Has that happened to you before?
A lot of people talk about the effects that staying inside your comfort zone has on you and how it keeps you from progressing.
And it’s true, I spent 7 years working for a company that used PHP and MySQL for everything. We had no knowledge of cloud computing (it was pretty new at the time) or any other form of clustering. We built websites and they worked.
I knew exactly what to do on every new project, how to tackle it, and because we had everything templated, it was fast and straightforward.
I spent a lot of years barely having any problems to complain about.
What’s wrong with that?!
I was missing out
I was missing out on a lot of things, my comfort zone was becoming smaller every year and I was none the wiser.
Had I spent a few more years there, I would not have been able to leave.
The industry was moving forward and I had stopped moving. Period.
The comfort zone I built for myself was not letting me see what everyone else was doing, and the new tech I was missing out on.
So I quit.
It was too late for me, and the company wasn’t thinking about adopting a new tech stack anytime soon. So I quit.
But it doesn’t have to be too late for you. Leaving your comfort zone doesn’t have to mean changing careers, or companies, it can also mean trying something new for a change. Learn a new language, test a new framework, see if you can take what you learn and apply it to your daily work.
Even if that means you’ll take longer to finish your task this time, you’ll come out the other way having learned a new skill. So no, pushing past your known boundaries is never a waste of time, quite the opposite in fact.
I’m doing it again
Yes, sadly your comfort zone is not unique nor static, in fact, it grows with you.
Just because you pushed out of it a while ago, it doesn’t mean it won’t grow back up around you.
You have to stay alert, recognize the symptoms and try to find a way to extend the comfort zone before it’s too late.
I’m doing it again, after 6 years working as a manager I’ve resigned and become a Developer Advocate. Can you believe it? Because some days I can’t.
It’s new, exciting and terrifying at the same time. And that is important to remember, with change comes fear. Our mind plays tricks on us, we’re programmed to avoid fear, we grow up trusting what we know and fearing the unknown. The key to growth, is to ignore that fear.
Is it an easy thing to do? No.
Should you be this drastic? Again, no, but sometimes that is the only way, and when the alternative is to live with a job that doesn’t really make you want to get up in the morning, what’s the point?
Take a quick look around, are you still doing the same thing you were doing a year ago? two? three? More? Then it’s time to act.
As usual, if you feel like sharing your own experience, feel free to leave a comment with the button below, I’d love to hear from you!
10 years in my case *raises hand. a few months ago i started learning a new stack, fingers crossed
I'm so happy to hear your trying new things! my IT journey is just beginning.
For me, framing it as an adventure helps my perspective on something, it helps me change fear to excitement because they're so closely related.
Knowing that great things were never accomplished with excess caution also helps me. Most times, people can see if we're making mistakes because we're striving into new territory (as opposed to being sloppy). They seem to admire that, maybe because we all know it can be very challenging.
I feel ignoring our fear isn't entirely the best course, but that may be only me. Rather, I like to examine mine, because anything I feel often tells me a lot about myself and that self-knowledge is critical in making life choices, improving, and connecting with others.
(though I'm guessing that's what you meant, haha ^_^ )