What developers really want
It's that time of year, the time of year when developers everywhere decide they're being hard done by and that it's time for them to change jobs.
There are lot's of reasons why a developer might feel like it's time for a change, they're all quite important when combined however individually they're easy to live with (perhaps not comfortable but easy).
A cuddle is all that most developers need. Rather a pat on the back and to feel needed and loved. This might sound such a simple thing, but something as mundane as a boss saying "Good Job" can completely change the way a developer feels about his or herself.
I strongly believe that if more developers "felt the love" the amount of churn within the industry would be much lower, the standard "two year term" that the majority of developers go through after which they jump to a new job (and usually company) could be easily avoided just by treating developers properly.
We're a fickle bunch really, the occasional "go home early!" or buying the team a round of drinks at lunch time goes down wonders. These small things really do wonders for morale. Be warned though, just doing this when you want something from your developers will be spotted, we might not be the most socially active of people, but we can spot a bullshitter (afterall, it takes one to know one).
So why is it that most managers and bosses don't get this? Well they just aren't used to it, it's rare to work with a bunch of people who are usually intellectually superior to yourself, there are few professions where this is the case. A lot of developers resent the fact their managers tend not to be super smart (where they're not!), this different breed of underling needs a different type of management, they need a little TLC every now and again.
The discontent many developers feels can manifest it's self in different ways, these are all masks, hiding the real issue as above where all a developer really needs is a cuddle (like our kitties to the left).
The first way is "we don't have enough processes", where that isn't one of the reasons, there's usually "we have too many processes", ironic, but you'll find both in many of the places where people are unhappy.
Another way of discontent surfacing is in "my manager is a plonker", generally being overridden by someone you don't believe in causes so much anger and hatred amongst developers which bubbles up into their mind and becomes a reason they might want to change jobs.
Yet another is the issue of not enough cold hard cash. "SHOW ME THE MONEY" is a phrase I've heard many a developer utter, in reality it's rarely money that's an issue, the difference between a job whereby you earn £33,000 or £35,000 is a whopping £166.67 a month (before tax), so whilst a £2000 pay rise might look like it's got lot's of 0's on it, in reality, it's hardly a life changing sum.
"I'm not being paid what I'm worth!", perhaps, what are you worth though? If you're earning enough to eat and pay your bills, is that enough? When is enough enough? Something you'll find as a developer over time is that resigning means a pay rise, even if you stay. Most companies are afraid of technology and the thought of losing your eyes into the world of 1's and 0's is terrifying for many managers, because of this, when a developer resigns there is almost always a counter offer made by their existing employer, this is corporate bribery which is something I wrote about back in December.
Cash is King, or atleast that's what your mind might be telling you, but take into account these other considerations.
Travel Time: If you spend an hour a day traveling to work and an hour traveling home, that works out to be roughly 500 hours a year or 62 and a half extra working days a year (Spent sitting in your car!). If you can find a job which is 15 mins away from home, just think how much extra time you'll get for your social life (soe of you will have one, or a friend with one!).
Doing something you enjoy is worth it's weight in gold. Like doing ASP.NET work and you have an ASP.NET job, not just a .NET job? Good on you. Programming isn't about making money, it's about having fun. Find a job you enjoy.
Anyway, a good friend of mine has just gone through this and I wanted to write a little about it.