Is There Really No Work-life Balance for Software Developers?

I was reading this interview with the CEO of Microsoft, Satya Nadella and one thing he said really stood out to me. When asked what advice he would have for readers struggling with work-life balance, he responded with, “There’s no such thing as balance.”

Really?

Well, if you are the CEO of Microsoft, I suppose there might not be, but I do not think that is true for all people in this field. I personally think it just depends on what your real priorities are and whether you are willing to sacrifice for them.

For myself personally, I think I have a wonderful work-life balance. While I do not earn a six-figure income and I do not have a fancy job title or an MBA, I do consider myself extremely successful. My priorities are not about how much I earn or what title or degree I hold, but how much of an impact I have on “my world”, the only world that really matters to me.

And what is my world, you might be asking?

Well, it is me and my immediate family, and my community.

Eleven years ago I left the trappings of Corporate America and became independent. While I have had my ups and downs, I would not trade this life for anything. It has brought be more peace and success than anything I have ever done in my life.

It allows me to work remotely from home and therefore be here everyday when my kids leave for school and when they return. We eat a home cooked meal every night as a family and most days of the week, I take time to go for a run in the woods, as well as take quiet time each day to meditate and pray.

Now one thing Mr. Nadella said that I do agree with is, “And I think about time spent, then my work had better be something that’s nourishing to my soul and my personal philosophy, and so on.”

Absolutely!

And I think being independent allows me to do this more than ever. My day to day tasks are not dictated by corporate philosophy, but by my own personal choices. I engage in the jobs that are of the most interest to me.

Currently, I am completing my first course for Pluralsight about developing with Lightning. It has been tremendously fun for me to put together this course and know that it will likely have a positive impact on someone. I am very proud of it and look forward to it’s release, which I will tell you more about soon.

So, while Mr. Nadella has certainly made an impact on Microsoft. I wonder what impact he really had on his kids considering his statement, “Because if we look at it, I would have spent more time at Microsoft than living together with my kids.”

Really?

What a shame. Just glad I don’t have to say the same.