Why You Don’t Deserve That Dream Developer Job

You probably hate your job.

Or find it unfulfilling. If you didn’t, you probably wouldn’t be reading this.

The reality is, a lot of us envision working at a non-conformist startup. The kind that has a great culture, claims to be working on the next Airbnb, and keeps their fridges stocked with beer.

But no matter how much you’ve applied, you just can’t land one of those unicorn positions. The kind of job that gets you really pumped about the projects you’re developing, the people you work with, and makes you feel like you’re kind-of/sort-of/actually changing the world.

Beyond basic qualifications, the following might be reasons you can’t land your dream job.

YOU DON’T HAVE A WHY

You don’t know why you’re a developer.

Yeah, it pays. Yeah, you like to make things. So what? A lot of careers provide the same thing because that’s not exactly a long list of expectations for your job.

What made you choose this career? And what makes you care so damn much about being successful in it?

It’s valid to want to be paid but money isn’t going to be enough. It’s not going to make you contribute to your portfolio, rather than turn on Netflix after a long day. It’s not going to make you persevere through the failures or rejections and not get discouraged. It’s definitely not going to make you attend a tech conference when you haven’t had your triple-venti-soy-no foam-unicorn tears-latte.

Your why is personal. It causes emotion. It makes someone give you a second look and think, ‘wow, I really relate to and admire that’. Your why has to be big enough to make you show up every day — especially on the days when you least feel like it.

And the difference between you and the people who are landing great jobs is that their work is tied to an intention that resonates deeply with them. And companies with great values can usually see that and genuinely want to be a part of their journey.

Maybe you like to make things. So do a lot of people. But there’s saying that you ‘like to code’. And then there’s telling your story about how someone once told you that you weren’t smart enough to be successful in tech — and you keep hustling every-single-day because it gives you so much damn pleasure to prove them wrong and encourage others to do the same.

If you continue to have average reasons, people will continue to merely see you as average. And those cool companies aren’t interested in that because average doesn’t result in a movement.

So what’s your true why? And how will you feel about your life if you don’t achieve it in ten years?

YOU’RE LAZY

I get it. Learning is hard. And most of us have a common misconception that learning means memorizing a bunch of stuff we’re never going to use. But your career isn’t 10th grade history.

Unfortunately, there are developers who are actually bitter about the fact that tech is a lifelong learning industry. And that they have to continue to improve to get ahead. And that means making a point of doing these kinds of things:

• PRACTICE. PRACTICE. PRACTICE.
• Attending the latest tech conferences
• Sticking to goals to add a new project to your portfolio every X weeks
• Constantly taking courses online to refine your skill
• Reaching out and connecting with influencers
• Working on side projects that you’re passionate about
• Learning the emerging platforms and libraries before it’s a necessity of your job
• Try to give talks, write articles, or mentor for tech organizations

If you aren’t doing these things, someone else WILL — and they’re the ones who are going to get noticed.

You ultimately need to ask yourself a hard question: are you willing to put in the time? If you’re not, that’s okay. But then you can’t be surprised when you get passed by for someone who not only says that X career is their dream but actual DOES SOMETHING to get there.

YOU AVOID THE SCARY STUFF

There are certain job expectations we all kind of ‘get’. Arrive to work on time. Try to stick to your deadlines. Don’t egg your client’s house when they change their mind for the 1000th freaking time about what that button is supposed to do.

But being comfortable with doing uncomfortable things is something that most of us aren’t taught. But it’s incredibly important. You might want to learn machine learning (even though you doubt if you’re smart enough) or give a lecture on Javascript fundamentals (even though you’re shy). And it’s essential that you feel that fear and do it anyway. I promise, you’ll surprise yourself.

If you continue to focus solely on what’s average, you will remain average. Do things — learn things — that sort of/completely terrify you because those are the things that are most worth doing. And that courage will set you apart.

So write a list of things you’ve always wanted to learn — and then just learn them.

YOU’VE LOST SIGHT OF YOUR PRIVILEGE

When you complete your first project, it’s a fantastic moment. Suddenly something that wasn’t possible becomes a reality. There’s so much potential ahead of you and you can just feel that big things are going to happen.

And you kind of assume that everyone else in the industry sees it as a privilege too. But many don’t.

Very quickly, your perception shifts too. Your brain stops focusing on the potential ahead of you and is preoccupied with the workload, the stress, and the discomfort of getting better. And you become that bitter developer that feels let down by a career that promised so much.

But here’s the thing: only 1/4 of job prospects are predicted by IQ. The remainder are predicted by your outlook — how happy your baseline is and your willingness to rise to the occasion when faced with a challenge.

People that succeed treat their programming skills as a superpower and their careers as a journey (not Mount Everest). Their mindset is that they GET to develop — not that they HAVE to.

If you were a hiring company, would you rather work with someone with a ‘meh’ attitude about the tech industry? Or someone who’s completely jazzed about their privilege to make an impact?

Conclusion

Getting the right job is more than being a good developer — it’s about being a better person.

Success will come if you know what you stand for and why you stand for it. It starts with digging deeper and learning about who you are.

Be the individual that is compelling. That takes chances. That is courageous in the face of fear. That does things that resonate deeply.

That grows.

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