What Does "Real" Passion Look Like in Software Development?
A Google search of “passion software test” produces nearly five million page results and “passion software development” returns more than twenty million. Skimming through these results shows that it’s not just testers and developers claiming passion; there are just as many employers calling for passionate candidates for current job openings.
As the debate rages on as to whether certifications are worthwhile or even if you need to have a formal education, no one is arguing against passion being a valuable trait. Before writing this piece, I was curious just how far you could ride a personality trait like passion. How far could it get you in your career? I’ve since learned that it’s not the size of your passion that dictates this; it’s how you use it that counts.
With so many testers and developers at least partly self-taught, everyone who has learned another coding language or developed a new test automation technique comes hardwired with at least some amount of passion for his craft. Passion is so prevalent, or at least claimed by so many testers and developers, that simply having it is hardly enough to excel at what you do—nor will it impress the management and leadership above you.
Michael Franc’s blog, Passionate Programmer, points out how passion is best when paired.
Passion, hard working attitude and engagement this are awesome personality traits, thanks to them you can be really a great addition to a software team. Unfortunately you can’t make a difference based solely only on these traits. You need to link them with other important skills like teamwork and communication.
Even though Franc nails it by preaching the need to “link” passion with other skills, he also opens the floodgates for potential arguments from those who feel that passion is hindered when forced to coexist with procedures or requests that don’t reflect a typically passionate nature.
Imagine a self-proclaimed passionate tester who is asked by a supervisor to complete a certification course that the tester doesn’t believe has any worth. Should that tester’s passion prevent his doing something he feels is detrimental or simply a waste of time, or should his passion encourage him to comply, so that he can keep his job?
Merriam-Webster defines passion as “a strong liking or desire for or devotion to some activity, object, or concept.” I know many developers and testers who describe themselves as passionate and who are certainly devoted to their activity. But what I’m curious about is how many of them have had to extend that passion outside of their own emotions, not just for the benefit of those around them but so they themselves can continue doing what they are devoted to.
How do you use your passion? Are you ever required to extend it outside of your comfort zone, or do you keep it locked away in your own mind? Let us know in the Comments section below.
