I was reading
the following thread, and I ended up responding as well. See my response quoted below:
I had a great job computer programming full-time. Great pay & benefits, drive was a bit of a pain but I got used to it. The problem was that over time coding all day long *for someone else* started to get on my nerves, and destroy the love I had for programming which I had garnered up by it being a hobby. There's a good explanation on this by Michael Reeves on his Patreon page (and I'm sure on one of his videos I just can't find it):
Quoted below, please see source belowSomehow, after all the, tedious work and painful debugging sessions, I still love to program. A lot of software developers experience something called the Overjustification Effect. Programmers start out just coding for fun, but as soon as they get a job programming, they experience a huge drop in passion for the craft, and I'm no different. To regain my enjoyment for programming, I started taking on stupid, personal projects. It worked amazingly well, I wasn't trying to make anything useful, or appease any managers, I just made things. Eventually, I wanted to share my creations, so (in combination with crushing boredom), I started my YouTube channel.
Source:
https://www.patreon.com/michaelreevesI decided to switch careers, and do something which takes me off the computer (for the most part). I still computer program as a freelancer, but I find it a lot more enjoyable to be able to choose the jobs I wish to entertain/work on. It gives me the freedom to code things I'm genuinely interested in instead of being forced to by the big man above me.
Essentially, I took a massive pay cut to do something I found a tad bit more enjoyable and I now enjoy programming as a hobby once again.
As mentioned within the quote, I myself, became effected by the "Overjustification Effect" and I'm sure many on this forum probably have as well. It's something that honestly tears away at your love for a hobby and can be really detrimental towards your life, career, family, etc.
If you don't know what the Overjustification Effect is, there is a really good video explaining it here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WJfqaMOBGsoYou can also read up on the Wikipedia page:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Overjustification_effect
Essentially, in simple terms, when you start something off as a hobby, you find it enjoyable and rewarding simply by completing tasks even with no extrinsic financial motivators at all. Once you convert this hobby into a career and get paid to do so (which many self-taught computer programmers do like myself), you find the actual hobby itself less enjoyable all-together. Over time it can destroy your love for the craft.I, myself, have noticed this effect on friends of mine within the field. Even so, for people who have participated in the field much longer than I have. Eventually, they ended up breaking and stopped computer programming all-together - one actually moving across the world to become a bartender (true story)
The tips below have helped me avoid losing my love for computer programming, and may be applicable to other fields as well:
1. Find another career to pay the bills, while maintaining your "hobby-career" on a freelance basis - or just freelance all togetherFor many, this may not be possible. For others, some may not want to completely destroy the career/reputation they have garnered over the years. For myself, I found that finding a polar opposite career helped to prevent against the effect. It felt almost like a Ying-Yang situation. One career paid the bills, while the other (computer programming) I was able to manage on a freelance capacity. I was able to chose the jobs I wanted and was interested in, which went more inline with my hobby approach I originally started off with when I first started computer programming.
You can even go to become a freelancer all together. Just be careful not to spread yourself too thin that you have no time to work on your hobby projects. The effect, IMO, can actually become worse as a freelancer due to this.
2. Force yourself to create projects, etcWhen I got off work, the last thing I wanted to touch was another line of code. But, although sometimes it was tough, I started forcing myself to put a small amount of effort into
my own project when I got home. What started with simply 10 minutes grew to 30 and hours over time. The main premise was that the project couldn't be something that another person had control over. It had to be 100% within my control. I could have partners, but it had to be something I technically had control over/was able to make decisions on. No deadlines. The project could gather financial incentives, but that shouldn't be the main purpose for the project.
3. At work, if possible, take initiative: Vouch for your own projectsFor many people in the tech field (and creative field as well), simply going to work and working on the project you are designated to work on becomes tedious and a bore. There's no motivation, and you feel as if you're just clearing a todo-list/checklist every day. This aids in the effect.
The company I worked with had many problems which easily could have been aided by a programmatic solution. I started finding myself creating my own projects within the company (with managerial approval). Projects that I, myself, was interested in yet still were beneficial for the company and their bottom line.
Many programmer hobbyists start by fixing problems. It's sort of in our blood, sort to speak. See if there are any problems to be fixed.
I know this isn't always possible for every career path, so take it with a grain of salt. Also, if possible, try to keep the project within the realms of your control. Many projects I would start eventually garnered interest from company stakeholders, and before I knew it, it was no longer my project anymore. Yet again, I had a todolist and I was no longer "as" motivated to work on the project as I was when I considered it an initiative on my own accord.
These are just some of the tips that helped me. I didn't see a thread on BitcoinTalk discussing this, and as Bitcoin, for many people, is a hobby - I assume this is something that does affect forum members to different extents.
Do you believe in the over-jusitication effect? Has it affected you, and if so, what tips have helped you in the past or present? Also, I definitely recommend Michael Reeves YT channel here. He's the programmer I quoted above. To fix this, he started creating fun side-projects which he posts on his YT channel. Just don't play with tasers