Why do you choose to be a software developer?

Beyond aptitude, job security and a good salary, why do you even care about software?

Whenever I ask this question, and I’ve been asking it for some time now, people respond as though I’m peddling some weird cult. Awkward silence suddenly grips the conversation. Before long, said people hatch a strategy to get as far from the freak that I am as possible.

They’re the polite ones.

Slightly more militant software developers like to argue the point. They’re amongst my favourite people. With a hint of contempt in their eyes, they charge with some variation on the following question: I’m a software developer, what’s that got to do with me?

Well, do you ever wonder why:

• people read your LinkedIn profile then contact you with irrelevant job opportunities, repeatedly?
• recruiters rarely call you back, even though your application meets all the requirements for their role?
• the work you really want to do (as opposed to the work you can do) is just so difficult to attract and secure?

Come closer. Let me see the whites of your eyes. I have an uncomfortable truth to share.

Like it or not, to get more of the work you want, you need to stand out. Yes you do. How so?

• Start by understanding why you do what you do (beyond aptitude, job security, and a good salary)
• End by deploying the work you’ve already done as evidence for why you do what you do (whether you’re writing it or speaking it).

To stand out with genuine credibility in today’s hyper-competitive market, there simply is no other way.

Hold on a minute, I hear you say …

Why not stand out on superior technical expertise alone? Why bother with this ‘why’ stuff that smacks of befuddled marketing speak?

Because without a ‘why’ underpinning your career experience and aspirations you’re nothing more than a commodity.

To stand out as a commodity is simply impossible.

You disagree? Take a stroll down our industry’s commodity-driven marketplace my friend. Love it or hate it, outsourcing and offshoring are here to stay.

There is, of course, another pretty fundamental reason for understanding why you choose to develop software. It’s the reason that always makes us queasy and for that reason I considered leaving it out. In the end, for the sake of completeness, I thought it best left in. Here it is:

Identify your ‘why’ and you locate that fire in your belly. The fire that fuels you to become uniquely exceptional at what you do. Uniquely exceptional always stands out in the marketplace. Stand out and you’ll have more fun, because not only will you attract:

• more of the work you love
• you’ll get to share the fun with like minded individuals, and
• you’ll earn more money (if that sort of thing matters to you).

Get a handle on your why. It will make all the difference.

For real inspiration, check out Simon Sinek’s TED talk: Start with why. Then get a handle on your ‘why’ by booking a career assessment session. Chat online or face-to-face with an expert, get a career health check, and find out how to harness your ‘why’ for career success. Book now.