Money vs Lifestyle

This question came to me fairly recently, and I think it’s a question most developers will have to ask themselves in their career. Do you choose work that will pay much better, or do you choose a job in which you will be more comfortable that has more benefits.

As I mentioned in the first blog in this series, I got into web development for the freedom it could offer. Although, of course, money does play a part in that, I can now afford to travel more. But I still need to be free enough to travel.

This question will have a different answer for you as your priorities in life could be much different e.d. you may have a family or a passion you wish to pursue other than coding. For example, I heard of someone recently that became a dev, only to fund their pilot training, and I have a friend who only wants to work 3 or 4 days a week to focus on their music.

Sum up

• Ask yourself what you want from your work
• Consider your position in life
• Decided what you prioritise

Learning new skills

In this industry, I think it's always important to learn something new. Not only because tech is constantly changing but for your progression too.

The decision to learn a particular skill should not be taken lightly. The worse thing would be to learn something to then never use it. This has happened to me early in my career, and now whenever I start to learn a new skill, I make sure it's something I will be able to utilise, either for getting a new job or personal projects.

I think you shouldn't worry about pushing back against doing work that will be required you to learn something new that is of no interest to you or you will not use in the future.

Sum up

• Never get complacent in the indestry
• Think about it before you commit to learning a new skill
• Try to avoid learning things you don’t need or want to learn

Job agencies / recruiters

Being a developer will mean you will probably get harassed by many recruiters (that's been my experience working in the UK anyway). I've had good, bad and annoying ones.

I've heard a few stories of people getting miss-sold jobs, which has happened to me in the past. I've had recruiters call and message me 2 or 3 times a day and try and push me into new positions I'm not sure about taking. So now I err on the side of caution when dealing with them.

But on the other hand, they can be instrumental in helping you get the position you want. Recruiters know what and what not to say. They can also save you time by communicating with the company, lining up interviews, and getting information.

The thing to keep in mind is they want you to take the job even if it's not quite what you want, and they will try to sell it to you as much as they will sell you to the company. So it's probably better to find work by going directly to the company or through friends if you can or find a good recruiter you can trust.

Sum up

• Recruiters can be useful for saving yo time and selling you skills
• Be cautious if a recruiter is overly pushy
• always remember they are trying to sell you the job

Conclusion

I hope you have enjoyed my blog. I have been talking about things from my experience, which if you want to know more about me, check out my first blog in this series. If you have liked this, please check out the other blogs we have written on our company website, where we have tutorials and other bits talking about developer life.