80% of programmers are not happy?
Stack Overflow just released it’s 2024 developer survey results. One of the metrics under
Shiftmag does a reasonable analysis of why – and it’s likely not coding itself.
Engineer becomes an influencer
23 year old Nimilolu Graub made the bold decision to leave a career in mechanical engineering to pursue being a social media influencer. What did she learn?
- Feast and famine
Work and deals are inconsistent. Some months are packed, others are empty. - Brands don’t want to pay for content
According to an in-depth article by Shopify, influencers with 50,000 to 100,000 followers (such as Graub who has 66,000 followers) may earn between $125 and $1,200 for each post. However, many brands only want to pay by giving the influencer free products or often ask for free work. Without an agency/talent manager, getting paid/respect can be difficult. - The job is controversial
“Content creation is such a new field most people do not see it as an actual job to pursue. So quitting my full-time job to do something that people did not consider a job, I dealt with a lot of negativity, discouragement and disappointment from everyone. I had to stop considering what other people were saying” - Her engineering skills were beneficial in content creation
“A lot of brands provide detailed guidelines for their videos so being able to utilize my quality control skills means I’m always able to meet their requirements. My contract negotiation skills have been helpful when it came time to signing deals with brands. Project management has also helped me manage my content and create videos consistently.” - Not always what she expected
She has been successful and gotten work/collaborations – but admits “it is not enough to live my life like this”. She has toyed with returning back to part-time work.
Article:
Quitting and running away doesn’t work
Are you getting burned out? Is your dream job killing you? Want to run away to a tropical island or pursue your bucket list? What if I told you that you didn’t need to do that – and it may not actually help. Helen Zhao did just that: she quit her dream job, looking to heal burnout and find happiness beyond work. What she discovered was very different.
I was checking off destinations so that I could wear the number of places I’d been like a badge of honor. Then my life would be as worthwhile as the travel influencers I envied, I thought.
- Cut back and shift focus
She found herself burning out while traveling. She eventually slash the remaining 34 countries on her 50 country bucket list in half and focused on quality over quantity. What was the point of seeing so many places if I didn’t truly enjoy them?
Prioritizing well-being meant letting go of metrics you think define your self-worth. She began to measure success through the moments she felt truly alive, at peace, and connected with others, instead of the quantifiable accomplishments that might make my resume and online bio more impressive.
- Ignore FOMO, prioritize joy
Stop rushing through things that meet your metrics of being more ‘successful’. Instead of stressing through a day trip to say she had been to a specific famous place, she sat at a cafe reading things she enjoyed. She slept in after a long night with friends with a slow breakfast instead of going on an island tour. She began to enjoy everything more.
- Stop trying to monetize/multitask what you’re doing
During the first part of her travels she was constantly trying to formulate pitches and story ideas from her travels. She was still multitasking work.
Instead, she pursued fun topics she didn’t have time to study while working full time: history, politics, real estate investing. She learned to develop an identity completely disconnected from work.
- Don’t forget
After she returned home, she started getting sucked back into workaholism. She made time for journaling, walks, and meditation. Instead of worrying about burnout or feeling worthless/unaccomplished while spending this time, she embraces that time to figure out what’s next.
Article:
Optimizing your resume
Applicant Tracking Systems are used by many companies to sift and sort the countless resumes they get. Unfortunately, that means your resume could be filtered out – even if you are perfect for the job. Why? Because you used the wrong keywords.
Jobscan makes a tool that takes a job description and reviews your resume to see if you’ll get past the ATS systems.
