stress if the problem remains unsolved.
Every problem has a solution; however, a significant amount of stress arises when the deadline approaches and the solution to the problem have not yet been found. Deadlines are set by the developer in collaboration with project management. Things like this happen all the time in the developer business, and anyone interested in getting into it should be aware of it.
Constant exposure to high stress causes oversaturation at work, which can lead to a variety of issues, including reduced work quality, dissatisfaction, and a loss of motivation for future work and improvement. Developers refer to this as burnout.
The solution to this gap is successful time management, maximum productivity during working hours, and more frequent breaks.
The developer must be able to balance the amount of time he has available for work with the number of tasks he must complete. Each developer is unique; someone can work effectively for 6 hours, someone for 3 hours, and someone can only work for 1 hour. As a result, every developer must understand himself and his capabilities. Maintaining focus in programming is especially difficult today, especially when the problem solution is extremely complex. This is where taking breaks comes in, allowing developers to relieve any excess stress they may be feeling at the time.
Maximum productivity is only possible if the developer is stress-free.
The discipline of writing code
Beginners in programming lack experience, so they lack a developed awareness of how important code discipline is. A developer who is not a beginner and has not developed an awareness of the discipline of writing code over time is in an even worse situation. Such a developer becomes a problem for both himself and the team with whom he works.
As a result, frameworks were developed to ensure that all developers wrote code in the same manner. The framework compels the developer to write clean code that every developer on the team can use indefinitely. If there is no code discipline, whether a framework is used or not, team members are forced to waste a lot of time understanding the code if they are to continue, and in such cases, code refactoring is frequently used as a solution to this problem. It is sometimes better, faster, and simpler to write clear code from the start rather than continue writing already complicated code.
Another option is to write tests to ensure that the code is correct. Developers who write tests for their code have a keen understanding of the discipline of writing code and ensuring its correctness. Of course, extra effort is required, but it is not something that cannot be learned and will not pay off in the long run.
Isolation and loneliness
This problem does not affect all developers, but a large number of developers must have encountered or are still experiencing it. Sitting at a computer and programming for at least 8 hours a day sounds fun in theory, but it is not easy in practice and frequently leads to feelings of loneliness and isolation. A developer’s job entails working with people, such as working in a team with other developers, attending meetings, and communicating with clients, but this is in comparison to some other jobs.
The solution to this problem is to increase the number of social activities. When we say an increased number of social activities, we do not mean that the developer must force himself into social activities that he dislikes, but rather that he must pay attention to and maximize the social activities in which he already participates. A simple example is improved communication with coworkers and team members on the current project. Participating in team-building activities that are appropriate for the developer. Increased participation in daily meetings. If the developer has no social activities, he should start working on them as soon as possible; communication is always a good place to start.
Programming is a complete world in and of itself, and as a result, developers can easily isolate themselves unconsciously, leading to self-doubt. It is now clear to us why the previously mentioned balance is so critical.
Conclusion
The items we listed can exist separately but also concurrently, posing a significant problem for the developer. The point is that the more stressed you are, the less productive you are, and this creates a cycle of negative thinking. As a result, such things are worth mentioning and very important, and they must be addressed.
As previously stated, every developer is different; some struggle well with these problems and solve them on their own, others have large problems and require assistance, and some do not have these problems at all or experience them with ease.
Because each developer is unique, it is their responsibility to assess their situation and, if necessary, apply some of the above guidelines. Furthermore, all of the guidelines apply to both freelance developers who work from home and self-taught beginners who are preparing for careers as developers.
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