While everyone else is working, I took vacation for the whole December. Turns out, that was a brilliant move!

I stroll 20+km every day in this beautiful, puffy scenery.

A Monday morning poem

I enter the bureau, feeling all relaxed and well,
my colleague looks up:
"Abandon all hope, welcome to hell."

This indeed, he doesn't say,
his face only twists a little in dismay:
"I need that schematic, did you finish it yet?
And there also some tests I'd like to get -
how was your week-end by the way?"
I start my computer, don't remember what I say ...

I grab some coffee, half a day is gone,
the PM pressures: "I want that asap done!"
I am cluttered in tasks and bullshit, too:
"Go fuck you right now - yes, I meant you!"

I don't say what I like to, I mentally punch a wall,
I crank some more code out and git-commit it all.
Some devRant on the lunch-break, some shallow talk,
I leave the building and take a short walk.

My mind rotates, I cannot enjoy the scenery now,
I return to my desk, and figure out what to handle and how.
But my plans are crashed by a colleague dashing in:
"I need you to do a test setup! I need to begin -"

I do the setup, I do some other stuff,
At the end of the day I feel totally rough,
Work is piling up even more -
"Tomorrow", I think and close the door.

At home, I just flop on on my bed -
I should be learning instead ... -
with some pizza and chill.
I think about sleeping, I hope that I will.

...

It is now Friday,
my brain is fried, too.
I am finished with this poem - how about you? :)

I am mentally burned out from web development.

Physically I'm fine, but it's getting more difficult each day to open my laptop and write code, documentation or do code reviews.

Web development just seems so meaningless, where my day to day job has me trudging through one web form after another. I'm sick of implementing business logic on the backend and tired of listening to the product owner bitch about users who are demanding.

My productivity has fallen to the level where I'm feeling guilty for spending my time on nothing!

Don't give me advice, I know I need a change of scenery.

I just need to find the motivation to work on another hiring test which has nothing to do with the actual job.

This was my first real programming bible. I remember reading it chapter after chapter in the car on long car trips as a youngster and being so excited about the stuff I was learning I would explain it to my mom in the front seat as I was learning it. I'm sure she didn't understand a word of it.

Funny thing is I still do that today, 25 years later. And I'm sure she still understands not a word!

So, what was the book that really got you into programming?

Whatever was going on in the weekdays ... I forget about it right here, in my garden.

Have a nice weekend you all.

This morning, I felt pretty good. I had a healthy breakfast and I took the longer U-bahn journey into work so as to enjoy the Autumn scenery. I get to my desk after greeting my colleagues with the customary "Guten Morgen" and I began to plan my work for the day. I see there is a new ticket assigned to me which relates to a HTML issue. The customer support team are able to use a HTML editor to made changes to a section of a user's dashboard and from time to time, I get asked to fix their mistakes. Usually, it is something small, but it makes me cringe every time I see the markup. "Tables...tables everywhere!!!", sighed the once happy dev.

Time for a coffee break and a sit-down with the support team

Hey lads and gals!

A genuine question to people who live in "heaven-on-earth" countries (Greece islands, Italy, Spain seaside, Portugal, etc.). Where do YOU travel to to chill, change scenery and relax?

I mean, for us, wildlings of the North, going South on vacation is a no-brainer. Like now, I'm getting my sanity back while sipping Rakia (IDK why not ouzo though..) in Crete. But where do Cret(ians?) and other Southerners go on vacation?

Need some advice here.

So hello everyone! I recently moved abroad for work, for the sake of the experience and the excitement of learning how developers in Latin America tackle specific problems. To my surprise, the dev team is actually composed solely of Europeans and Americans.

I work for a relatively new startup with an ambitious goal. I love the drive everyone has, but my major gripe is with my team lead. He's adverse to any change, and any and all proposals made to improve quality of throughput are shot down in flames. Our stack is a horrendous mess patched together with band-aids, nothing is documented, there are NO unit tests for our backend and the same goes for our frontend. The team has been working on a database/application migration for about a month now, which I find ridiculous because the entire situation could have been avoided by following very rudimentary DevOps practices (which I'm shunned for mentioning). I should also add that for whatever reason containerization and microservices are also taboo, which I find hillarious because of our currently convoluted setup with elastic beanstalk and the the constant complaints between our development environment and production environments differing too much.

I've been tasked with managing a Wordpress site for the past 3 weeks, hardly what I would consider exciting. I've written 6 pages in the past two weeks so our marketing team can move off of squarespace to save some money and allow us more control. Due to the shit show that is our "custom theme" I had to write these pages in a manner that completely disregard existing style rules by disabling them entirely on these pages. Now, ironically they would like to change the blog's base theme but this would invertedly cause other pages created before I arrived to simply not work, which means I would have to rewrite them.

Before I took the role of writing an entire theme from scratch and updating these existing pages to work adequately, I proposed moving to a headless wordpress setup. In which case we could share assets in a much more streamline manner between our application and wordpress site and unify our styles. I was shot down almost immediately. Due to a grave misunderstanding of how wordpress works, no one else on the team seems to understand just how easy it is to fetch data from wordpress's api.

In any event, I also had a tech meeting today with developers from partner companies and realized no one knew what the fuck they were talking about. The greater majority of these self proclaimed senior developers are actually considered junior developers in the United States. I actually recoiled at the thought that I may have made a great mistake leaving the United States to look a great tech gig.

I mean no disrespect to Latin America, or any European countries, I've met some really incredible developers from Russia, the Ukraine, Italy, etc. in the past and I'm certainly not trying to make any blanket statements. I just want to know what everyone thinks, if I should maybe move back to the states and header over to the bay/NY. I'm from the greater Boston area, where some really great stuff is going on but I guess I also wanted a change of scenery.

purpose=RantTypes.Advice;
preferredReaderNationality="American";

Hey! Here's my problem: I am a german guy with pretty fluent english. When I will be done with my bachelor's (or master's, depending on my preference in 3 years) degree, I've decided I'd like to live/work in america; if that is at least somewhat easily possible. Ofc I'd have to get someone to hire me first, but I'll probably find at least something (what kind of company would be best? something like google? a start up?)

I tried googling how to become a citizen, how to work, how to live in america etc. but it's just so many different requirements and statuses and rules and forms that I would have to spend a very large amount of time, which might be wasted. So I thought I'd ask you guy's whether it's possible. /r/america (or similar, it was quite some time ago) didn't respond to my questions.

What do I need to know? What do I need to own? What do I need in terms of skills? What would help my chances? How long does this normally take? Is being a white male german a benefit? How much? Could I stay there permanently or would it be a stay-as-long-as-you-have-a-job sort of scenario?What kinds of precautions can I take?
Is it advisable to go there? If not, what are good english-speaking alternatives? What are non-english alternatives (e.g. I thought about sweden; they seem to have great laws, people, internet, scenery)?

Capture Your Love Story with April Simmons Photography
Welcome to April Simmons Photography, where I specialize in documenting the beautiful moments of love and connection. Based in the stunning Central Coast of California, I offer personalized photography services, including being an Avila Beach engagement photographer and a Templeton wedding photographer. My mission is to create timeless images that tell your unique love story.

Avila Beach Engagement Photographer: Celebrate Your Journey Together
Engagements are a beautiful milestone in every couple's journey, and what better way to celebrate than with a stunning photoshoot at Avila Beach? As an Avila Beach engagement photographer, I take advantage of the breathtaking coastal scenery to create romantic and memorable images that reflect your relationship.

The picturesque beaches, rolling waves, and golden sunsets provide the perfect backdrop for capturing your love in its purest form. Whether you prefer a relaxed stroll along the shore or a playful beach picnic, I’ll work with you to design a session that highlights your unique personalities and connection.

During our session, I encourage you to be yourselves. This approach allows for authentic moments that truly showcase the love and joy you share. Together, we’ll create a collection of images that not only capture the excitement of your engagement but also serve as cherished memories for years to come.

Templeton Wedding Photographer: Your Special Day, Perfectly Captured
Your wedding day is one of the most significant events in your life, and as a dedicated Templeton wedding photographer, I understand how important it is to capture every moment beautifully. Templeton, with its charming vineyards and picturesque landscapes, provides a stunning backdrop for your wedding celebration.

From the heartfelt vows to the joyful celebrations with family and friends, I strive to document every detail of your special day. My photography style combines both candid and posed shots, ensuring that I capture the essence of your love story. I aim to highlight the emotions, connections, and joyful moments that make your wedding unique.

I believe that your wedding photos should reflect your personality and style, which is why I take the time to understand your vision before the big day. Whether you’re planning an intimate gathering or a grand celebration, I’ll ensure that your photographs tell the story of your love and the beautiful day you shared.

Why Choose April Simmons Photography?
Personalized Experience: I work closely with each couple to understand their unique vision, ensuring that every session reflects their story and style.
Quality Imagery: Using high-quality equipment and a creative eye, I deliver stunning images that capture the beauty of your moments.
Timely Delivery: I understand how excited you are to see your photos, so I prioritize prompt delivery without sacrificing quality.
Book Your Session Today!
If you’re looking for an Avila Beach engagement photographer to celebrate your love or a Templeton wedding photographer to capture your special day, look no further than April Simmons Photography. Contact me today at +1 (805) 712-3802 to discuss your vision and book your session. Let’s create beautiful memories together that you will cherish for a lifetime!