Living with a Developer in the Time of Corona

If you’re fortunate enough to live with a web developer, you’re probably used to seeing your partner planted in front of (multiple) screens more than the average human. While most of their work is normally done at the office, you’re probably accustomed to seeing them come home and continue clacking away, sans pants. Conversations about “eye breaks” or wearing “blue light” glasses might be all too familiar. Understanding terminology, tickets and sprints probably means a decent amount of head nodding, smiling and pretending to get it. While I’ve always been inspired by my husband Joe’s impressive robot brain and the passion he has for his profession, I can confidently say that I’ve never been more proud of him than I am right now.

Over the past two weeks, I’ve watched Joe join together with a band of uniquely talented individuals to embark on an ambitious project: create an app to map and track Covid-19 testing data. Without hesitation he suddenly became a professional juggler — successfully managing the demands of his regular job while fully adding on another. Quarantined together in our 500 sq foot Manhattan apartment, I’ve had a (very) close-up window into his world; a view like never before. It has come with some challenges (arguing about light dimness is a new one for us) but I’ve been nothing short of amazed.

I’ve seen my husband, stationed at his desk, furiously type for hours on end. I’ve heard his yelps of excitement and grunts of frustration, along with an array of colorful curse words, at all hours of the day. Literally. I’ve observed him diving head first into nightly stand-ups, daily commits and countless pushes to the dev branch. I watched his unwavering dedication to pro bono work, with no promise of what will come of it in the future. I’ve seen him stop at nothing — all for the good of humanity and the potential of what could be. Cowboy coding for a cause.

Now, my husband isn’t alone. He’s accompanied by nearly thirty incredible colleagues within his company and beyond. There are hundreds of others in their extended network collaborating to effectively utilize open source data. No one is sure what, when or how this data will make an impact. They are running on the shared belief that technology is the key to pulling us out of this global mess. Collectively they understand that getting good reliable tech off the ground quickly is the best next step.

So for the first time I truly want to understand the ins and outs of Joe’s job. Understand the code, language and the challenges that come with it. I want to listen in on his nightly meetings, and ask clarifying questions. I want to help him celebrate the small wins and the shared victories of his pioneer team. I want to do all this because of how inspired I am. By him and the many others who are fighting the good fight, their way. Everyone who lives with a developer knows that it comes with its own special set of quirks. However, in this unprecedented time of existing through a pandemic, I’ve never been more sure that I wouldn’t trade it for the world.