How Do I Get Back a Passion For Programming? 516
bigsexyjoe writes "I am a somewhat experienced software developer who is pretty much an office drone. I used to enjoy writing code. I even enjoyed writing routine code before it became routine. But now I just come in day in and day out. I work for manipulative jerks. I don't care about the product I create. I don't enjoy coding anymore. I'm not great at interviewing. I don't have an impressive resume. I stick in more advanced stuff into my code when I can, but that is always on the sly. So my question is how do I get back the enjoyment I used to have writing code?"
"creative coding" (Score:4, Informative)
Do some "creative coding" with p5 in Java ( http://processing.org/ [processing.org] ) or OpenFrameworks in C/C++ ( http://www.openframeworks.cc/ [openframeworks.cc] ).
Make some art, it's rewarding.
Re:Sucks to be you! (Score:4, Informative)
Re:Sucks to be you! (Score:5, Informative)
Yes, in this economy. Programmers are one of the professions that are almost untouched by the recession.
Re:Sucks to be you! (Score:5, Informative)
And pleonasms run deep in you.
Re:Sucks to be you! (Score:5, Informative)
Exactly. I've worked in a several different companies, and basically shit rolls downhill: if your bosses are jerks, then the people above them are going to be even worse. I've been in companies where my immediate bosses were OK, and the management above them not too bad either; one place where my immediate boss was cool, but as you got up the chain they got exponentially more horrible (incompetent, stupid, etc.), another place where my boss sucked, but the ones above him were far worse. People are frequently a product of their environment; at that last place I think my boss might not have been so bad if he had always worked in a better company than that one, but he had always worked there, so he was firmly invested in the place and its dysfunction.
Trying to go above your boss's head is always a losing proposition, as far as I'm concerned. If you don't like where you are, get out and find a new job. That tripe about "change coming from within" is good in some other contexts, but not in corporate employment. You're just a hired gun, nothing more, and the people calling the shots are the sociopaths at the top, so if you're not satisfied with the environment they've set up, you need to go find some place where the grass is greener. Even if the new place isn't any better, a change of scenery will make you feel better for a little while, and give you time to find a better position.
Just ask for a waiver ... (Score:5, Informative)
I've always wondered about the "we own all your code" thing.
Companies with such a policy generally have a mechanism for waivers as well. Myself and coworkers at various employers had no problems in this regard. There was an admonition not to work on the hobby all night and show up in the morning exhausted. The admonition was offered with a smile in a humorous manner but there was probably an element of seriousness in there.
I think a famous example of waivers may lie with Steve Wozniak and Apple. Supposedly Steve did some work at HP, management was not interested in it, Steve asked for a waiver and it was granted. That work wound up in the Apple II.
Re:Sucks to be you! (Score:4, Informative)
Unless you're over 50, in which case, good flippin' luck. And don't automatically assume, like all the HR types do, that age indicates lack of staying current, or inability to learn.
Re:Sucks to be you! (Score:4, Informative)
Either go above the heads of the manipulative jerks and report what's making a hostile work environment, or start brushing up your resume, practice interviewing, and start looking for a new job.
I'd order that more:
A bit more on this step: It's not just to know what's out there. It's also to brush up on your interviewing skills. Don't just go on interviews for jobs that really interest you; at start, just go to every interview you can get. You may be wasting their time, but it's the only free way to brush up on your interviewing skills, and you'll be more confident when you get to the interviews that matter.
Once you start feeling more at ease at interviews, you can stop wasting everybody's time.