Essence of a developer

Hi Heather/Bruno,
What is the one piece of advice that you want to give a developer in his/her mid-career to stay positive and keep the essence of ones programming abilities at the same time advance in career?

Context: I have been building and maintaining software systems for more than 15 years, seeing the changes that came in technologies, software paradigms used and keeping afloat on top of those. But with myriads of technologies getting released and used everyday I feel like I(or anybody in a similar position) am being pressurized to run on these changes rather than feeling them or understanding them. This takes a big toll on the creative abilities and just make me in being a learn and forget kind of position. I have denied few opportunities for taking up a techno managerial position just cause of my interest in learning new things. I am not sure whether that was the right decision I made? Because now I feel like a low-level developer with no executive power and thus it impedes my creative abilities.

Staying positive and preventing burnout is a very important aspect of working as a developer long term.  The mindset of always learning and a growth mindset is vital to keep your skills current and up to date.  This can be overwhelming.  You will need to pace yourself and evaluate what to learn based on potential for utilizing soon and your passions and interests.  Trying to learn everything at the same time is a recipe for burnout.  We talk about this is the book.  You do not need to take a management position to be a leader.  This is vital to understand.  You can be a leader without going into the management track (while management can be a fulfilling path, it is not for everyone).  Learning, sharing and participating with others in your community or employer can help you to not only learn and practice new skills, but position you as a leader and lead to greater fulfillment and joy in your learning process.

Heather, Thank you very much for the enlightening reply. I believe it would be great if I can get hold of your book. Typical developer text books I read usually stay on the technical aspects of things never get close to the emotional and philosophical area. I am glad to know that you discuss about such aspects in your book.

Kripz Adamas wrote:. . . Typical developer text books . . .

Yes, those books are intended for a different purpose.

. . . preventing burnout . . .

It is easy to fall into the trap of overworking, which will not only tire you out, but also severely reduce the quality of your work. The better employers know that and allow their staff to work at their own speed; that will improve their productivity and work quality.