Stack Overflow Survey: 80% of developers are unhappy
▻https://shiftmag.dev/unhappy-developers-stack-overflow-survey-3896
Technical debt is the number one cause of developer frustration. Working with imperfect systems demoralizes programmers, making it difficult to do quality work.
Hustle culture and bureaucracy
The pressure to meet deadlines is often extreme in the IT industry. Developers are under pressure to complete tasks as fast as possible in order to earn as much income as possible. Increased pressure in the workplace leads to unrealistic expectations and burnout. Changing jobs often can provide temporary relief by increasing income, but they end up in similar stressful situations and in new companies.
Then there’s the perennial problem of bureaucracy, which big tech companies suffer from in particular. Endless meetings and unrealistic managers’ demands contribute to the feeling of futility. Developers become frustrated when their time is spent on administrative tasks instead of actual coding, leading to increased job dissatisfaction.
The future seems to be remote, despite employers’ efforts to bring employees back to the office.
Layoffs and poor health
The recent massive layoffs have created uncertainty and fear among developers when it comes to career prospects. On top of the stress, coding is a sedentary job, and a sedentary lifestyle is extremely harmful to physical health. Studies have shown that sitting is more harmful than smoking. On the other hand, exercise significantly relieves depression, suggesting that programmers should prioritize physical activity to combat the negative effects of their profession.