Uncovering Motivation in Software Engineering
Dev Leader Weekly 98
TL; DR:
Everyone's motivations are different
Money is allowed to be a motivator
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Uncovering Motivation in Software Engineering
Most of us don't join this industry for the standups.
And yet, 5, 10, even 15 years in, you start to notice a weird pattern:
Every job starts to feel the same.
Every project feels like just another version of the last one.
Different company, different team -- but same old story.
So what keeps you showing up? Your answer might be different from a friend or colleague. It might even be different now than 5 years earlier or 5 years from now.
If you want to hear me talk through these ideas, you can watch this Code Commute episode:
Money Is ABSOLUTELY Part of the Picture
Let’s just get this out of the way.
Money is a real motivator. It buys options, reduces stress, and gives you leverage. Anyone pretending it doesn’t matter probably isn’t being honest.
But if money is the only motivator, then you’re always going to be one bad quarter, crappy project, or flat bonus away from resenting your job.
We can do better than that.
Actionable Tip:
Do a quarterly check-in: Swap asking yourself “am I making enough?” for “is the work I’m doing buying me the freedom I care about?” instead.
Freedom could be:
Flexibility in your schedule
Saving to walk away someday
Ability to build something on the side
More time for your spouse, children, friends, and family
Reframe your salary as fuel. What are you building with it?
Hopefully, the answer isn't just "a bigger bank account number".
Let's Talk Impact
Some of the most motivating work I’ve done wasn’t even the best-paying.
Before Microsoft, I helped create software used in digital forensics -- we built tools that helped catch criminals and protect kids. That kind of impact sticks with you. It makes the late nights feel worth it.
It's going to be hard to replicate that feeling.
You’re not just shipping tickets. You’re making something that someone actually needs. For us, we were helping bring justice to families, keep kids safe, and put bad people where they need to be.
Actionable Tip:
Ask the "Who Cares?" question. When you start a new project, ask:
Who does this help?
What changes for them if we succeed?
How can I make that outcome more real?
The clearer that picture is, the easier it is to stay motivated.
Asking "Why" you are doing something is so undervalued, but it can be an easy tool to make mundane work more engaging. In software engineering, we often forget to bring this up because we're so focused on just getting more and more work done.
Underdog Energy
Some of us are wired to love the uphill battle--being the underdog and being able to prove to others it’s possible.
Almost the entire first decade of my career was spent working in an environment like this:
We were the "little guys"
We were the new kids on the block
We had the mountain to climb to reach our competition
But there’s something powerful about “impossible” goals -- especially when your team believes they can prove the world wrong. For me, this was one of the most engaging environments to be in.
You weren't going to tell us we couldn't accomplish something. Wasn't going to happen on our watch.
But not everyone wants that. Some folks want stability, predictability, and control. That’s valid too.
You need to figure out where you are.
Actionable Tip:
Notice what gets your adrenaline going.
Is it chaos and challenge?
Is it solving puzzles solo?
Is it enabling others to win?
Is it learning new technologies?
Then find ways to align your projects or roles around that style. This can be part of conversations with your manager and it should be conversations with yourself when you're evaluating your career.
Autonomy Isn’t a Perk
One of the quickest ways to demotivate a driven developer?
Take away their autonomy.
Micromanagement, excessive process, or unclear ownership will sap motivation faster than a broken CI pipeline. And I know that you know how much it sucks to have your work blocked by a broken build or build system.
On the flip side, the right level of freedom can be engaging. I’ve had roles where the trust and ownership I was given made it feel like I could drive the company -- even though it wasn’t mine to steer. My decisions were mine and my impact was directly proportional to them.
Actionable Tip:
Push for clarity in expectations, then ask for autonomy.
Try saying:
“If these are the goals, I’d love to take point on how we get there. Can I run with it and check in at key milestones?”
Choose your own words though so you avoid sounding like a robot. It'll be a bit more effective.
If you keep delivering, you’ll build the trust that buys you even more freedom. Quite the feedback loop, really.
Creating Something That’s Yours
Some of us don’t just want to build cool features. We want to build our own thing.
That’s why I started BrandGhost. Not just to scratch an itch, but to own something end-to-end. To be able to point at something and say, “I made this.”
Plus, I desperately needed a content scheduling tool that didn't totally suck. I've dabbled in this for long enough (outside of software engineering, too!) to know I'm not happy with the tools out there.
Not everyone needs to go build a startup, but that desire to create is real. And if it’s not being met in your day job, side projects can help. I've been able to feed that hunger by building video games, UI frameworks, and all sorts of stuff in between.
Actionable Tip:
Build something that has your name on it.
A blog or video series
An open-source tool
A product you’d use yourself -- even better!
The feeling of ownership fuels pride, learning, and deeper engagement.
The Quiet Joy of Helping Others
As a manager, one of the most rewarding things isn’t shipping software. It’s seeing people grow.
Helping someone get promoted. Watching a junior dev take on their first big feature. Unblocking someone who’s stuck.
That stuff fills the tank in a way few other things can. But it wasn't always like that for me -- it actually took me years to get to a point where that was more fulfilling in my day job than writing code.
Actionable Tip:
Mentor someone.
Doesn’t need to be formal.
Setup periodic chats to catch up and provide advice or guidance
Offer to review a PR, walk through a system, or give feedback on a doc.
The moment they say, “Ohhh, I get it now,” is magic. And it reminds you how far you’ve come too.
Challenges That Stretch You (Just Enough)
I’ve said this before -- it’s not just about interesting problems. It’s about problems that feel just beyond reach, but still doable.
When I started at Microsoft, we had a team goal that my manager set out for us. The engineers said it was impossible based on the work they had done previously. There was no way we could shrink our deployment time by 40%...
But we broke it down. We chipped away at it. We built momentum by tons of small wins that we could measure against, and we absolutely hit that target.
That “you can’t do it” moment became a motivator.
Actionable Tip:
Ask to take on a stretch project once a year.
Something messy, ambiguous, or cross-functional
Something that scares you (just a little)
... don't wait for it to fall on your lap
These are growth accelerators, and they often reignite your fire.
Figure Out What Demotivates You
We’ve talked about what fuels motivation. But you also need to know what drains it.
For me?
Lack of impact
Micromanagement
Being sidelined from decisions
Knowing these helps me recognize when a role or project might be misaligned.
Actionable Tip:
Write your own anti-motivation list. What situations, team dynamics, or patterns suck the joy out of your work?
Then check for those signals before saying yes to the next opportunity. Sometimes they're hard to avoid, but make sure that's not the new norm.
Wrapping It Up
Reflect on your own motivators:
Are you driven by impact? Ownership? Challenges? Money?
Are you drained by disorganization? Lack of autonomy? Monotony?
Then make small but deliberate moves toward the work that aligns with your drivers. Awareness lets you make conscious decisions to move in the right direction.
Because the most satisfying careers aren’t built on hype. They’re built on a deep understanding of what makes you want to show up every day.
If you’re not sure what that is yet, start by noticing what makes you want to quit. Sometimes the reverse is your answer.
And if money happens to be your motivator, there's absolutely nothing wrong with that.
Join me and other software engineers in the private Discord community!
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As always, thanks so much for your support! I hope you enjoyed this issue, and I'll see you next week.
Nick “Dev Leader” Cosentino
social@devleader.ca
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