You’re probably going to want to quit

This is a guest post from Mia de Búrca. Enjoy.

Dear new developer,

You’re probably going to want to quit.

The very qualities that make writing software appealing can also make it frustrating beyond belief. You’re headed down this path because you like to be challenged, to learn and grow. However, facing new harder problems day in, day out can take its toll on your morale. And keeping up to date, familiarising yourself with the breadth and depth of topics in this domain – it can be overwhelming. But if you’re reading this it’s likely you’ve already felt the deep satisfaction of writing code to be proud of, so I hope that by sharing my experiences, from early in my career and from a few weeks ago, you will be motivated to push through and keep enjoying the journey.

The Import

One of the first times I nearly quit was a few weeks into my first role as a dev. I was fortunate enough to land a great job at a small startup, and I was pretty awe struck by the talented and motivated people on my team. So after a while of pairing, I picked up a piece of work to try on my own. After doing some copy-pasta from other files and then tweaking I was chuffed and attempted to view the web page that would now be perfect, right?

Much to my dismay I was met with a blank page and an obscure error message. Baffled, bit by bit I undid all my changes, at each step feeling less worthy of the job, until nothing was left except one measly import statement. I could feel myself go red in the face as I still couldn’t understand what was going on. I should be able to do this, but I’m not good enough. Eventually, I turned to my mentor to admit defeat, and my panic dissolved when he said “oh yeah, this one is definitely confusing” then casually pointed out a simple syntax error. I realised that unlike him, I was not yet equipped with the necessary debugging skills, I was not yet familiar enough with the language I was working in to decode the error message. It takes time.

The Library

It has been four years since the import statement that stumped me, but just a few weeks ago, when I volunteered to update a library which was many versions behind, this seemingly trivial task wound up with me ready to quit yet again. Between a broken development environment, failing tests (was it the tests… or the code?), and still this library integration that refused to obey, I was at a loss. I should be able to do this, I should be good enough by now surely? These thoughts drove me to stubbornly dig my heels in and devote hours to diving into the library source code, reading in circles, dipping in and out of StackOverflow, getting more and more frustrated. Much time wasted I was no better off, so I went and made myself a cup of tea and called up a colleague and good friend to lament my problem. Typically, within seconds of this accidental rubber ducking session the solution to my worries became apparent.

The Lessons

And I could probably list countless other occasions. There may be many different things that leave you feeling like quitting, for me it often boils down to not feeling good enough to tackle a problem. But when you come up against a roadblock, you shouldn’t see it as a reflection on your own ability. If like me you find yourself paralysed by feelings of inadequacy, recognise that the foundation of all programming is problem solving – if there were no annoying problems, you wouldn’t have a job – and as you progress through your career you will gain more tools to solve them. Step back and remember, when it comes to tech, there is a reason to be found – sometimes it takes time, distance, or some help to see it.

These are lessons you should try to internalise, or like me you’ll relearn them throughout your career. You can’t change the fact that deeply frustrating problems are coming your way. You can only change your perspective. Put your energy into solving the problem and don’t assume that you’re not good enough. “Good enough” is an arbitrary concept, an ever moving goalpost. Give up on the notion of “good enough” and instead give yourself some time.

Sincerely,

Mia

Mia de Búrca is a Senior Software Engineer working full stack at 99designs, a company connecting creatives around the world. Originally from Ireland, Mia started out as a translator and computational linguist before landing in Melbourne, Australia and setting her eyes on a career in web development. Mia enjoys solving problems with a focus on bringing real value to users and seeks opportunities to create a supportive and empowering workplace. When not hiding from apocalyptic pandemics, Mia is also a circus performer and teacher.