Uncovering the truth about the downsides within Web Development.
2024-10-07
Written by Jordan Zappitello
When you think about the hardest parts of web development, you might picture debugging, lack of motivation to code more, or the higher-ups constantly changing their minds on what the website should look like. But in my opinion, one of the hardest parts of web or software development as a whole is finding someone to talk to about it.
And no, I don’t mean talking to a therapist about it. I mean finding someone who actually understands what you’re talking about. Let me give you an example. I’ll be with my family or friends, and they’ll ask how work is going or what I’m working on. My answer is usually short and oversimplified. I’ll say something like, “It’s good, just working on a redesign to change some colors and fonts.” That response usually gets a polite nod, maybe a follow-up question, but that’s typically where the conversation ends.
On the flip side, when I’m with friends who are also developers, we can talk for hours about our frustrations, challenges, or the technical problems we’re facing. We help each other feel better, and sometimes, we even help solve each other’s problems.
Of course, I don’t expect everyone to go out and learn web development just so I can talk to them about it. What I’m suggesting is to try and find someone outside of work who gets it—whether that’s a coworker you’re close to or someone in a developer community, like a Discord channel.
It’s much easier to vent or share your challenges than to let them build up inside. I get that some people are content keeping to themselves and don’t feel the need to talk about their work frustrations, and that’s okay too. My struggles aren’t everyone’s struggles.
Still, I want to encourage everyone to find someone—or a group of people—to talk to about your day. It’s a great way to solve problems, share ideas, and relieve some of the pressure that comes with the job. You never know how much better you’ll feel until you let it out.