Yuval Goldstein reviews the results of an international survey that asked 305 developers about their jobs, their happiness and what contributes to it, their salaries, bosses, working-hours, team-mates, tools that they use and their productivity.
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The secrets of developer happiness - Yuval Goldstein @ alphageeks 5
1. THE SECRET OF DEVELOPER HAPPINESS?
A SURVEY AMONG SOFTWARE DEVELOPERS
Alphageeks IL, meetup #5,
@yuvalgo, yuvalgo@gmail.com
2. About the Survey
Who would answer a survey about their job?
Are we good/productive?
How people and environment affects us?
Are we happy at our jobs?
305 developers/managers answered in 3 days
Mostly from www.dzone.com and twitter links
DISCLAIMER
3. Survey Population - Developers
7, 2% 32, 10% 20, 7%
CIO/CTO/C*O/Architect
Developer / QA / Graphic Design
/ Business Analyst
Other
246, 81%
Team leader of some sort
(blank)
4. Questions asked
Are you happy with your current position?
Do you respect your direct boss?
Are you looking for another job?
Are you happy with your current salary?
Would you recommend your friend to work in your team?
Do you do code reviews in your team?
Are you productive using the tools that you use (language, IDE, source control,
database, build tools, runtime server platform)?
How professional are the people in your team?
How many hours do you work in an average week?
Does your team write developer tests code (unit testing, integration testing)?
How good are your team's deliverables?
Does your company communicate strategy, goals and customer feedback to you
effectively?
What is your favorite color?
5. My thoughts before the survey…
We’re generally happy with our jobs
The people around us have a great effect on our
happiness
We’re earning a lot but not satisfied with it
We’re working a lot of hours
6. How many hours a week do you work?
Less than 40 hours a week?
40-50?
50-60
60 +
7. 87% working less than 50 hrs
7, 2%
107, 35%
40-50 158, 52%
50-60
Less than 40
More than 60 (OMFG)
33, 11%
8. Satisfied with your salary?
60% are satisfied!
40, 13%
It's great, I'm happy
80, 26%
It's ok, not great
41, 14% 144, 47%
It's terrible terrible terrible
Not happy, need more
cash!
9. Do you respect your direct boss?
Only 45%...
He's ok but could be better
98, 32% 97, 32%
I dont respect my boss at
all
I love my boss 41, 13% 69, 23%
I respect my boss
11. Methodology VS. Mythology
Do you conduct code reviews in your team?
Do you write developer (unit/integration) testing?
Are you using productive tools?
Is your team doing a good job?
12. Do you do code reviews in your team?
Not really… (only 8% do it all the time)
24, 8%
All the time 161, 53% 120, 39%
For 1 out of 3 or 5 tasks
Not at all
13. Productive tools? 51: yes, 49 no
39, 13%
Excellent tools, very
productive! 114, 37% 37, 12%
I hate the tools I'm using,
NOT productive at all
I think the tools that I use 115, 38%
makes me productive
Productivity could be better
14. How professional is your team?
71% says theirs good!
53, 17%
Just barely 155, 51% 35, 12%
Not at all
They are good 62, 20%
They're OK
15. How good is your team (2) ?
47% says theirs good!
Little bugs, allmost alwayes
24, 8%
on time
62, 20%
We are allmost ok, some
bugs, sometimes late 119, 39%
We are good but have some
100, 33%
bugs, you know, the
occasional late build
We're terrible, lots of bugs,
never on time
17. Only 29% Happy with their current
position
28, 9%
60, 20%
I like it 117, 38%
I like it a lot.
It's Ok 100, 33%
No
18. Would you recommend your friend to
work in your team? Only 23% would
71, 23%
113, 37%
Maybe
No
Yes 121, 40%
19. Looking for another job?
85% aren’t ?
45, 15%
108, 35%
Actively looking
Keeping an open ear
No 152, 50%
20. But why…. ?
Developers are not happy at their current position
So they wouldn’t recommend a friend joining
But they aren’t leaving their jobs
Fail,
21. Excellent tools and technical environment,
Happy? – 51%
10, 26% 10, 25%
I like it
I like it a lot.
It's Ok 9, 23% 10, 26%
No
22. Happy with your job? (29%)
60, 20%
117, 38%
I like it 28, 9%
I like it a lot.
It's Ok
No 100, 33%
Great team, happy? (50%) Love their boss, happy? (63%)
2, 5%
15, 24% 17, 27%
I like it
14, 34%
I like it a lot. 13, 32%
I like it
It's Ok 16, 26% 14, 23% I like it a lot.
No
It's Ok
No 12, 29%
23. Happy with your job? (29%) Less than 40 hours, happy? (30%)
60, 20%
22, 21%
117, 38%
I like it 28, 9% 44, 41%
I like it 8, 7%
I like it a lot.
I like it a lot.
It's Ok
It's Ok
No 100, 33% 33, 31%
No
Happy with their salary, Happy? (%65)
6, 15%
15, 37%
I like it
8, 20%
I like it a lot.
It's Ok
No
11, 28%
24. My thoughts VS. Real-Life
Before
We’re generally happy with our jobs:
The people around us have a great effect on our happiness
We’re earning a lot but not satisfied with it
We’re working a lot of hours
After:
Only 29% happy: Things could be better!
If the money’s good and the boss is good, we’re good (65%)
We don’t work more than 50 hours
Testing, Code reviews: get real!
Productivity: not really…
25. Favorite Color == BLUE
39, 13%
64, 21% 146, 48%
Blue
Green
Other
Red
56, 18%