Coding in the Age of Loneliness
For much of my youth, I had a really good relationship with coding. Before I pursued it academically and professionally, coding was an escape — a hobby I adored because it was one of the rare activities I could immerse myself in, solitary and uninterrupted.
Then, the university brought with it an exciting new dimension: collaboration. Suddenly, I wasn’t just coding for the love of it but was building projects with others. The pure joy of creating something in a team was unlike any solo venture I had embarked upon before.
Then came the pandemic
Our graduation project, our first true year long project which was supposed to be a vibrant collaboration of ideas and in-person brainstorming sessions, became a list of segregated tasks. Each member of the team went about their responsibilities, reporting back once done. Around the same time, during the heights of the pandemic, I embarked on my professional journey, landing my first job as a software engineer. I started this new chapter in an era when remote work was more a necessity than a choice.
Up until I joined HeyJobs, most of my professional days were spent in my home office. A typical day involved checking my to-do list, updating the team via text on our group channel, and occasionally diving into planning sessions over virtual meetings. The allure of my once beloved solitary coding began to wane. The process, which I had always enjoyed, started feeling monotonous. The charm was missing, and I realized it was because I lacked the spontaneous magic that came from working side by side with colleagues, troubleshooting and brainstorming in real-time.
While the comforts of working from home are undeniable, my early experiences with remote work had their challenges, primarily due to the systems in place at that time. However, the standout advantage of remote work for me wasn’t just the convenience of a home setup or the elimination of daily commutes, nor even those deep, focused productivity sessions. Rather, it was the erasure of geographical barriers. This shift enabled collaboration with exceptional colleagues from anywhere in the world, fostering unparalleled diversity and bringing very rich inputs of perspectives to projects, which in turn led to more enriched outcomes. But there’s something palpably missing. At our core, we humans are social beings. We yearn for genuine connection. While tools like Google Meet, Slack and Zoom bridge that gap to an extent, they cannot replicate the magic of huddling around a desk, pointing at a screen, brainstorming solutions, solving problems and celebrating small victories together.
Enter HeyJobs
In February, I embarked on a new journey, relocating to Berlin to join HeyJobs. I vividly recall the cocktail of emotions as I approached the office doors for the first time. Excitement was certainly one, but it was mingled with anxiety. The prospect of starting this in-office chapter was exhilarating, something I had long yearned for. Yet, as the day approached, the weight of imposter syndrome was very heavy.
The office setting meant there would be no digital barriers: no screens to hide behind or delayed responses to mask hesitation. I would be surrounded by a diverse array of talent from all corners of the world, each bringing their own expertise and unique perspectives. The questions swirled: How would I share my ideas without the safety of a typed message buffer? Would I convey my thoughts clearly in real-time discussions? Could I genuinely fit into this melting pot of talent?
But as each day unfurled, my apprehensions gradually dissolved. Every time we paired to solve problems in the office, planning sessions, or even casual coffee chats with my peers brought with it a sense of belonging and fulfillment. The direct, in-person interactions enriched our collaboration in ways I hadn’t foreseen. All in all it felt rewarding.
This journey solidified a belief in me: our future doesn’t lie in reverting to the old ways but in embracing a hybrid blend of remote and on-site work when having the proper functioning systems at place for both. The Hybrid model truly encapsulates this vision. They provide the solace of our personal spaces and the flexibility of working from home while ensuring we still capture those invaluable moments that only face-to-face interactions can offer.
The Essence of Connection
In our rapidly digitizing world, the essence of human connection remains paramount. The pandemic showcased our adaptability, but as we chart our future work models, let’s remember that while technology offers convenience, it’s the real-world connections that truly inspire and ignite innovation.
Interested in joining our team? Browse our open positions or check out what we do at HeyJobs.
