This post was inspired by a conversation I had with a friend. We were talking about their goals, and when they were struggling a bit, I asked, “What’s your motivation to work in tech?” It might have been a very direct question, but after a few minutes of brainstorming, we came to some good conclusions, and I thought I’d write about it.
What is motivation?
Google defines it as “the general desire or willingness of someone to do something”. I think this definition resonates with me because, throughout my tech career as a software engineer, motivation has been my guide to keep writing good code, having interesting technical discussions, mentoring others, and generally maintaining a good attitude about my career.
For me, some of my motivations for working in tech have been:
- The money: Because it’s less stressful when you can easily put food on the table and take care of your dependents. Plus, you can afford the occasional “treat yourself” moment.
- The flexibility: I knew long before I started working in tech that the work culture could be very flexible: you could work at your own pace, no one cared about a nine-to-five schedule, and you just had to deliver things. I wanted some of that flexibility and the ability to spend more time with my family.
- The universality: The ability to be an international professional and work almost anywhere in the world, in virtually every industry.
These are EASY motivations. They’re the kind of motivations that probably everyone who works in tech has experienced at some point. Unfortunately, having all of the above does not automatically translate into being happy in tech. Sometimes, even with all these perks, you don’t feel motivated by your job. I’m not saying you become completely unproductive at your job. It’s more the feeling that you are not doing the best job you know you can do.
I’ve felt like that many times, and I can attribute that feeling to a few specific situations. Instead of focusing on the negatives, let me elaborate on some positive actions you can take to find motivation:
Find the work you want to do
Have you ever felt like you can’t get a project or idea out of your head, and you rush to keep thinking and working on it? Well, that seems like something YOU like to do! It’s like Christmas morning, when you are so excited that you can’t sleep and want to wake up as soon as possible to open your gifts. I’ve found myself feeling this way about certain projects or ideas I want to develop, and those projects are often the best work I’ve produced.
Of course, in real life, you can’t always get the work you want to do. Sometimes you’ll get work that you find boring, that isn’t in line with your thinking, and that carries the label “it has to be done”. I think you should put up with it temporarily, get it done, and have a plan to work on the things you love. Aim to spend 70 to 80% of your time working on what you love, with a buffer of 20 to 30% for “Running the Business”.
Find the right leaders and managers
Leadership and management ultimately affect your overall happiness at work. Unless you’re working for yourself, you will ultimately report to someone, especially in a big company. I know you don’t always have the ability to choose your leaders or managers, but if you can, try to find people who will listen to you, understand your motivation, and treat you like a human rather than another cog in the machine.
Bonus points if this person is someone you admire or someone with a good track record. Once you have someone like this, having a leader or manager creates a different dynamic from the normal management style, where you’re just handed tasks to complete in a sprint. It’s more of a discussion about what you want to do for the team or organization and how you’re going to achieve it. Management like this motivates you, walks with you when you need it, and sprints when there’s an opportunity. They will highlight your work, and that feels good. Hang on to this type of management as long as you can.
Quick wins
I’m a person who learns through “Action and Reaction”. Maybe this is why I became a UI Engineer. I like to see things drawn on the screen, and I want to see them fast. I’ve found myself struggling to stay motivated when I work only in theory, when I feel I’m not delivering value quickly, and when I don’t see a clear path to the end. I think it’s just human nature to strive for some advancement and a signal that we’re moving in the right direction.
When you get a large piece of work, try to split it up. If you’re in charge of a project, try to deliver something quickly that you can iterate on. More often than not, you’ll receive good feedback based on “something” rather than “nothing”. You can build from there.
Define clear objectives and results
This goes hand in hand with the previous point: you achieve something quickly and see a reaction to your actions. Fight ambiguity, and fight it hard. If something is too ambiguous, it will lead to multiple paths, and you’ll either have to explore all of them or do nothing because of a lack of direction.
Define what you can and want to do in order to reach general consensus and get started. This, in turn, will give you some sort of vision of what you’re doing, which can serve as a north star and a light at the end of the tunnel, helping you stay motivated.
Motivate others
This is more of a meta point, but if you find your motivation and are happy at work, share that motivation with others. You can be as subtle or direct as you want, but try to encourage others. Sometimes people just need a little nudge in the right direction to do great things, and I want you to be the instrument that helps them do that. That was the case for me when I began writing articles and started a podcast with a friend. I had always wanted to do both, but I had doubts. A few words of encouragement and some good 1:1s helped me take the leap. And, well, here I am, hopefully motivating you as well.