The other day I was scrolling through LinkedIn's wall and saw this post. In the post, Andy Wong, a Software Engineer at Google, says that "it's ok to give up, or at least press pause, on your dream(s)." He goes on to say that "for every graduate I see who reaches the dream, I know for a fact that there are several others who just barely make it as a junior developer, earning the same entry-level salary as I did when I first started."
I've been thinking a lot about these topics for a couple of years now. One book I love about the topic of quitting is Seth Godin's The Dip. The Dip is a clever little book that highlights the obvious/not so obvious fact, that people either quit things too soon, or persevere at something where they won't be "number one in the world." The book is not so much about quitting, but about that dip, that barrier to entry that creates the scarcity that's needed to create something that is valuable. But like the LinkedIn post, Godin suggests the unpopular opinion that quitting is actually the right thing to do, sometimes. Quitting, when done strategically, can be the smart thing to do.
But it’s really hard to make the decision to quit in a rational and detached manner to something that you’ve devoted a good chunk of time to. It's difficult to let go of something that you have made into part of your identity for a long time. That's part of the sunk cost fallacy. Some people don't quit even when they feel it in their bones that they should, because "quitting is for losers." But quitting is the right thing to do, again, sometimes.
There are many jobs and even careers out there where being average will get you "the job". By average I mean someone that's good enough. Someone that meets the minimum requirements. But then there are jobs and careers where you absolutely have to be better than average. You have to go beyond the minimum requirements. You really have to be the best.
In the case of Software Engineering, I don't think you can average your way into this career. Maybe 10 years ago it wasn’t as competitive. Maybe it’s because of the supply vs demand, and other factors, but you definitely have to be “better” at it than a LOT of other people.
This all to say… If making things with code is something that you would do even if no one is looking, even if you're not getting paid for it, and it makes you happy, then definitely keep doing it. This can still be your hobby, or something that you really care about, but it doesn't have to be your job or career. Nobody can stop you from doing it. But if the main reason you’ve been at this is 'cause you just want a "good job", then maybe moving on to something else is the right thing to do.
In the video by Elizabeth Gilbert that I linked to above she explains that there are hobbies, jobs, careers, and there are vocations. Very few people find or have a vocation. You don't need a hobby, you don't need a career, and you don't need a vocation. But most of us need a job. So if you're still grinding at this, trying to get that first junior developer job, going through rejection after rejection, feeling like crap to the point where you hardly even code anymore, then I'd take that as sign that it’s time to pause, reflect, and maybe even quit.