Gift Ideas Developers Will Love You For
I’ve seen a few lists over the years, but a lot of them are pretty bad or focus only on specific products. Instead of doing the same thing, I made a list of ideas that I personally wouldn’t mind receiving ;)
Emphasis on the word ideas…the brand, models, and pricing, are all things you need to figure out depending on the person you are shopping for.
If there’s a gift you’d like to receive that I haven’t listed here, let me know in the comments and I’ll see about adding it.
First things first — let’s take care of our health
Chair
I’ve got weird neck issues, so having the right kind of back support is super important. The chair can make it or break it, so this is a must have if you ever work from home.
Unfortunately, I’m currently looking for a chair myself, so I can’t make a great recommendation. It also largely depends on your budget, because they can get quite pricey.
Herman Miller chairs kept popping up while Googling. This one, the Aeron Chair seems to be very popular.
Here’s the Alera Elusion, if you’re looking for a cheaper alternative.
If anyone has suggestions for chairs, I’d love to hear them.
Laptop Stand
Look at people around you (or yourself) as they watch their laptop screens. You’re probably looking down and slouching over. This is terrible posture that leads to neck and back problems, but we can’t help it. Or can we?
Introducing the laptop stand:
Looks like this one has gone up a little bit in price, which is too bad, but it’s still a decent stand. I do wish it was just a bit taller. It’s a solid chunk of aluminum that I can carry in a book bag and take with me to coffee shops. There are alternative choices, of course.
Massage Gift Card
Whether you work from home or at an office, this is a gift developers will love. Since we’re always at the computer and typing, our upper back becomes tight and full of knots. Your spine could also start straightening (mine is) because of bad posture, and that’s not good.
Massage is a great way to prevent injury for common desk job issues. Here are other ways massage can help:
- Help release tension
- Help relieve stress
- Can be a relaxing activity for couples
Who wouldn’t want that?
Now that we’re healthy, let’s dive into some practicality
Headset/Earphones
Some people say you can’t work with music playing at the same time. I completely disagree. The right music can have me cranking out work at insane speeds, and even forgetting that time exists. It’s a magical moment.
The other beauty of having a headset or earphones is avoiding distractions. Whether you’re in the office or at a coffee shop, noises and people can be quite distracting. The cost of time lost getting back into the work zone is worth far more than the price of a decent headset.
Giving a recommendation here is tricky because there are so many different variables at play: do you want a microphone? A headset? Earphones? What’s your budget? Is it mostly for music or gaming?
For both gaming and music, I hear Sennheiser has good headphones. I have an older TurtleBeach pair and I like it.
For earphones, you can start your search with Bose and Klipsch, but there are other options.
Keyboards
Keyboards make a pretty big difference — not only for your wrists but also for typing speed which, if you’re anything like me, you have no patience for typos and slow typing. If you ever work from home or play video games, this is a pretty big deal.
As with many other options on this list, choosing a keyboard is a matter of preference. Some prefer mechanical keyboards, while others care more about whether they light up or are programmable.
SSDs
Developers don’t like waiting, so they need fast storage. SSDs are super fast.
Here are two solid choices for a good performance:price:reliability ratio.
Memory
Along similar lines, RAM is a great way to keep your PC running fast. With current prices, it’s not impossible to get 16GB DDR4/DDR3 for $100 or less.
Storage Space in the Cloud
Whether you need backup storage or an easy way to sync files across devices, storage in the cloud is very practical. My life would requite far more planning if it wasn’t for cloud storage.
I know that Dropbox lets you get gift cards, but I’m not sure about alternatives like Google Drive.
Hosting and Cloud Computing Subscriptions
The best way to learn is to practice. Developers can be intimidated by running their own servers, but understanding what goes on is not only important, it’s also a lot of fun.
Even beyond that, developers need a place to host all of their projects. The following are solid options, though there are others.
I don’t think these have gift cards specific to them, but you should be able to offer prepaid cards and use those. Please double check before you do, as I’m not 100% sure. Cash is always an option…
Online Learning School Subscription
Following up with having an environment to test your skills and learn new techniques, coding courses and certification training courses are excellent investments.
Again, I’m not 100% sure if these take gift cards or prepaid cards, but cash is always an option. (I like cash gifts, but I know not everyone does)
Here are a few options:
Books
This is a list of books that I’ve either read and really learned from, or have been recommended by people I respect (but I haven’t had time to read yet).
Smalltalk Best Practice Patterns
Refactoring: Improving the Design of Existing Code
Patterns of Enterprise Application Architecture
There are more, but I don’t want to flood this with them. Let me know if you are looking for more options.
Let’s have some fun
Various hardware purchases
This one finds its way in a lot of different gift lists, for good reason. It’s fun, not too expensive, and something many developers can enjoy during their free time.
There’s so much to do with drones. From taking amazing pictures, to attempting to hack them, drones are fun for just about any age developer.
You may have a hard time getting your hands on this one. At the time of writing, Amazon is sold out.
Even if you’re not that interested in having a smartwatch, it could be a good investment for developers. While I can’t predict the future, I have a strong feeling that wearables are going to be important. This opens up the market for apps, customization, etc…
Other Ideas
I’m a pretty big fan of gift cards. Why? Because I can use them when I want and on whatever item I want. If you have an Apple fan in the family, this is sure to make them happy.
Whether they like books, movies, or songs, Google Play gift cards are a good idea if you’re not exactly sure what to get.
Coffee shop gift cards
Shopping for a coffee fan? Get them a gift card to their favorite shop.
Beer pub gift cards
The same goes for beer pubs. This is a beer aficionado’s dream.
