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Anxiety can be an asset for a programming career. A program has way more failure modes than modes where it is working properly. I noticed years ago, that bein

Anxiety can be an asset for a programming career. A program has way more failure modes than modes where it is working properly. I noticed years ago, that being attuned to danger (anxiety) helps me guard against many potential problems in software that others often miss. But you have to be careful with this approach, it can be like playing with fire. It is very effective, but also can drain you if you over-rely on it.

kolleykibber 8y ago
It's very true that all the programmers I know who write missing critical code (Ie. who will get blamed when it goes wrong) are all anxious characters. I have personally found that a month or two out a year doing something involving people like hiking or hospitality work definitely lowers the levels.
edoceo 8y ago
I call this asset "Risk Aware" because I don't like how the word Anxiety makes me feel.
- stupidbird 8y ago
  If you want to make it sound really cool just call it hyper-vigilance.
- gerbilly 8y ago
  Sure, I call it being "attuned to risk." And, I didn't mention it above, but someone mentioned that anxiety was the least useful response to stress, but I'm not so sure. At the individual level it's difficult to experience the world anxiously, but it benefits the group. Imagine a bunch of monkeys sitting around foraging for food. Some are super chill and don't startle easily, but there will be a few that are anxious and "attuned to danger". Those anxious monkeys will likely be the first to detect danger and alert the rest of the troupe. You could say they are providing a service to the rest of the troupe by offloading the vigilance onto a few individuals.
  - mattowen_uk 8y ago
    I have Generalised Anxiety Disorder, and have suffered several completely debilitating panic attacks[1] during my adult life. I can tell you now, it is NOT an asset, no where close. Without my daily drug regimen, I cannot function normally; the mere thought of anything stressful will completely push me over the edge. What you are calling anxiety is not anxiety, it's merely being hyper-aware, helped along with a small dose of Adrenalin. --- [1] real ones, where you curl up into a ball, shaking, crying and wishing you were dead, whilst simultaneously completely believing you are dying.
    - gerbilly 8y ago
      I'm very sorry you are experiencing panic attacks, but you are arguing from marginal cases. It is possible to be predisposed to anxiety without ever having a panic attack.
pdpi 8y ago
Sure — a certain type of cynicism comes with having anxiety issues, and that cynicism can be valuable when applied to programming. That said, anxiety taken as a whole is a severely debilitating condition. It's not even remotely close to being an asset.
softawre 8y ago
Have you ever had a real panic attack? Like can't function think you're going to die? That's not the same as being a bit paranoid.
- gerbilly 8y ago
  No I haven't, but anxiety is experienced on a spectrum. Are you saying only people who have had panic attacks have known what 'real' anxiety is? That is not a plausible claim. There are plenty of people who are anxious, but have never had a panic attack.
brbrodude 8y ago
I disagree that anxiety is being "attuned to danger", to me just is not feeling well, & it's another one of those "modern epidemics", cut to the point, it's a modern malaise, so much so that the more in line w/ human-animal you are, the less anxious you are e.g.: being active/doing sports, being in nature, not being time-pressed(trivia: we only started living by the clock some 200 years ago), having strong social ties, leisure etc. I also disagree that it's an "asset", I'll say already that I hate this type of language that turns everything into money, but from what I can tell and have read, being anxious/depressed/unwell is cognitive & emotionally taxing, and most way-too-anxious people have a hard time just thinking straight, so I think there's no way this this thesis stands. I'm a very analytic/cautious/rational person and I think this is very related to being able to be a good professional, but I've also always felt that anxiety was poison and got the hell away from what I felt was sources, which I don't regret. I also think it's at least as much exogenous(i.e. environmental) as it is endogenous(i.e. oh you came from the factory with X so that's it). Relax is king.
- MisterOctober 8y ago
  I hear you -- anxiety and vigilance are related, but not always identical
crazygringo 8y ago
> Anxiety can be an asset for a programming career. I have to disagree here. "Being attuned to danger" is, that's an intellectual thing and is good. Anxiety is an emotional response which is unhealthy and affects behavior in negative ways -- e.g. not sleeping well due to worry, eating badly, etc., and those things will reduce your professional performance.
- meko 8y ago
  Agreed. A little anxiety is good and helps me stay vigilant but a little more than that and suddenly I'm overthinking things.
timeseries2018 8y ago
God, no. How do you decide what stack to work on? Should I use Python 2 for maximum compatibility, or Python 3 since it's the future? Should I spend my time on KDE or Gnome. Do I use Angular 2 or Angular 3? TypeScript or JavaScript? vi or emacs? Which flavor of Linux should I learn? Oh no, I chose wrong, everyone is getting $500k at a FAANG! I picked the wrong stack! I chose wrong! I lost years! I'm not getting any younger! I missed the opportunity! Yeah, no.
- amrx431 8y ago
  Jesus. This comment is giving me anxiety. I had similar poverty issues growing up in India. My mother died for the lack of money to pay for a 500$ surgery and we didn't have $$ for funeral. I get anxiety like anything else even with the slightest disrupt in routine. I get breadth shortness and pain in stomach. My current strategy to deal with this is the Bruce Banner strategy to consider it as normal.
  - scns 8y ago
    I recommend you to pick up meditation, John Yates - Mind Illuminated is a great book for this. Alternatively a mindfullnes based stress reduction course.
- MR4D 8y ago
  I upvoted your comment for its poignancy. If people reading this don't understand your comment, then please reread it and post a question. Honestly, I faced this so much when I was in tech that the stress level became ridiculous.
geezerjay 8y ago
I strongly disagree. Being aware of any failure mode has nothing to do with anxiety, nor is anxiety associated with a greater awareness of how a system operates. Those are very basic engineering principles. Emotional problems don't play any role on system design.

kolleykibber 8y ago

It's very true that all the programmers I know who write missing critical code (Ie. who will get blamed when it goes wrong) are all anxious characters. I have personally found that a month or two out a year doing something involving people like hiking or hospitality work definitely lowers the levels.

edoceo 8y ago

I call this asset "Risk Aware" because I don't like how the word Anxiety makes me feel.

stupidbird 8y ago
If you want to make it sound really cool just call it hyper-vigilance.
gerbilly 8y ago
Sure, I call it being "attuned to risk." And, I didn't mention it above, but someone mentioned that anxiety was the least useful response to stress, but I'm not so sure. At the individual level it's difficult to experience the world anxiously, but it benefits the group. Imagine a bunch of monkeys sitting around foraging for food. Some are super chill and don't startle easily, but there will be a few that are anxious and "attuned to danger". Those anxious monkeys will likely be the first to detect danger and alert the rest of the troupe. You could say they are providing a service to the rest of the troupe by offloading the vigilance onto a few individuals.
- mattowen_uk 8y ago
  I have Generalised Anxiety Disorder, and have suffered several completely debilitating panic attacks[1] during my adult life. I can tell you now, it is NOT an asset, no where close. Without my daily drug regimen, I cannot function normally; the mere thought of anything stressful will completely push me over the edge. What you are calling anxiety is not anxiety, it's merely being hyper-aware, helped along with a small dose of Adrenalin. --- [1] real ones, where you curl up into a ball, shaking, crying and wishing you were dead, whilst simultaneously completely believing you are dying.
  - gerbilly 8y ago
    I'm very sorry you are experiencing panic attacks, but you are arguing from marginal cases. It is possible to be predisposed to anxiety without ever having a panic attack.

pdpi 8y ago

Sure — a certain type of cynicism comes with having anxiety issues, and that cynicism can be valuable when applied to programming. That said, anxiety taken as a whole is a severely debilitating condition. It's not even remotely close to being an asset.

softawre 8y ago

Have you ever had a real panic attack? Like can't function think you're going to die? That's not the same as being a bit paranoid.

gerbilly 8y ago
No I haven't, but anxiety is experienced on a spectrum. Are you saying only people who have had panic attacks have known what 'real' anxiety is? That is not a plausible claim. There are plenty of people who are anxious, but have never had a panic attack.

brbrodude 8y ago

I disagree that anxiety is being "attuned to danger", to me just is not feeling well, & it's another one of those "modern epidemics", cut to the point, it's a modern malaise, so much so that the more in line w/ human-animal you are, the less anxious you are e.g.: being active/doing sports, being in nature, not being time-pressed(trivia: we only started living by the clock some 200 years ago), having strong social ties, leisure etc. I also disagree that it's an "asset", I'll say already that I hate this type of language that turns everything into money, but from what I can tell and have read, being anxious/depressed/unwell is cognitive & emotionally taxing, and most way-too-anxious people have a hard time just thinking straight, so I think there's no way this this thesis stands. I'm a very analytic/cautious/rational person and I think this is very related to being able to be a good professional, but I've also always felt that anxiety was poison and got the hell away from what I felt was sources, which I don't regret. I also think it's at least as much exogenous(i.e. environmental) as it is endogenous(i.e. oh you came from the factory with X so that's it). Relax is king.

MisterOctober 8y ago
I hear you -- anxiety and vigilance are related, but not always identical

crazygringo 8y ago

> Anxiety can be an asset for a programming career. I have to disagree here. "Being attuned to danger" is, that's an intellectual thing and is good. Anxiety is an emotional response which is unhealthy and affects behavior in negative ways -- e.g. not sleeping well due to worry, eating badly, etc., and those things will reduce your professional performance.

meko 8y ago
Agreed. A little anxiety is good and helps me stay vigilant but a little more than that and suddenly I'm overthinking things.

timeseries2018 8y ago

God, no. How do you decide what stack to work on? Should I use Python 2 for maximum compatibility, or Python 3 since it's the future? Should I spend my time on KDE or Gnome. Do I use Angular 2 or Angular 3? TypeScript or JavaScript? vi or emacs? Which flavor of Linux should I learn? Oh no, I chose wrong, everyone is getting $500k at a FAANG! I picked the wrong stack! I chose wrong! I lost years! I'm not getting any younger! I missed the opportunity! Yeah, no.

amrx431 8y ago
Jesus. This comment is giving me anxiety. I had similar poverty issues growing up in India. My mother died for the lack of money to pay for a 500$ surgery and we didn't have $$ for funeral. I get anxiety like anything else even with the slightest disrupt in routine. I get breadth shortness and pain in stomach. My current strategy to deal with this is the Bruce Banner strategy to consider it as normal.
- scns 8y ago
  I recommend you to pick up meditation, John Yates - Mind Illuminated is a great book for this. Alternatively a mindfullnes based stress reduction course.
MR4D 8y ago
I upvoted your comment for its poignancy. If people reading this don't understand your comment, then please reread it and post a question. Honestly, I faced this so much when I was in tech that the stress level became ridiculous.

geezerjay 8y ago

I strongly disagree. Being aware of any failure mode has nothing to do with anxiety, nor is anxiety associated with a greater awareness of how a system operates. Those are very basic engineering principles. Emotional problems don't play any role on system design.